Has anyone noticed all the boarded up property on 4400 Vista?
I used to know so many people on that street. Did anyone know Ron and Barb Sherrill? He was the17th Wards Republican Committee Man, we went to school together at O'Fallon. I lived around the corner. Last time I talked with him, several years ago, he had lost his sight and they had moved out of the neighborhood. I hope they are well.
So much has changed on the street. So many people have vanished. So much property standing to waste down enough to be torn down. What is the plan? Has the future arrived? Who knows the secrets? What is not being talked about loud enough for me or you to hear. Somebody in Wash U Land knows what is on the horizon, but it's only on a need to know basis.
Who owns all those boarded up properties? Why are they not undergoing renovation instead of abandoned and left to the elements. There is a 'plan' afoot. Does anyone care to share? I suppose this is where others might want to share a guess and see how many people guess right.
4400 Vista was a full and busy street with a little candy store/stuff in the middle of the block, it's still over there if you would like to take a historical tour, yellow I think. At the store front on the southwest corner was a grocer.
Now a lot of homes have gone missing, (wasted down and torn down) there are many, many board ups, some homes still occupied. They too will be boarded up one day. Just a matter of time.
Something is coming. Does anyone know? It's in the preparation phase of the development. Some of us have been watching for more than 20 years, the demise of this street, but for what??
I'll venture to guess, individual town homes connected by a common wall. Condos. Row Houses.
It would be an improvement to what is there and has been there for 20+years. I don't understand why it takes so long to improve the Residential District. WUMCDC knows to the season and year when something will be started and completed. They can twitch and get anything they want. Why has property on Vista been boarded up?? This is evidence of something to come and this dirt needs to be readied for a tear out just like McCree Town. They are moving ahead with their 'Revitalization Plan' and we the neighbors are kept in the dark.,
If the street is not being readied for improvement then why are the homes there just sitting and not being offered to the public for revitalization. It is a waste of property, architecture, a home and potential revenue. They are small and very versatile could be great additions. NO TAX ABATEMENT, you own property and pay taxes just like others do. Tax Abatement needs to come to an end.
I asked at a Gibson Heights Neighborhood Association meeting, one night, when the Alderman was there and Dan Krasnoff from Park Central answered my question. The question was when does tax abatement come to an end?. The answer: as long as there is one blighted property in the neighborhood, then you qualify for tax abatement. It's free for 10 years for all who qualify. That's just so wrong.
Does anyone know whether any of these little houses is available for purchase?? Who owns the red board ups? Why are they boarded up? The value of the neighborhood and nearby properties would increase with residents and restorations.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Oakland Row House
IMPROVEMENT WITH A LOCAL FLAIR
How many people know the Oakland Row House? 4400 Oakland. If anyone has any pictures of anything I write about, please feel free to submit your pictures and words. I don't have any befores. There are those that do and there may be some on the Internet, I do not have enough computer savvy to take a picture from somewhere and post it here or an article I might find. This site permits multiple authors, if you want to contribute your knowledge it would be appreciated. This will be a book about the Neighborhood and needs a variety of input from a variety of sources.
A story I might tell might be off a bit, but not far. I am 66 years old and I am having memory losses. Poor diet, poor exercise, smoker and carbonated beverages have been the leading edge for this malady. I welcome the input of others who want to correct my mistakes, most likely we can come to an agreement and the story goes on. I relish discussion's, I just become too demonstrative with my passion for the subject. I have to learn not to be pushy. I got that from my Dad. I can guarantee there will be no one to challenge that comment. My dad would be 103 this year, he did not smoke, but he drank, died at 68. Mother at 54, she drank and smoked. All their friends are gone as well, so no one can back me up and say my Dad was pushy and I apologize, but so am I. Bring it to my attention and I will work on it with the time I have left.
I'm just sayin', please jump in, this will be fun. Granted, I am not going to sugar coat anything I might write about. I will not always say good things about the PTB, but that is my right. You can. There are two sides to every interaction, and if no one agrees with my side then so be it, that does not make it wrong, it just means they have more to lose if they agree with me publicly. That's all. I have had people tell me that. People do what people do
Now we've got the introduction out of the way, we shall move along.
