“Don’t Go North of Delmar”
The year was 1990. I was 23 and had just moved to St Louis from the Oklahoma area where I was born & raised. The apartment manager on Lindell probably thought she was doing me a favor, instead she was doing the region a great disservice. “Don’t go North of Delmar, ” she instructed. The next day, out of curiosity I went North of Delmar. I didn’t get shot or even shot at.
That trip, and many since, reinforced my love of the city’s architecture and street layout. I think it was on this first trip North of Delmar that I discovered Fountain Park, the police station on Page at Union (since razed) and so many wonderful streets long abandoned by whites out of fear of living in proximity to a black person. Oh the horrors!
The apartment manager, I later learned, grew up near O’Fallon Park on the city’s North side in the late 30s-50s. North St Louis was no longer the place of her childhood. In the first part of the 20th Century restrictive deed restrictions were placed on property to keep streets white.
The famous Supreme Court case Shelley v. Kraemer, originating in North St Louis, in 1948 found that the restrictions were not unconstitutional but the using the courts to enforce them was. The began to open up previously all white areas to non-white persons.
Block by block over the next several decades white families began to sell, often in a panic induced by real estate agents engaged in “blockbusting.” Panic selling reduced prices which meant more people would panic sell. Falling prices also meant homes formerly unaffordable were now affordable to more people. Had people not sold in a panic North St Louis might look very different today.
Delmar became known as a dividing line between the black North side and the white South side.
Of course there are whites North of Delmar and blacks South but you get the idea. This “rule” gets passed on as young 23 year olds move to the city. Well, they try to pass it on. In 1991 I moved from Lindell to Old North St Louis — well North of Delmar.
Fast forward to the present. Ald. Kacie Starr Triplett has introduced Board Bill 328 to honorarily rename Delmar to Barack Obama Boulevard. The street would still be Delmar — it would just have some additional signs added for the honorary designation.
I like the symbolism — Barack Obama being the one person in a generation that can bring white and black together.  He himself being the product of a white mom and black father.
Again, this is an honorary renaming only. When Easton was renamed for Dr. Martin Luther King in the early 1970s they changed the legal name of the street.
So while I like the symbolism I wonder how effective, if at all, having this desigation will be toward breaking down the Delmar barrier. Will people just start saying, “Don’t go North of Obama Boulevard?”
Thank you for the history lesson.
Well spoken, Steve. We cannot, however downplay the importance of the explosion of federally subsidized new housing in North County after World War II as another major cause of the decline of North St. Louis. I have several friends whose parents grew up in North City and moved with their parents in the 1960’s to Florissant out of a desire to have a single family home. No, they were/are not bigots, but could not pass up the deals being offered for brand new housing in post-world war America. They were tired of living in a cramped, two bedroom walk-up and the offer of an entire home, with easy interstate access to the city, was too good to pass up. Remember, by the 1950’s most homes in North City were 60-80 years old without the modern conveniences we take for granted. Also, the city was very, very crowded after tens of thousands of people packed the city during World War II. Yes, in hindsight America would be a better place if the money invested in the suburbs had been invested in rehabilitating the city’s historic fabric.
I definitely do not want to downplay the racism factor, which is still a problem in the city. In my neighborhood in South City, it was embarrassing for me to witness the reactions of my fellow white neighbors when a black family moved in next door to me recently. They literally assumed that they would be troublemakers, without even talking to them (they’ve turned out to be model neighbors, which is more than I can say for some of my white neighbors). With people still judging each other by skin color so blatantly and unashamedly, I worry about the future of St. Louis.
I supported Obama. I voted for Obama. I do NOT support naming any street for him or any other politician whose only local contribution, to date, has been to win an election. Give him some time in office, let him deliver on his promises, THEN think about recognizing his contributions. If you really want to name a street for a president, there’s a contingent out there that thinks Ronald Reagan needs a few more streets named for him!
