FALL 2018

INSIDE THE THIRD WARD

ISSUE 1

2 3
 FALL 2018

CONTENTS
#activism
“LIGHTNING THE WAY”

Hello!
“THE CITY OF PROTEST”
“BLACK LIVES & POLICY MATTER”
“A PARK AND ITS VISION FOR PEACE”
#interesting “LANDMARKS OF INJUSTICE”
We are a group of students from the Harvard University
Graduate School of Design, which is dedicated to the education
and development of design professionals in architecture, #history
landscape architecture, urban planning, and urban design. “THE JOURNEY OF A ST.LOUIS BRICK”
“THE TWO TOWERS OF THE THIRD WARD”
This semester, we were invited by a small group of community “SHAPE SHIFTING”
leaders to spend some time studying St. Louis’s 3rd Ward’s past, “ART HISTORY”
present, and future. Composed of the northeast neighborhoods #interesting “STOP!”
of JeffVanderLou, St. Louis Place, Hyde Park, College Hill,
Fairground Neighborhood, and O’Fallon, the 3rd Ward—which
is 94 percent African American—has some of St. Louis’s lowest
home values, lowest life expectancies, and highest poverty rates.
#landuse
“THE WARD 3 UNDERGROUND”
Physically, block after block after block appear abandoned. But if
“WHAT’S WITH ALL THE RAINGARDENS?”
the 3rd Ward is lacking in population, economic development, and
“VACANCY OVER TIME”
basic social services, it is not lacking in pride, energy, and hope.
“WHO OWNS THE LAND?”
Indeed, the 3rd Ward is home to a robust (and youthful) network
“SECRET OF THE STREET”
of artists, activists, and community-based organizations who are
working together to build a healthier, more equitable 3rd Ward. #interesting “DISCOVER THE MURALS”

This newspaper--the first of two volumes--presents some of

our initial observations about the 3rd Ward. A second volume #how to
(to be published in late 2018) will present some ideas for “UNTAPPED POTENTIAL”
how to help build the 3rd Ward that residents want to see. “TAKE ME TO THE RIVER”
“A GUIDE TO WARD 3 PARKS
If you have any questions and comments for us, please email us at “GARDENS IN THE COMMUNITY”
gsdinward3@gmail.com. “MOW TO OWN”
We look forward to seeing you around the Ward! “WANT TO LEARN SOME REHAB SKILLS?”
“WANT TO BUY A VACANT LOT? IT’S POSSIBLE”
“THE FINEST 15”
#interesting “A GUIDE FOR THE YOUNG PEOPLE OF THE 3RD WARD”
“IN NEED OF HOME REPAIRS?”
#interesting “CHOP SUEY!”

#interview
“CODING FOR KIDS”
“ORGANIZATIONS WE MET”