20 families lived in the row house on the north side of Oakland and 12 on the south side. The buildings were full. One bedroom apartments, up and down, with a common back yard for parking and playing. The one on the south side shared parking space and such with the Hitchin' Post Tavern on the corner at Manchester. Remember, women and children were safe back then. Kids were welcome in the bars.
The Row House had a variety of people, all white. Small families, couples starting out, single people making a home for themselves. The owners maintained the property. It rarely had a vacancy, until.
I don't know if there was a new owner for the property or the old owner changed his mind about keeping the property up. But about 1969 thru 72 the residents were beginning to move because of maintenance issues. They didn't like living there anymore. Some tenants had been there for many years. When a vacancy occurred, it stayed vacant for awhile, as though it were reserved. Then one day, it seemed, people on the street woke up to find new tenants in the building. They had been relocated from the projects the city was tearing down. It was not very long until the left over tenants were moving out. The new tenants brought an abundance of kids and noise. No occupancy permits back then. Before long there were conflicts with the neighbors about trash, disrespect, trespassing and vandalism. People on the street began to move as well. The neighborhood was undergoing it's first hostile takeover, you could see such a change from the peaceful friendly community it had always been. The new people who were being relocated didn't like being displaced into an area where the were not welcome. It created a lot of conflicts, which was part of the plan.
Overtime the Row House was a sad sight to see. The building on the south side of the street was torn down in the early 70's. It had become a real eyesore. The 'new development plan' by Wash U had been successful in eliminating a multifamily unit on a corner. It was gone, just like that and a dirt spot took it's place. (Still there with grass) The one on the north side was allowed to continue to deteriorate and it did. When tenants moved out they did not rent out the units any more, the apartments remained vacant and became a target for rocks. Eventually, the whole building was abandoned. It sat over there and just rotted for years. All the glass had been broken, doors removed and the building was open to the elements. It was dead. It had been killed for the future. I am thinking it was about 1986 or thereabouts, it was put on 'The Wash U Plan's List' for developing. Residents were beginning to take issue with the danger it presented. The building was open and the floors had rotted. I was in it one day rescuing a cat and I fell through the floor. That may have prompted it's renovation. I was alone going after that cat and did not like getting stuck in a floor for hours and I could not pull my leg up out of the hole I had crashed through. When I was found by a passerby who helped pull me up, I began my campaign to get something done about this hazard.
The crime in the neighborhood was at it's worse. People had moved away, abandoned buildings and boarded up storefronts were all we had left, it was not a pretty site to the people who lived here but Wash U was wallowing in their success. They had blighted this neighborhood with the blessings of the City and help from the Alderman to orchestrate it's demise and recovery.
Enter Michael Curran, a contractor. He was allowed to restore the Row House. The property had served it's purpose it had brought down the monetary value of the street and the neighborhood. Now it was time for the next phase, encouraging people to move here that had some connection to Wash U, usually. There were others, some had connections to the Alderman or his family. A subtle take over by people who would be supporting the PTB.
Michael Curran was a really nice contractor, he extended his services to the people on the street if they needed help. He was friendly and sincere.
He gutted the building. Put on a new roof and begun the process of a makeover. This would now be a 10 unit row of modern 2 bedroom townhouses with 2 floors to each door. His crew took the old door for the upstairs apartments and made them into full length windows for the new condo. He built garages and erected fences, extended the lower level and added a 'patio' and a deck on the second level. Two bedrooms, 2 baths, living room, dining area, kitchen, sun room/family room and a laundry closet. They were nice. Better than what was anyway. There was a change though, they became a 9 unit building instead of 10. CK bought two and had them converted into one.
When you look at the building, where there used to be a transom over a door you will see stained glass. Karl Chauff, who used to live on Arco, behind the Row House made a deal with Mike Curran to give the building some character and beauty by making and replacing each stained glass transom by hand in his basement. He was very detailed oriented and did a beautiful job. St. Louis has a lot of stained glass History and Karl gave Oakland some of that History for the future in an old crumbling yellow brick building that had been abandoned, burned, boarded up and left for dead by installing these beautiful works of art in the NEW Row House.
Karl is still in the neighborhood over on Chouteau, he may be retired by now from SLU. He was very talented and patient, if you run into him be sure and let him know he did a fine job.