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If a city in Illinois wants to recognize Obama for his efforts either in the state legislature and/or in congress, that’s their right and probably a well-deserved honor. The reality is that a strong presidential candiate (Obama), from another state, defeated all the other, weaker presidential candidates, from other states, including McCain. We have plenty of local heroes, and a limited universe of public facilities, that can and should be named for people who have made our lives better. And then there’s that other politician from Illinois, who’s been in the news recently – what if a city had named a street for him right after he was elected?!
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I know talk is cheap and politicians like to get patted on the back. The reality is that one’s contibutions are best judged with the clarity of 20/20 hindsight, not in the heat of the moment. Many of us have had second thoughts about naming a part of I-70 for Mark McGuire. I doubt we’ll have any regrets about what President-elect Obama will accomplish, but lets just let him do some time actually live up to the hype, the hopes and the dreams . . .
I agree with Jim, I think it’s a weak gesture to rename Delmar for Obama.
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Delmar was just named one of the best streets in America (the Loop portion that is).
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People note that MLKs across the country are a poor reflection on the man they are named for. Some sections of Delmar wouldn’t be much different.
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Invite President Obama to break the champaign bottle on a reworked area around the Arch grounds, and we’d have something to talk about!
Triplett just wants to grab some attention, like all of the politicians who will be using photos of themselves posing with Obama in primary election leaftlets.
Could the board do perhaps some real work? I too voted for Obama but this is ridiculous.
In the St. Louis of the mid-20th century (and before) there were no happily integrated neighborhoods. The concept of segregation was mandated by custom and law and yes, popularly supported by bigotry after laws changed. Today, there are many examples of neighborhoods that have gone from being all white to mixed and remain that way. Balanced. Recent census data seem to show that white flight is over and integration has “caught on”.
The Post had an interesting editorial back in 1970 or thereabouts: “Walnut Park: Changing Neighborhood From White to Black.” It included a photo of a black guy who was the first nonwhite person to move on a particular block in Walnut Park. He was quoted: “People started moving out around me before they knew my name.” Walnut Park went from being overwhelmingly white in 1960 to majority black less than ten years later. The 1960s was also the decade that the City of St. Louis lost a total of 130,000 people!
I don’t think it was all fear either that people chose to move from the North Side. I remember my dad worked in Wellston until the early 70’s until the company had to move because every shift windows were broken out in the plant, cars were either stolen or broken into or you would find your battery and tires missing when you got off work. Things like this didn’t help the area north of Delmar.
Tim, did you ever stop to think that the reason those things happened was because of the economic destitution that occupied the void left by the exodus? White flight from any urban area didn’t help anything, anywhere in the US, not just north of Delmar. These types of crimes are the result of hopeless poverty and the reinforcement of inequity in civil society. The origins and reasons for the perpetuation of inequity is always a matter of debate, but the reasons for these types of crime is pretty clear.
There should be a better way to describe those who flee people unlike themselves. Throwing around the term bigot always sounds a little harsh to me. Some folks like to self segregate be they white or black and just live around “there own kind.” Secondly how can I blame and point fingers at a guy who has to take his kids out of school district that has radically changed since they first enrolled or a neighborhood that isn’t the same as the day he moved in? I can call him every name I want but until I’ve walked in his shoes I won’t.
John W. did you ever stop to think that you are blaming the victim here. What should the guy do? Break his own car windows before going to work. The guy busting windows is a feckless lowlife who won’t get on the bus and go to work when its easier to clout cars all day.
I appreciate Obama and his significance. However I must agree renaming Delmar for him at this early stage is premature. Seems to me there are enough problems on both the national level and the local level to keep politicians busy. Maybe we can start honoring people after straightening out the mess this country has become. It is like a football team celebrating the championship and most valuable player award before it has won, or even played, the game.
Instead, I challenge Alderwoman Triplett to devise new procedures to include citizens in urban planning and other decisions. To find new ways to return the city to a sustainable, energy efficient environment. To utilize mass transit and the urban shape of the city to accomplish these goals. I challenge Alderwoman Triplett to find ways to renew democracy and include the voice of the people in the political process, not just corporate insiders.
