I’m scheduled to appear on KDHX’s ‘Collateral Damage‘ program this evening from 7pm to 7:30pm. Tune in to find out the latest on St. Aloysius and other interesting information!
Congratulation on stopping the redevelopment of St. Aloysius. On the news the priest spoke of how unholy it would be for someone to live in a house of God that was used for the appropriation of the sacrements. I think this would be something that a man of God would consider to be a spirtual asset, people living where so much good was engendered.
[REPLY – Thanks! It has been a long week. I agree with your take. I’m confused how the use of St. Aloysius as condos is so unholy but at St. Bonifice it is okay. Doesn’t make any sense. – SLP]
I heard you on KDHX, well done. This is just more pie in the face for Burke and his goons, It is hard to believe they put a demolition clause in the sales contract, but then again these are the same people who excommunicated an entire church because they wouldn’t give in to their land grab scheme. Thanks again Steve for all your hard work.
The people around the Hill and Southwest Garden do not want a Church converted into condos. Despite what St. Boniface may have done, St. Aloyisius is surrounded by single family homes for blocks.
Why prevent a developer from building single family homes? I really don’t understand what you actually would do with the site if not raze the empty property? Condos is not the answer so what else?
I guess I can understand Burke and his “goons” motives when people are calling pastors within the Catholic church idiots at public meetings.
[REPLY – Well Mike. It is funny about laws in the City of St. Louis — they are not applicable on a neighborhood by neighborhood basis. This property falls within a Preservation Review district and is therefore subject to the law.
The neighborhood residents I have spoken to would like to see the church, rectory and convent remain and be used as condos. Others were led to believe that because the church deemed it so they must come down. But the city, not the chuch, has the legal authority to make that decision. Cannon law doesn’t apply to demolition permits.
Half of the site can easily be used for single-family detached houses. This is a great opportunity to add a new housing type to this neighborhood while saving a significant set of buildings. – SLP]
^I didn’t call him an idiot. I personally called him an idiot in my own thoughts on this blog. I wasn’t even able to be at the meeting, although I can asure you I would have rather been there than taking the exam I was made feel like an idiot while taking.
“Despite what St. Boniface may have done, St. Aloyisius is surrounded by single family homes for blocks.”
Huh? Have you actually spent much time in either neighborhood? Although the Carondelet area around St. Boniface is considerably older, it is still largely residential. Yes, a lot of it is rental property, but not all of it. There is a commercial strip along Michigan, and some pretty heavy industrial several blocks away.
Although the immediate surroundings of St. Aloysius Gonzaga are single-family houses, there’s a neighborhood retail strip along Southwest near Macklind. Cunetto’s is only one block east of the front entrance to St. Aloysius, at the Sublette/Magnolia/Southwest wedge. Right next door to Cunetto’s is the back end of the former National Supermarket facing Southwest at Macklind. And there is a light industrial/warehouse area two blocks north, along January north from Botanical.
So, the neighborhoods surrounding the two sites aren’t really all that different in development patterns.
But the people around St. Aloysius have a helluva lot more money and political influence than the folks around ol’ St. Boniface. “Red” Villa is long gone; Tom and Matt live over in Holly Hills. But lots of city workers and other politically connected people live near St. All-You-Wishes, as one of my sister’s kindergarten classmates at Shaw VPA on Columbia used to call it. That’s the difference.
[REPLY – Good take Joe. And if we learn anything from St. Louis’ history it is that people with money and influence want to destroy the very buildings that make our city special. – SLP]
Not a single neighborhood resident besides Alderman Vollmer and Father Bommarito presented spoken testimony at the Preservation Board meeting. The Board received 11 e-mail letters, all of which were against granting the demolition permit. I don’t know if any of those letters came from neighbors of St. Aloysius, but if they did that would constitute the only testimony received from the neighborhood.
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Steve,
Congratulation on stopping the redevelopment of St. Aloysius. On the news the priest spoke of how unholy it would be for someone to live in a house of God that was used for the appropriation of the sacrements. I think this would be something that a man of God would consider to be a spirtual asset, people living where so much good was engendered.
[REPLY – Thanks! It has been a long week. I agree with your take. I’m confused how the use of St. Aloysius as condos is so unholy but at St. Bonifice it is okay. Doesn’t make any sense. – SLP]
Everyone but his parishoners don’t care for Bommarito. I personally consider him to be an idiot, along with the pastor at St. Gabriels.
I heard you on KDHX, well done. This is just more pie in the face for Burke and his goons, It is hard to believe they put a demolition clause in the sales contract, but then again these are the same people who excommunicated an entire church because they wouldn’t give in to their land grab scheme. Thanks again Steve for all your hard work.
The people around the Hill and Southwest Garden do not want a Church converted into condos. Despite what St. Boniface may have done, St. Aloyisius is surrounded by single family homes for blocks.
Why prevent a developer from building single family homes? I really don’t understand what you actually would do with the site if not raze the empty property? Condos is not the answer so what else?
I guess I can understand Burke and his “goons” motives when people are calling pastors within the Catholic church idiots at public meetings.
[REPLY – Well Mike. It is funny about laws in the City of St. Louis — they are not applicable on a neighborhood by neighborhood basis. This property falls within a Preservation Review district and is therefore subject to the law.
The neighborhood residents I have spoken to would like to see the church, rectory and convent remain and be used as condos. Others were led to believe that because the church deemed it so they must come down. But the city, not the chuch, has the legal authority to make that decision. Cannon law doesn’t apply to demolition permits.
Half of the site can easily be used for single-family detached houses. This is a great opportunity to add a new housing type to this neighborhood while saving a significant set of buildings. – SLP]
^I didn’t call him an idiot. I personally called him an idiot in my own thoughts on this blog. I wasn’t even able to be at the meeting, although I can asure you I would have rather been there than taking the exam I was made feel like an idiot while taking.
“Despite what St. Boniface may have done, St. Aloyisius is surrounded by single family homes for blocks.”
Huh? Have you actually spent much time in either neighborhood? Although the Carondelet area around St. Boniface is considerably older, it is still largely residential. Yes, a lot of it is rental property, but not all of it. There is a commercial strip along Michigan, and some pretty heavy industrial several blocks away.
Although the immediate surroundings of St. Aloysius Gonzaga are single-family houses, there’s a neighborhood retail strip along Southwest near Macklind. Cunetto’s is only one block east of the front entrance to St. Aloysius, at the Sublette/Magnolia/Southwest wedge. Right next door to Cunetto’s is the back end of the former National Supermarket facing Southwest at Macklind. And there is a light industrial/warehouse area two blocks north, along January north from Botanical.
So, the neighborhoods surrounding the two sites aren’t really all that different in development patterns.
But the people around St. Aloysius have a helluva lot more money and political influence than the folks around ol’ St. Boniface. “Red” Villa is long gone; Tom and Matt live over in Holly Hills. But lots of city workers and other politically connected people live near St. All-You-Wishes, as one of my sister’s kindergarten classmates at Shaw VPA on Columbia used to call it. That’s the difference.
[REPLY – Good take Joe. And if we learn anything from St. Louis’ history it is that people with money and influence want to destroy the very buildings that make our city special. – SLP]
Not a single neighborhood resident besides Alderman Vollmer and Father Bommarito presented spoken testimony at the Preservation Board meeting. The Board received 11 e-mail letters, all of which were against granting the demolition permit. I don’t know if any of those letters came from neighbors of St. Aloysius, but if they did that would constitute the only testimony received from the neighborhood.