4 5
INSIDE THE THIRD
LIGHTING
black feminist leadership in St. Louis and beyond
Civil Rights would not exist without
Black women. From Myrlie Evers, to
Angela Davis, and Kathleen Cleaver,
the intersectional, feminist organizing
efforts of Black women continue to
fundamentally transform our society.
However, despite their indelible
shaping of who we are as a nation,
Black feminist leaders have historically
gone unsung. These women deserve
to not only be acknowledged for their
contributions, but celebrated.
In a recent talk at the Harvard
Law School, Dr. Janet Dewart Bell
discussed her book Lighting the
“Black women have defied and
re-imagined what leadership looks like
in action.”
Fires of Freedom, which outlines
the immense contributions of
Black women throughout the Civil
Rights Movement. Bell discussed
the enduring attributes of Black
feminist leadership, arguing that it
is a leadership rooted in courage,
authenticity, and purpose. As she
writes in the book, throughout the
Civil Rights Movement Black women
Frankie Muse freeman (Photo from Missouri Historical Society; Collage by Aleiya Evison)
“didn’t stand on ceremony; they
simply did the work that needed to be
done. They raised money and provied
housing and solace- all without
expectation of personal gain” (Bell, 1).
While Black women were often
portrayed in the background “sitting
quietly while the men strategized,”
as Bell asserted, these women “were
the strategy”. From organizing
6 #ACTIVISM
THE WAY:
communitymeetings, to participating
in civil disobedience, and making sure
fellow activists were fed, Black women
have navigated Civil Rights with a
firece persistence.
Their leadership is arguably a
direct challenge to what we are told
leadership looks like. While “leaders”
are often portrayed as white, wealthy,
and at the very least male, Black
women have defied and reimagined
what leadership is in action. They
have historically operated with a less
hierarchical approach, leveregaing
collective strengths. “They’re not
cookie cutter-heroines,” Bell explained
during her talk, “they’re real women”.
On Black Feminist Leadership
in the Law
Out of St. Louis, activist Frankie Muse
Freeman was so tenacious in her fight
for social justice, that her community
often referred to her as “Ms. Frankie
Freedom” (St. Louis Post
Dispatch). She was an organizer and
a lawyer who graduated from the
Howard University Law School, ing
much of her life and career in St.
Louis. Freeman, who passed away
at 101 this past winter, used her
background in law to further Civil
Rights.
Brittany Packnett (Photo from Brittany Packnett; Collage by Aleiya Evison)
Spending much of her life and career
in St. Louis. Freeman, who passed
away at 101 this past winter, used
her background in law to further
CivilRights as the lead Attorney in the
1952 case Davis v. St. Louis Housing
Authority. Her efforts ended formal
racial segregation in public housing
across St. Louis (Missouri Historical
Society). She was also nominated
as the first woman to join the U.S.
Commision on Civil Rights in 1964,
“We use everything at our disposable to
get free...we use everything we have to
make things move.”
where she would serve for 16 years
(St. Louis Post-Dispatch). Further,
Ms.Freeman was a mentor to younger
activists such as Elizabeth Eckford
and Thelma Mothershed of the Little
Rock Nine (Missouri Historical
Society). She embodied community
by supporting the next generation
of activists through her compassion
and mentorship, while forging the
path for Black women in law. Her
legacy established St. Louis as a
central figure in U.S. Civil Rights, and
created a succession of Black feminist
organizers to follow.
On Collective Leadership in
Service to Community
As Brittany Packnett’s twitter back
ground reads, “Black women are not
a trend. Congratulations to folks who
finally noticed how dope we are...
but we have been forever cradling
civilizations.” Her remarks, like Bell,
point to the unacknowledged ways
that Black feminist activists have
always been present in the shaping
of America. Packnett, a former
teacher and longtime activist who
contributed to organizing efforts
following the murder of Mike Brown
in Ferguson, is Vice President of the
National Community Alliances and
Engagement for Teach for America,
Co-Founder of Campaign Zero, and a
current visiting
fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School
Institute of Politics. She has been
instrumental to our 21st century
struggle for Civil Rights.
When asked about what Black feminist
leadership looks like, Packnett
responded, “We watched Black
women occupy so many spaces, and
do it well, with great care,” referring
to the leadership she observed
growing up from the matriarchs
around her.Pointing to examples of
such leadership, Packnett explained,
“I think of Mama Kat, who was always
there to feed us in Ferguson. She’s
an incredible chef and leader in her
own right. She understood that in
that moment we needed to be fed
and we needed to feel love. I think
other people might see her cooking
meals for protesters as small...but
it was an act of immense generosity,
not only financially, but the amount
of time and care and love that she
DeAndrea Nichols (Photo from DeAndrea Nichols; Collage by Aleiya Evison)
put into that, continues to fuel so
many of us. I think that Black women
are the soul of so many movements,
and Mama Kat is an example of
that.”Packnett continued, speaking
of her friend “Brittany Ferrell who is
a mother, and during many nights of
the protests we would see her with her
daughter Kenna- I saw her raising a
revolutionary child. Which is such a
powerful act. It is not just a ferocity on
the frontlines, but the way we rear a
child that can change the world.”
Packnett continues to find inspiration
and motivation in the Black feminist
collective, explaining how Black
women “use everything at our
disposable to get free. Whether it’s
our skills in kitchen, the way that
we mother, the way that we nurture,
the songs we play, the leadership we
show- we use everything we have to
make things move.”
Packnett’s friend, Diana Mitchell, who
is a Dean at Washington University,
leveraged her resources to empower
organizers following the Ferguson
protests through higher education. As
Packnett explained, Mitchell “was not
“We have to shake the conditioning
that we’ve had, which says optimism
is naive, or that optimism is weak,
or that optimism is not valuable.”
out there on the streets necessarily,
but her role was to make sure that all
of these activists who emerged from
the Ferguson uprising had the chance
to continue honing their skills. A lot
of those organizers are now going to
Wash U, tuition free, and they are
crushing it. And of course they are,”
she said brightly.
“Black women are just so formidable-
I can stare down a police officer who