The Row House is occupied and has been since it was rediscovered. A few owners are original, some rent from an absentee landlord to lives in Chicago or somewhere else, one is a hand me down to a family member and CK stills owns his two. It's been a nice addition to the street. I wonder if 'the Planners' had not blighted our community for the future, how that building and the whole neighborhood would be today. Our bordering communities were fortunate not to be in the cross hairs of Wash U Development Corp.
Tidbit: The movie White Palace was filmed in the double townhouse. You want to see inside, rent the movie.
How many people know the Oakland Row House? 4400 Oakland. If anyone has any pictures of anything I write about, please feel free to submit your pictures and words. I don't have any befores. There are those that do and there may be some on the Internet, I do not have enough computer savvy to take a picture from somewhere and post it here or an article I might find. This site permits multiple authors, if you want to contribute your knowledge it would be appreciated. This will be a book about the Neighborhood and needs a variety of input from a variety of sources.
A story I might tell might be off a bit, but not far. I am 66 years old and I am having memory losses. Poor diet, poor exercise, smoker and carbonated beverages have been the leading edge for this malady. I welcome the input of others who want to correct my mistakes, most likely we can come to an agreement and the story goes on. I relish discussion's, I just become too demonstrative with my passion for the subject. I have to learn not to be pushy. I got that from my Dad. I can guarantee there will be no one to challenge that comment. My dad would be 103 this year, he did not smoke, but he drank, died at 68. Mother at 54, she drank and smoked. All their friends are gone as well, so no one can back me up and say my Dad was pushy and I apologize, but so am I. Bring it to my attention and I will work on it with the time I have left.
I'm just sayin', please jump in, this will be fun. Granted, I am not going to sugar coat anything I might write about. I will not always say good things about the PTB, but that is my right. You can. There are two sides to every interaction, and if no one agrees with my side then so be it, that does not make it wrong, it just means they have more to lose if they agree with me publicly. That's all. I have had people tell me that. People do what people do
Now we've got the introduction out of the way, we shall move along.
20 families lived in the row house on the north side of Oakland and 12 on the south side. The buildings were full. One bedroom apartments, up and down, with a common back yard for parking and playing. The one on the south side shared parking space and such with the Hitchin' Post Tavern on the corner at Manchester. Remember, women and children were safe back then. Kids were welcome in the bars.
The Row House had a variety of people, all white. Small families, couples starting out, single people making a home for themselves. The owners maintained the property. It rarely had a vacancy, until.
I don't know if there was a new owner for the property or the old owner changed his mind about keeping the property up. But about 1969 thru 72 the residents were beginning to move because of maintenance issues. They didn't like living there anymore. Some tenants had been there for many years. When a vacancy occurred, it stayed vacant for awhile, as though it were reserved. Then one day, it seemed, people on the street woke up to find new tenants in the building. They had been relocated from the projects the city was tearing down. It was not very long until the left over tenants were moving out. The new tenants brought an abundance of kids and noise. No occupancy permits back then. Before long there were conflicts with the neighbors about trash, disrespect, trespassing and vandalism. People on the street began to move as well. The neighborhood was undergoing it's first hostile takeover, you could see such a change from the peaceful friendly community it had always been. The new people who were being relocated didn't like being displaced into an area where the were not welcome. It created a lot of conflicts, which was part of the plan.
Overtime the Row House was a sad sight to see. The building on the south side of the street was torn down in the early 70's. It had become a real eyesore. The 'new development plan' by Wash U had been successful in eliminating a multifamily unit on a corner. It was gone, just like that and a dirt spot took it's place. (Still there with grass) The one on the north side was allowed to continue to deteriorate and it did. When tenants moved out they did not rent out the units any more, the apartments remained vacant and became a target for rocks. Eventually, the whole building was abandoned. It sat over there and just rotted for years. All the glass had been broken, doors removed and the building was open to the elements. It was dead. It had been killed for the future. I am thinking it was about 1986 or thereabouts, it was put on 'The Wash U Plan's List' for developing. Residents were beginning to take issue with the danger it presented. The building was open and the floors had rotted. I was in it one day rescuing a cat and I fell through the floor. That may have prompted it's renovation. I was alone going after that cat and did not like getting stuck in a floor for hours and I could not pull my leg up out of the hole I had crashed through. When I was found by a passerby who helped pull me up, I began my campaign to get something done about this hazard.
