Three Houses on North 22nd Street Still Unfinished

In July 2011 I blogged about three unfinished houses on North 22nd Street, in a development known as Bosley Estates. Last week they remained unfinished and decaying. They’re at 3920, 3916, and the worst is 3912 (see on Google Street View).

3912 N 22nd St is owned by Jewell 7 L.L.C.:

• Entity created on 6/27/2012
• Entity purpose: “Generate profit from the development and sell of residential and commercial property.“
• Registered agent: Kymberly Graham: 2010 Kingsgate Dr 63138
• Organizers: Frank K. Billups & Darryl M. Bills: 15663 Debridge Way Florissant, MO 63034

3916 & 3920 N 22nd are owned by MINORITY DEVELOPERS AND BUILDERS ASSOCIATION OF ST. LOUIS, L.L.C.

• Entity created on 1/7/2003
• Entity purpose: “All purposes allowed under the act.“
• Registered agent: Gary Johnson: 3918 Page Ave., St. Louis, MO 63113
  
• Organizers: Gary Johnson, Ken Hutchinson, and Walter Allen: 3918 Page Ave., St. Louis, MO 63113
• Tax bills mailed to: 625 N. Euclid Ste 500, St. Louis, MO 63108 (now luxury apartments)

Building permits for 3920 & 3916 were applied for, and issued, on 4/14/2006. The permit for 3912 N 22nd was applied for on 5/16/2006, issued a month later.

City records show 4 sales for 3912 N. 22nd:

• 4/5/2006 for $15,144 LRA/back taxes (vacant lot prior to start of new construction)
• 7/15/2009 for $2,500 foreclosure
• 10/22/2009 for $2,500 foreclosure
• 2/27/2013 for $4,000 as part of a multi-location sale

Four new houses on the block were finished and sold. If I had bought one I’d be upset these were allowed to go unfinished for a decade!  Bosley Estates is named after the alderman, Freeman Bosley Sr.

• June 2011: Readers Want Ald Freeman Bosley Sr. Out of Office
• June 2013: Search Readers: Alderman Freeman Bosley Sr. Should Resign

Not sure which will happen first, these unfinished houses completed or a new alderman sworn into office in the 3rd ward?

— Steve Patterson

Poll: Your Thoughts on Ald Bosley’s Solicitation For Tuition Money?

Last week we learned Ald. Freeman Bosley Sr. (D-03) sent a letter asking help covering $14,276 of a $38,890 bill to the private Xavier College in Chicago.

So the longtime city politician sent an unusual letter to friends and supporters, asking them to provide $14,274 he says is the outstanding balance of his daughter’s upcoming bill at St. Xavier University in Chicago.

“Although the help from scholarships and grants has paid for nearly twenty-five thousand dollars, the remaining balance is still a challenge,” Bosley wrote in the undated letter obtained this week by the Post-Dispatch. (stltoday)

You can view the letter here. Freeman Bosley Sr. is 78, his son, former mayor Freeman Bosley Jr. will turn 59 next month. Just how old is this daughter? Forty-five?

Bosley tells us that his daughter, Kenya Young-Bosley, who is turning eighteen next month, will attend St. Xavier University in Chicago this fall and eventually wants to go to law school. He says that she has maintained a 4.0 GPA and is in the top 2 percent of her class. (Riverfront Times)

Many bright young people attend public colleges, but Bosley seems to have a different view:

But it is a comment made to News Channel Five that continues to ruffle feathers. Bosley,Sr said, “Why would I want to send a child that can do that (get 97%) over four years over to a public university when her intent is to become a lawyer?

“It doesn’t make sense to send her out to Forest Park, now would it.” (KSDK)

“Forest Park” is a reference to St. Louis Community College at Forest Park. Most of us know there are numerous public colleges in Missouri such as University of Missouri, University of Missouri – St. Louis, and Harris-Stowe State University. Heck, at Harris Stowe she should feel right at home.

Bosley Jr. attended Saint Louis University, a private school, for undergraduate & law school. As mayor he helped Harris Stowe take over part of the land that was once LaClede Town, part of the urban renewal project that razed the area known as Mill Creek Valley.

Back to Bosly Sr.; apparently officials from the Missouri Ethics Commission say he didn’t violate any laws. Not surprising, Jefferson City isn’t keen on regulation of industry or politicians.

When questioned by numerous news outlets, Ald. Bosley indicated he would return any checks if he receives any.

Which brings me to the poll question for this week:  Ald Bosley sent a letter to supporters asking for help paying the remaining $14,276 private college tuition for his daughter he couldn’t cover. Reaction?

Has the media blown this out of scale? Is this a major violation of public trust? Vote in the poll in the right sidebar then add your comments below.