This and much more is how local leadership can help President Obama succeed. Not naming streets after him. In fact I think President Obama would judge such a street naming as trivial at this juncture.
hmmm… southsider, it seems like you personally know the “guy who is a feckless lowlife who won’t get on the bus and go to work when it’s easier to clout cars all day…” because that seems an awfully definite conclusion. Do you? I’m blaming the victim? What the hell are you babbling about? Go back and read what I wrote before spouting off like a moron.
Tim,
Wellston is not even in the city. I’m on 19th St in Old North St Louis, just south of Hyde Park, on the main route up to the McKinley Bridge from downtown. I love to tell cute stories about my safe, quiet, diverse and ridiculously friendly neighborhood. Well entrenched south and west-siders such as yourself like to bring up counter-examples they saw in the paper about Wellston or Pagedale. Wellston is to the near north side as Maplewood is to Soulard… FAR AWAY and not too relevant.
You mentioned in a previous comment you might have to come visit us and recheck your perceptions. Please do… and I sincerely invite you to call or email me for a neighborhood tour. I give tours to homebuyers all the time. I’ll get you a piece of Sophie’s homemade cheesecake at Cornerstone’s Deli on Salisbury and Blair and when we are done you will want to move here right away. Trust me, it is that good.
I’m a data analyst at a large conservative brokerage firm. I lived in Clifton Heights for 13 yrs. I sold at market peak, shopped around and *chose* to invest in a 4-family North of Delmar. You don’t get a lot of single professional women voluntarily moving into dead or scary neighborhoods. But there are quite a few of us up here! Also artists, lawyers, IT techs and military folks. So either we are en masse delusional or you are wrong. Wanna go see?
Frankly, I don’t support changing the name because I am proud of it. North of Delmar is home. You could not pay me to leave. South side is for squares 🙂
Barbara Manzara
3202 North 19th St
314-238-4032
manzarbe@hotmail.com
Wellston, is north of Delmar which is what the post was about. In the past I have hung out at 20th and Salisbury, 14th and Hebert, Page and Union, Union and MLK and Blair and 14th (?,could have been St. Louis). I’ve been here my whole life. I’m familiar with the fact that Wellston is in the County and not the City. I’ll get around to checking out Old North at some point again. The last time was when I saw those new homes from 70. I was shocked anyone would build there let alone buy them. But hey, if there is a market, more power to them. Is the firestation on Salisbury still active or has it been closed? That would make a cool house.
The Hyde Park fire station on Salisbury is alive and well as a working fire station with shiny red trucks and brave people on duty. If you are “shocked” that anyone would want to invest north of downtown, you are about 10 years out of touch! Are you aware that Soulard has great restaurants? That there are places to shop on Washington Ave?
Funny story… last night, *at 11:30 pm*, my new rehabbing neighbor came to trim a branch so his electrician could put in a new electrical service today. A neighbor who has a great view from her third floor saw the ladder against the house and sparks from the grinder and was worried about copper theft and the Blairmont arsons. She called me (I’m the block captain) and I called 911 with just the facts. They patched me through to the Hyde Park fire station.
I guess they scrambled the jets because we had a fire truck and two police officers on scene in 2 minutes flat. The neighbors jumped into shoes and beat the firemen by a few seconds. It turned out to be the new homeowner, who was pretty embarrassed… the officer told him not to work at night without letting the block captain know because (and I quote) “these neighbors of yours are not f*ing around”.
My boyfriend then spent the rest of the evening singing the COPS theme song with my name subbed in until we were all crying with laughter.
We are taking cookies up to the fire house today to thank them and apologize for the false alarm. I tell you, it is a weird little bubble of small town life up here, and we love it.