The crime in the neighborhood was at it's worse. People had moved away, abandoned buildings and boarded up storefronts were all we had left, it was not a pretty site to the people who lived here but Wash U was wallowing in their success. They had blighted this neighborhood with the blessings of the City and help from the Alderman to orchestrate it's demise and recovery.
Enter Michael Curran, a contractor. He was allowed to restore the Row House. The property had served it's purpose it had brought down the monetary value of the street and the neighborhood. Now it was time for the next phase, encouraging people to move here that had some connection to Wash U, usually. There were others, some had connections to the Alderman or his family. A subtle take over by people who would be supporting the PTB.
Michael Curran was a really nice contractor, he extended his services to the people on the street if they needed help. He was friendly and sincere.
He gutted the building. Put on a new roof and begun the process of a makeover. This would now be a 10 unit row of modern 2 bedroom townhouses with 2 floors to each door. His crew took the old door for the upstairs apartments and made them into full length windows for the new condo. He built garages and erected fences, extended the lower level and added a 'patio' and a deck on the second level. Two bedrooms, 2 baths, living room, dining area, kitchen, sun room/family room and a laundry closet. They were nice. Better than what was anyway. There was a change though, they became a 9 unit building instead of 10. CK bought two and had them converted into one.
When you look at the building, where there used to be a transom over a door you will see stained glass. Karl Chauff, who used to live on Arco, behind the Row House made a deal with Mike Curran to give the building some character and beauty by making and replacing each stained glass transom by hand in his basement. He was very detailed oriented and did a beautiful job. St. Louis has a lot of stained glass History and Karl gave Oakland some of that History for the future in an old crumbling yellow brick building that had been abandoned, burned, boarded up and left for dead by installing these beautiful works of art in the NEW Row House.
Karl is still in the neighborhood over on Chouteau, he may be retired by now from SLU. He was very talented and patient, if you run into him be sure and let him know he did a fine job.
The Row House is occupied and has been since it was rediscovered. A few owners are original, some rent from an absentee landlord to lives in Chicago or somewhere else, one is a hand me down to a family member and CK stills owns his two. It's been a nice addition to the street. I wonder if 'the Planners' had not blighted our community for the future, how that building and the whole neighborhood would be today. Our bordering communities were fortunate not to be in the cross hairs of Wash U Development Corp.
Tidbit: The movie White Palace was filmed in the double townhouse. You want to see inside, rent the movie.
Saturday, April 27, 2013
COFFEE
Back in the 60's this was a coffee smelling neighborhood. The Cofee Companies liked to locate here and some are still here, The big one back in the day was on Hunt at Newstead. The Chock Ful O Nuts coffee company and they always had the neighborhood smelling good. There were others but that was the big one. Lots of employees. That was another good thing about the neighborhood, it had lots of jobs to offer. Everybody worked.
I would welcome a coffee shop without alcohol, like a Star Bucks. I don't think this neighborhood would support a Star Bucks because they are a bit pricey, There are others. I have visited a few and have invited them to come into the neighborhood.
Laundromats
I mentioned the neighborhood used to have 4 laundrys on the street. One was down by the Post Office, one was in one of the storefronts attached to what used to be the 9 0 5 Liquor Store. Bertram Drugstore was across the street. Then the big one where O'Shay's is now. That was a very good laundromat. I pushed my daughter in a stroller, from 1307 S. Newstead (home) up the street to go do our laundry. We didn't have a washer and dryer. The laundromat was always busy, this was in 1966. You had to wait for a machine. People would meet in the laundromat and chat and be neighborly. I was in there when my water ruptured with my second child. I couldn't understand why when I would pick up the basket or the child, I would wet myself. I asked one of the ladies. She was a nurse at Barnes. She told me I was about to go into labor and I needed to go to the hospital. OK, but I had to finish the laundry and get it home first. Then I had to go over to my Mom's house on Oakland and get a ride to the hospital, Jewish Hospital. Sometime after I moved away with my US Navy husband in 1968 that laundry died and was boarded up. Then when I came back to stay and pay attention in 1984, I noticed the Diner had been transformed into a laundromat. It was not as nice as the one had been across the street, it wasn't supposed to be, it was just there. It was supposed to become an eyesore to the people who did not use it, to request it be shut down and closed up. Then I got involved with a divorce and recovery so I left home for awhile, that was 1994. I moved to Poplar Bluff. I came back in 2002 It was still there then, but was a sorry sight to see and use. Then I left in 2007 and returned in 2010, it was gone when I got back and Mission St. Louis has claimed it for the time being. So far, there has not been a replacement to take the place of those lost in the decline and improvement of the neighborhood. There were always services here for the public but serviced more residents in the neighborhood than not. We had a great neighborhood at one time, but then came the decline. It came by invitation.
