Update: I went back a year later in September of 2020.
Houses that had been abandoned for years have been rehabbed and occupied on Texas Avenue in between Pestalozzi and Arsenal on the east side of the street. A trend I am not happy about is the painting of the beautiful red brick; the cheap latex paint today will not hold up and will look terrible within a few years. I also suspect that is cheap flippers’ attempts to hide the need for expensive tuckpointing that was not done before selling.
The houses are beautiful, with single family buildings mixed in with two-family flats, allowing for a diversity of incomes to live in the neighborhood.
But then look at these little guys! They are very old, from the 1870s or even earlier; they need to be preserved and respected.
One of my favorite houses in St. Louis is at the northwest corner of Pestalozzi and Texas; it is a duplex but yet has perfect proportions.
I love the way these homes have been restored. Why is there no will to do this on the north side? There are programs that would provide monies for rehabbing.
Read Barb’s story why it’s so hard on the North Side, even when there’s the will:
https://www.builtstlouis.net/northside/old_north011.html
So the City is actively trying to destroy the Northside and it’s people? I can’t believe this is still going on in 2019. I had my eye on some properties in the Hyde Park area.
That would not be an unreasonable conclusion, though it is one of many that can be reached.
“allowing for a diversity of incomes to live in the neighborhood”
Also allowing for property values to never realize their full potential.
My block somehow manages to have houses ranging in prices from $100,000 to $300,000, with houses ranging in size from 1,000 square feet to 2,000+ square feet.
That’s pretty good actually – in my hood (Lindenwood Park) I see the same thing – but not all neighborhoods are equal. The more multi-families around the less the value is on the market. People don’t want a bunch of rental units around their investment. I know that was a big thing for me when I purchased – I need to be able to sell at some moment in time.
It’s also a safety thing too. I want to know who’s around.