B
Oh, I forgot to add that being poor doesn’t make a possible or probably criminal. My guess is that people that steal are poor because they would rather do that than work, which will in turn make you poor. I find it offensive when people point to a crime ridden area and claim it’s because its full of poor people.
Anyway, that sounds like quite the night there. But while I’m glad to hear this story I have to wonder if the fact that a possible copper theif was even in mind isn’t an indicator you have a long way to go. If I see a ladder go up next door I don’t instantly think it’s a copper theif instead of a wacky neighbor that likes to work in the dark. Like I said I applaud the pioneers. I’m just not one of them.
How many hold outs are in your area from say 20 years ago, 40 years ago? People that didn’t move when all their neighbors did or those that moved in following the white flight? I would guess they would have been there in the 20 to 30 year range. Or is it all recent renters and rehabbers?
barbara on 19th, do you have kids? do you send them to city schools? Do your neighbors have kids going to city schools?
Until the answer to all those questions are “Yes” the arguement that things are turning around is false.
If you’re offended by facts, Tim, then your life must really be a chore to manage. Go ahead and ignore the facts. That’s what ignorant people do.
You better not shout
You better not pout
You better not complain
I’m trying to explain
Paul Mckee is ruining your town
He’s making a list
of houses to get
He’s using his clout
And pushing you out
Paul Mckee is ruining your town
He’s working while your sleeping
He knows your not awake
City Hall won’t step in
They’re all on the take
So……….
You better watch out
You better get the word out
Time to complain
I’m trying to explain
Paul Mckee is ruining
While he and Slay are spooning
And they’re also mooning
Your town
Happy Holidays
Love the work you and your informed circle of friends are doing for St Louis.
Continue.
It’s a “fact” that poor people are thieves and criminals? Interesting news, at what income does one turn to crime? I would love it if you could list the URL to the documented evidence that low income “causes” people to become criminals. By this logic the government need only hand out six figure checks and “poof” no more crime. Unless you go into politics in Illinois anyway.
Knucklehead, the incidence of these types of crimes, as you described your father and others experienced or witnessed in north St. Louis is not matched by ANY MEASURE in areas of the city where moderate to grinding poverty is not the prevailing constant. You seem to be conflating my clear statement that hopeless poverty and disempowerment results in these types of crimes with your badly botched interpretation which reads “It’s a ‘fact’ that poor people are thieves and criminals”. Some people (an alarming number, to be sure), living in areas where moderate to grinding poverty is the prevailing constant, commit and re-commit these types of crimes- not ALL poor people living in these areas. Your attempt to place the broad brush in my hand won’t ever work, especially when it seems to fit in your hand a bit better. Get a clue.
“is not matched by ANY MEASURE in areas of the city where moderate to grinding poverty is not the prevailing constant.”
DUTCHTOWN?
Stop calling names.
Copper theft and construction theft is a problem all over the city, county, state, and nation; it is hardly a particularly northside problem. The near northside is largely made up of people who “never left” — we have several “century families” still living in the home that grand-grandfolks built after they wandered up from Laclede’s Landing and picked a nice spot. We’ve got another large percentage of folks who moved in as young couples in the late 60’s, and they and their children still live here. On top of that, there is the most recent wave — new homebuyers, historic homebuyers, fixer-uppers, hardcore rehabbers and renters. Your basic urban mix. Nothing special except for our century families and the fact we all actually know each other.
Regarding schools, St Louis public schools are a disgrace, period. There are many county public schools much better than in the city, and that’s a huge hole the city has to fill. the trade off for most people is cost of real estate -vs- cost of private school. Yes, it sucks, but I don’t see that our neighborhood schools are any worse than their southside equivalents.
ONSL is as nice a place to live as anywhere in the city, and your biases won’t change that.
Barbara
Why do local leaders, elected and appointed, refuse to use accurate polling to make these type of decisions? Perhaps they’ll discover that their choices are unpopular? Look at Dallas as an example of how renaming a boulevard surprised public officials.