I mentioned the neighborhood used to have 4 laundrys on the street. One was down by the Post Office, one was in one of the storefronts attached to what used to be the 9 0 5 Liquor Store. Bertram Drugstore was across the street. Then the big one where O'Shay's is now. That was a very good laundromat. I pushed my daughter in a stroller, from 1307 S. Newstead (home) up the street to go do our laundry. We didn't have a washer and dryer. The laundromat was always busy, this was in 1966. You had to wait for a machine. People would meet in the laundromat and chat and be neighborly. I was in there when my water ruptured with my second child. I couldn't understand why when I would pick up the basket or the child, I would wet myself. I asked one of the ladies. She was a nurse at Barnes. She told me I was about to go into labor and I needed to go to the hospital. OK, but I had to finish the laundry and get it home first. Then I had to go over to my Mom's house on Oakland and get a ride to the hospital, Jewish Hospital. Sometime after I moved away with my US Navy husband in 1968 that laundry died and was boarded up. Then when I came back to stay and pay attention in 1984, I noticed the Diner had been transformed into a laundromat. It was not as nice as the one had been across the street, it wasn't supposed to be, it was just there. It was supposed to become an eyesore to the people who did not use it, to request it be shut down and closed up. Then I got involved with a divorce and recovery so I left home for awhile, that was 1994. I moved to Poplar Bluff. I came back in 2002 It was still there then, but was a sorry sight to see and use. Then I left in 2007 and returned in 2010, it was gone when I got back and Mission St. Louis has claimed it for the time being. So far, there has not been a replacement to take the place of those lost in the decline and improvement of the neighborhood. There were always services here for the public but serviced more residents in the neighborhood than not. We had a great neighborhood at one time, but then came the decline. It came by invitation.
Liqour Licenses
I would venture to bet when the neighborhood was at it's best, back in the day, it had a lot more bars than the Grove has now. There used to be a bar at every intersection. They catered to their neighbors but served everybody. Some had food, some didn't, Rarely were there outdoor activities after dark. The neighborhood bars for the most part did not have outdoor seating or service. The bars were here for the people who used them. Back then the bars were a gathering place and parents brought their children. Some of the bars in the neighborhood, you did not go in, anything could happen. So, you didn't go in. The rest of them were safe for women and children. Then a killing occured at Jake Corbin's Bar on Manchester (maybe about 1991) and it was time to close down the bars in the neighborhood. People were active with that issue and bars licenses were not renewed. For many years we were protected from having bars return to the neighborhood. Ida Fields on Gibson remembers that issue. There was an agreement made that: if bars wanted to return they would have to sell more food than alcohol. Eventually that agreement was not enforce anymore. When I came back in 2010 I was amazed at what I saw.
I would venture to bet when the neighborhood was at it's best, back in the day, it had a lot more bars than the Grove has now. There used to be a bar at every intersection. They catered to their neighbors but served everybody. Some had food, some didn't, Rarely were there outdoor activities after dark. The neighborhood bars for the most part did not have outdoor seating or service. The bars were here for the people who used them. Back then the bars were a gathering place and parents brought their children. Some of the bars in the neighborhood, you did not go in, anything could happen. So, you didn't go in. The rest of them were safe for women and children. Then a killing occured at Jake Corbin's Bar on Manchester (maybe about 1991) and it was time to close down the bars in the neighborhood. People were active with that issue and bars licenses were not renewed. For many years we were protected from having bars return to the neighborhood. Ida Fields on Gibson remembers that issue. There was an agreement made that: if bars wanted to return they would have to sell more food than alcohol. Eventually that agreement was not enforce anymore. When I came back in 2010 I was amazed at what I saw.
