ST. LOUIS • A century-old vacant home in South City was slated for demolition when activists and city officials had another idea: Use that money to stabilize the house and the neighborhood’s historic architecture.
The city put $14,000 into the building to stabilize the walls and the roof, which is more expensive than the average demolition cost of $10,000. Alderman Cara Spencer, 20th Ward, said the additional cost is worth the public investment if projects like this attract developers to fix the rest.
“As an old historic city, the architecture of our buildings is important to preserve,†Spencer said Tuesday afternoon at a news conference outside the home near California Avenue and Chippewa Street.
The house is listed in the city’s land bank of vacant properties for $1,500. Jason Deem, owner of the property management company South Side Spaces, said a developer could fix the house up for $60,000 to $75,000 and sell it for $100,000 or more . “It’s hard to monetize this as an investment, but it’s a great deal for a first-time homeowner,†Deem said.
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While vacancy rates in north ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ are much higher, the house at 3735 California Avenue sits in a Gravois Park neighborhood dotted with empty buildings and bare lots from previous demolitions. Advocates hope preserving historic buildings will stop the demolitions and attract development and homebuyers.
ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Building Commissioner Frank Oswald said the city will wait to learn a few things about this project before deciding to do more like it.
The city annually budgets $1 million for demolitions, but next week voters could approve and put an additional $6 million a year toward stabilizing vacant houses. Oswald said that would affect planning, as would the success of the California Avenue property.
“We’ll see what happens with this proposition and then we’ll talk with the aldermen based on the need in different wards,†Oswald said.
Neighbor James Mosley, 62, watched the press conference with curiosity from his front porch across the street. When he heard the city was trying to preserve the house, Mosley said he was glad it wasn’t a demolition. “If they don’t have to tear it down they shouldn’t,†Mosley said. “Keep the neighborhood the same, preserve it for your grandkids. I like that.â€
The California Avenue home is one of owned by the city’s Land Reutilization Authority. About 3,500 have some type of structure on them, which Mayor’s Office spokeswoman Maggie Crane said can range from a building to a billboard or parking pad.
There are 25,000 vacant properties in the city.