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Dallas officials’ ‘uh-oh’ moment came when they received the results of their summer survey. Having favored scenic-sounding names such as Riverfront and Trinityview for the waterside development, officials were stunned by the top choice: “Cesar Chavez Boulevard.” Lawmakers balked, setting off months of wrangling in crowded public forums at City Hall and in heated online debates.
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Democracy isn’t perfect but it does open doors for change, something that is desperately needed in the Lou region. How it is implemented and managed says so much about a region’s future.
The city schools are not a disgrace. That is P-D propaganda. There are many schools which are doing quite well. Though Ricky Boy definitely won’t let that stand for much longer.
Turd.
For November 2008, the Central West End has a higher crime index than Hyde Park whereas my neighborhood of North Hampton has a slightly higher index than Old North St. Louis.
Obviously though crime does not tell the entire picture as the aforementioned North St. Louis neighborhoods have many challenges remaining which the two South St. Louis neighborhoods do not.
These won’t be solved through blanket stereotypes. In fact such ignorance only exacerbates the situation. North St. Louis is a treasure filled with architecturally magnificent buildings and hard working citizens. There are areas of extreme depression and poverty but dehumanizing residents won’t change anything. That only provides an excuse for us to ignore what’s going on on the street.
I agree with the above posters. What has Obama done to compare with Washington, MLK, or others than win an election?
I think in time, he will be one of the best leaders that our country has ever seen, but not yet.
We’ve got a serious economic crisis and Kacie’s talking about renaming streets?
C’mon Kacie, grow up and get serious.
Aaah, Kacie, you don’t disappoint: another feckless, marginally qualified, pandering, toady writ as Alderman. This renaming has about as much importance and imagination as another stop sign posted at an intersection which doesn’t need it. Kacie, don’t you think you should get some real work done? Say, for instance, how to reduce the City employment rolls and reduce waste in order to help make up the multi-million USD shortfall in the budget? Without significantly reducing services? No? That would take actual work? And your an aldreman, and you don’t have to work? That’s why you do these stupid and pointless acts like the “renaming”? to make yourself look effectual to the “community”, er, I mean your constituents? How about acquiring fed money to properly calibrate and time the 21 Million USD LED traffic-signal lighting system? So we can save money and time crossing the City? Another worthless Alderman. And so it goes…
Poor move. Aren’t these gestures usually reserved until after the individual has a established himself or herself?
I get it. His election was a historical event in history. But as mentioned above, all politicians are name dropping his name.
It’s like associating one’s self with Jesus. Look at where that almost got Mike Huckabee.
Tim originally hit the nail on the head. Pop grew up in Baden, graduated in 42, served in WWII, graduated from Wash U and got married in 50. Spent 35 years in public school sys as teacher. After getting married they moved from two rooms to two bigger rooms and eventually getting a nice place in Berkley. After speaking with him, it wasn’t really a race issue, it was more of a space issue. Back in late 40’s it was very common for people, even newly married to move in with parents or friends of parents in basements because there was simply no place else to go. Places like Pasadena Hills, Bel Nor, Webster Groves and University City were the creme de la creme because they offered more space and avoided the crowded conditions of the city. Cars were becoming much more affordable.
I’ve said this before but to suggest, as you’ve had that we will be back to walking and taking mass transit in 2030, is simply outrageous. Electric cars will be the future. They continue to make serious advances.
America is too spread out to regress back to public transportation.
I’m surprised that you haven’t figured out that a more relevant and pertinent post would be trying to figure out what to do with all the malls, strip malls and big box store real estate that will fail in the next 12-18 months. 75% of these locales won’t come back and new uses will have to be developed for these sites.
“What to do with all the malls, strip malls and big box store real estate that will fail in the next 12-18 months. 75% of these locales won’t come back and new uses will have to be developed for these sites.” Step one, figure out how to replace all the lost jobs – lack of income will forces people out of their homes as well as keep ’em out of the stores – “It’s the economy, stupid!”