— Steve Patterson

Grand Ave Water Tower Commercial Area Had Such Potential, Still Does

When I first spotted the “old white” water tower in the middle of Grand Avenue (Satellite image) I was blown away by the commercial buildings that surrounded the iconic white column. First, information on the tower:

Described as “the only perfect Corinthian column of its size in the world,” the Grand (“Old White”) Water Tower on 20th Street and Grand Avenue was built during the waterworks expansion led by Thomas Whitman (brother of poet Walt Whitman) following the Civil War. The 154-foot tower, designed by architect George I. Barnett, was completed in 1871 at a cost of $45,000. The tower is constructed of a brick shaft resting on a Chicago stone base and octagonal stone platform, topped with an iron capital cast in a leaf design. It was retired from service in 1912. In the 1920s and 30s, beacons placed atop the tower served as navigational aids to pilots seeking Lambert International Airport. Legend has it that Charles Lindbergh once used the lights to find his way home when he was lost in a Mississippi River fog. In 1933, after citizens objected to a recommendation that the monument be torn down, Mayor Bernard Dickmann came to the tower’s defense. “To wreck this tower would, to my mind, verge closely on an act of sacrilege,” the Mayor declared. (St. Louis Water Division)

The tower was safe, but the context wasn’t. It screamed potential. Even boarded, the buildings had such great massing, materials and proportions.Where else does such exist in the country? Nowhere I know of. In 1988, two years before I arrived, Freeman Bosley Sr. was elected to office as 3rd ward alderman.  The potential would be razed, rather than realized.

In 1990 South Grand was nothing, the Delmar Loop was just getting started, and the few customers on Cherokee St were looking for prostitutes. None of these three districts had  visionary elected officials but at least they didn’t see them as something to actively level.

Some of the land surrounding the tower is owned by the city agency, the Land Reutilization Authority (LRA). The rest of the land is owned by the Citizens for Community Improvement, Inc.

Citizens For Community Improvement Inc in Saint Louis, MO is a private company categorized under Career and Vocational Counseling. Our records show it was established in 1971 and incorporated in Missouri. Current estimates show this company has an annual revenue of $400,000 and employs a staff of approximately 9. Companies like Citizens For Community Improvement Inc usually offer: Greenleaf Job Training Services, Jobs And Training Services, Job Training Services. (source)

So what do we do today?

• Begin a planning process for a series of concentric circles around the tower, the smallest circle would be the most detailed. Planning area would be more an oval, along Grand and include I-70 and Florissant.
• Develop a catchy name for the commercial district, begin marketing to build an identity.
• Develop form-based standards for new construction,  buildings should be 2-4 stories high.

I see street-level retail with residential units above.  There may be some demand for office space in addition to retail.  No, Plaza Frontenac doesn’t have to worry about high-end retailers  leaving the upscale mall for this area. But where you have people there is a need for services.

Of course, this planning should have started 20+ years ago.

– Steve Patterson

Bosley Estates Designed to Fail?

Last week I was driving through North St Louis and I checked out the progress on Bosley Estates, named for 3rd ward alderman Freeman Bosley Sr. Only seven houses were ever started with four finished, sold, and occupied. The other three were never finished, including 3912 N. 22nd.  Of course, one could say this should be expected given the current economy.

When I visited Bosley Estates on June 27, 2007 it was clear to me the development was going to flop.  True, one of the finished houses had just sold for $155,200.00 on 02/07/2007.  Another would sell for $167k in October of 2007.

Ground was broken on Bosley Estates in December 2005, the project was to include 150 new homes. But nearly two years later it was clearly no longer a priority.

The street grid no longer functions as designed in much of the city, especially in the 3rd ward.

Interestingly, one of the four homes finally sold on 03/08/2010 for $133,500.00.  I’m shocked.

One of the biggest flaws of so many new homes built in the city is the attached garage and long driveway.  Proponents claim the attached garage is safer, not having to go outside to go from house to car.  But owners must still get out of their cars in the alley to open the fence gate. Rather than have a nice backyard enclosed by a detached garage, these houses have concrete.

The Comptroller’s office looked at the developer, Minority Developers and Builders Association, LLC, in December 2007 – see the report here.  St. Louis Patina blogged about this development in May 2009. When I first visited in June 2007, just 18 months after groundbreaking, it was clear to me it was sinking then. Now, more than four years after my original visit it would appear St. Louis has wasted money on another failed project.

– Steve Patterson

New Hyde Park Homes Never Occupied

I shouldn’t have been surprised when I made the connection: tacky faux-historic new house in ruins with numerous ties to realtor & developer Mary “One” Johnson.

St. Louis is littered with half-finished developments started by one of Johnson’s numerous companies.  Johnson is also the vice chair of St. Louis’ Preservation Board.

Hopefully the economy has stopped the proliferation of these sad little boxes. We have enough nice buildings that are vacant & boarded, we don’t need these adding to the problem.

– Steve Patterson