Since 1960
Let me share my memories of this neighborhood with you and you might find others who remember the same story.
This was a bouncing neighborhood when I was moved here in July of 1960. I was going on 14. I lived in one of 5 little houses on Newstead behind Adam's School. My Mother moved me here so I could walk to O'Fallon Tech High School. We moved from one of those big single family homes on Forest Park to this neighborhood.
This was a different kind of neighborhood. It had everything. It had multiple everythings. We were great. This was a good neighborhood. Catty corner across the street from where I lived is where the Westbrook's lived, Cassie, Charles and all the kids. They were my other family. Everybody knew everybody and so did the kids, We had a good neighborhood. Cassie and I would set out on the corner at night just hangin out. Down on the corner where the St. Louis Mission is now was Jesse's All Night Diner. 24/7 if you needed somewhere to go to get away from somewhere else the diner was always open. It was safe for everybody. You could step in out of the weather while you waited for the bus. Lots of glass to see the bus coming from both directions. The diner was a place for anybody as long as you minded your manners. There was a jukebox but no dancing allowed and the tables prevented to much swaggering. Those were the 'good old days', for me. My neighborhood was a sought after place to live. Property was very desirable here. We had everything. I remember Rhinehart's IGA, Tom-Boy Market, Freddies Market, as the ones we shopped at most. There were several other grocers in the neighborhood.as well. I'm just saying this was a fantastic neighborhood and that from the mouth of a 13 year old. The neighborhood was safe, people walked the streets at night because they had somewhere to go, window shopping. People used to walk the sidewalks at all hours and window shop. The street was all lit up with signs and lighted store fronts. You could spend hours looking in the Woolworth's windows. There was a bar at every intersection. There were restaurants skattered in as well with all the other stores. You never had to leave the neighborhood to make a purchase. We had gas stations serving the residential community and that was OK, back then the gas stations had garage bays to work on the neighborhoods cars. We had all kinds of services on Manchester and other streets throughout the neighborhood. There are not many left, original storefronts . Everything has been converted. The past is nearly gone and soon there will only be memories. The neighborhood had it all. People used to drive here to do their shopping. People who worked here lived here. This neighborhood is where the MacArthur's Bakery got it's beginning. They were one of our neighborhood bakeries. They had the best whipped cream puffs. They had a gooey butter coffee cake to die for. We had a few furniture stores, appliance, TV's, drug stores, ladies wear, men's wear, children's clothing store, shoe stores, and so many more. I could go on and on. I left home when I turned 16. Joined a magazine crew and left the state to work for my money. Met a guy, came back here to raise a family. My Mother bought the house on Oakland and Jerry and I moved into the house she vacated on Newstead where I had lived with my Mother, I had returned home. Even then, property was at a premium, people waited to move here. Selling property was nearly an overnight transaction. I had two babies while I lived at 1307 S Newstead. So did Cassie. This was home. I would push the stroller down the streets. Back then our sidewalks were in excellent condition, because people used them and saw to it they were maintained. Fortunately, our grocers delivered if we couldn't take the groceries home with us. The delivery guy would carry them or put them in a wagon and walk with us back home. We had a great neighborhood. For awhile we had the Manchester Theater, but the hooligans ruined that. There were four laundromats on Manchester. We had a cookie factory, paint factory, window factory and Renard Paper Company. Back then Henri Renard was running the business and his kids were learning the business. Joe Roddy was the Alderman and he took care of his people. The neighborhood was the apple in his eye and so were all the ladies who would do anything for Joe. Joe in turn would do nice things for the neighborhood. He took baskets around to families in need on special occasions, he kept the young people working, he took care of your tickets, he found jobs for people, he was a good man. Then he got swept up in the future. Wash U wanted this neighborhood in the future to be it's own bedroom community. In order to do that they would need to have control over it's future development. To insure it's future rested with Wash U, the neighborhood would have to change from the peaceful healthy safe neighborhood it was in 1968 to a boarded up has been with the higest crime rate in the city, even the police avoided coming here. They set about to destroy the neighborhood and they have done a very good job from my perspective. A lot of people got in on the ground floor of getting a fine piece of property for nothing. Some of them came here to buy their neighbors homes as they vacated. That was a very dark time for our neighborhood.
