Dutchtown’s Virginia Mansion Has Been Sold!

Hallelujah!

For those not familiar with the Virginia Mansion let me give you a short brief. It is a well known building on Virginia just South of Meramec. Purchased a few years ago by a local non-profit (Our Lady’s Inn that intended to renovate the building for transitional housing. This news didn’t raise many eyebrows but when about a year later said they wanted to raze the building people were upset. Demolition permit was denied by city and reaffirmed by circuit court judge. OLI lists and sells this building and buyers a four-family for their transitional housing program.

Myself and a small group of other local property owners were instrumental in fighting the demolition plan. OLI attempted to characterize our opposition as racist since many of their clients are African-American. But our opposition had nothing to do with who their clients were and everything to do with the building and zoning. We repeatedly suggested four-family buildings in the area as alternative locations — even some adjacent four-family buildings were they could have a total of eight units. They were having nothing to do with anything other than razing the building.

I’m glad OLI has moved on and purchased a four-family near their main facility. Now we can move on by working with the new owner on getting the building renovated and once again contributing to the area.

– Steve