This was a bouncing neighborhood when I was moved here in July of 1960. I was going on 14. I lived in one of 5 little houses on Newstead behind Adam's School. My Mother moved me here so I could walk to O'Fallon Tech High School. We moved from one of those big single family homes on Forest Park to this neighborhood.
This was a different kind of neighborhood. It had everything. It had multiple everythings. We were great. This was a good neighborhood. Catty corner across the street from where I lived is where the Westbrook's lived, Cassie, Charles and all the kids. They were my other family. Everybody knew everybody and so did the kids, We had a good neighborhood. Cassie and I would set out on the corner at night just hangin out. Down on the corner where the St. Louis Mission is now was Jesse's All Night Diner. 24/7 if you needed somewhere to go to get away from somewhere else the diner was always open. It was safe for everybody. You could step in out of the weather while you waited for the bus. Lots of glass to see the bus coming from both directions. The diner was a place for anybody as long as you minded your manners. There was a jukebox but no dancing allowed and the tables prevented to much swaggering. Those were the 'good old days', for me. My neighborhood was a sought after place to live. Property was very desirable here. We had everything. I remember Rhinehart's IGA, Tom-Boy Market, Freddies Market, as the ones we shopped at most. There were several other grocers in the neighborhood.as well. I'm just saying this was a fantastic neighborhood and that from the mouth of a 13 year old. The neighborhood was safe, people walked the streets at night because they had somewhere to go, window shopping. People used to walk the sidewalks at all hours and window shop. The street was all lit up with signs and lighted store fronts. You could spend hours looking in the Woolworth's windows. There was a bar at every intersection. There were restaurants skattered in as well with all the other stores. You never had to leave the neighborhood to make a purchase. We had gas stations serving the residential community and that was OK, back then the gas stations had garage bays to work on the neighborhoods cars. We had all kinds of services on Manchester and other streets throughout the neighborhood. There are not many left, original storefronts . Everything has been converted. The past is nearly gone and soon there will only be memories. The neighborhood had it all. People used to drive here to do their shopping. People who worked here lived here. This neighborhood is where the MacArthur's Bakery got it's beginning. They were one of our neighborhood bakeries. They had the best whipped cream puffs. They had a gooey butter coffee cake to die for. We had a few furniture stores, appliance, TV's, drug stores, ladies wear, men's wear, children's clothing store, shoe stores, and so many more. I could go on and on. I left home when I turned 16. Joined a magazine crew and left the state to work for my money. Met a guy, came back here to raise a family. My Mother bought the house on Oakland and Jerry and I moved into the house she vacated on Newstead where I had lived with my Mother, I had returned home. Even then, property was at a premium, people waited to move here. Selling property was nearly an overnight transaction. I had two babies while I lived at 1307 S Newstead. So did Cassie. This was home. I would push the stroller down the streets. Back then our sidewalks were in excellent condition, because people used them and saw to it they were maintained. Fortunately, our grocers delivered if we couldn't take the groceries home with us. The delivery guy would carry them or put them in a wagon and walk with us back home. We had a great neighborhood. For awhile we had the Manchester Theater, but the hooligans ruined that. There were four laundromats on Manchester. We had a cookie factory, paint factory, window factory and Renard Paper Company. Back then Henri Renard was running the business and his kids were learning the business. Joe Roddy was the Alderman and he took care of his people. The neighborhood was the apple in his eye and so were all the ladies who would do anything for Joe. Joe in turn would do nice things for the neighborhood. He took baskets around to families in need on special occasions, he kept the young people working, he took care of your tickets, he found jobs for people, he was a good man. Then he got swept up in the future. Wash U wanted this neighborhood in the future to be it's own bedroom community. In order to do that they would need to have control over it's future development. To insure it's future rested with Wash U, the neighborhood would have to change from the peaceful healthy safe neighborhood it was in 1968 to a boarded up has been with the higest crime rate in the city, even the police avoided coming here. They set about to destroy the neighborhood and they have done a very good job from my perspective. A lot of people got in on the ground floor of getting a fine piece of property for nothing. Some of them came here to buy their neighbors homes as they vacated. That was a very dark time for our neighborhood.
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