just tear gassed me on Monday night
and then go to school on a Tuesday
and turn in a paper.”
She continued, describing that these
students “knew they weren’t just
going to go over there and forget
about the people- they’re still running
campaignscampaigns and mothering-
all while going to school.”
Heeding the contributions of these
women, as Packnett continues
organizing, shaping national discourse
on race and politics, and writing, she
said, “I dream of joy. Cause I think
that’s what freedom feels like. Right
now it’s almost like we have to steal
our joy. We have to find the hidden
moments and spaces where we can
experience Black joy without gaze and
disapproval. Not constant joy, but
unencumbered joy where being able
to live as my full self is never seen as
threat to anyone else.”
On Imagining Freedom
When you talk to DeAndrea Nichols,
it becomes clear quite quickly that
her work is also driven by courage,
purpose, and optimism. “It is easy
to give up,” she explained,“to walk
away from a struggle. It takes a lot
of resilience, strategy, and willpower
to say ‘I am a believer that this thing
can be corrected, that this thing can
be changed. I am willing to stay in this
and stay unwavering.’”
Evident in her work as a designer for
social change at Civic Creatives in St.
Louis, is is this very optimism. It seems
to be her superpower, challenging
the notion that staying optimistic-
and certainly staying optimistic as a
Black woman- is naive. “We have to
shake the conditioning that we’ve had,
which says optimism is naive or that
optimism is weak or that optimism is
not valuable” she explained, sharing
#ACTIVISM
why she has no plans to stop
imagining more equitable, abundant
communities. With her optimism
comes a very real understanding that
the work to bethe work to be done is
vast. Nichols was also an
active organizer following the
shooting of Mike Brown in 2014, in
addition to the 100-day protest last
year when officer Jason Stockley
was acquitted for shooting Anthony
Lamar Smith. Nichols explained that
instances such as this- police brutality
and continued racial oppression in
her community- drive her to use
her art in protest. For example, she
collaborated to create the Mirror
Casket- a to-scale coffin covered in
mirrors that protesters held at the
reflection of police officers during the
Ferguson Uprising. In 2016 the piece
was collected by the Smithsonian
Institute’s African American Museum
of History and Culture in recognition
of its powerful commentary on the
current state of Civil Rights in the U.S.
Despite national attention for her
“Part of my dream is that my home will
be a place of abundance, of freedom,
of expression- liberated expression
without judgement, without fear.”
work (Nichols is also a two-time
Clinton Global Initiative Fellow,
St. Louis Visionary, and was a 2017
Citizen Artist Fellow at the John F.
Kennedy Center for Performing Arts
in D.C.), she continues to be anchored
in St. Louis. She described the crux of
her work as a continued collaboration
with those in her community “who
have been told that they are not worth
doing anything, and helping them
tap into [their] worth and their own
innate genius”.
She does this by creating spaces
for the organizers and community
members who haven’t received
national attention for their efforts. In
her project Deliberate and Unafraid,
Nichols “chronicled and highlighted
the people who were not getting the
press. Let them express themselves
and share their stories and their
perspectives without editing. It really
centered that ntersection of queer
women of color femmes.”
Echoing Bell and Packnett, Nichols
grapples with the tendency of the
world to miscredit the efforts of Black
women, which is part of her motivation
to continue centering them in her
work. “So often in moments when we
are seeking social justice and seeking
rights and equity,” she explained,
women of color “haven’t been centered
in that work even though we were
behind the scenes and at the frontlines.
I feel like often times we are the people
putting in the work,the structure, the
strategy, and the resilience to make
FALL 2018
sure our passions are translated into
sustainable change”. In addition to
recognizing the
contributions of Black women,
Nichols envisions a future where
communities are centered in
abundance.
Through her work she strives for
getting to “a point where we have
less people who hoard riches, hoard
resources, and displace others.
This is something that will allow
us individually, collectively, and in
relationship with each other, to solve
a lot of issues that have been in place
for generations. To open up new
possibilities.”
Systemically, she suggested that
“there is a lot of restructuring that needs
to take place. I don’t think that reform
is necessarily the solution to more
equitable, liberated communities.
Because we’ll be working within the
confines of people who do not have
the mass majority of us in mind.” She
suggested that materiaizing equity
may require starting over completely
in many ways, which she recognizes
as “a hard choice. It’s a radical choice.
In a lot of communities we have not
yet tested this. Instead of trying to
fix this thing that was not designed
to be equitable… why not start off all
together with something different?”
With this in mind, Nichols stays
connected to the activism and visionary
thinking that has always existed in St.
Louis. “There’s so much that I love
about this city,” she said joyfully. “Part
of it is that St. Louis still has a small
town feel, to the point that if you have
an idea, if your idea is something that
can progress anything in any type of
way, there are people willing to take
the chance to support you. That’s not
something that you see everywhere.”
She envisions St. Louis continuing as
a hub for creative activism, explaining,
“part of my dream is that my home will
be a place of abundance, of freedom,
of expression- liberated expression
without judgement, without fear. And
so my dream is to manifest something
within St. Louis, whether that’s a
space, or a piece of art, that can help
unlock that feeling.”
What comes through as Nichols
describes her vision, is a spirit of
resilience. “There has yet to be any
force, any challenge, any person
who has made me believe this isn’t
possible.”
7
INSIDE THE THIRD WARD
THEblackCITY
activism and response in st. louis
8 #ACTIVISM, #HISTORY
OF PROTEST
CIVIC DISSENT:
People in Protest
Since the time of the Civil War, St.
Louisans have proudly refused to
stay silent about inequities both in
the city and in the nation. St. Louis
1819 SLAVE STATE PROTEST
With the perennially controversial
CAUSES Missouri Compromise underway, blacks
protested making Missouri a slave state.
Free blacks and “white friends” protested
ACTIONS the political maneuver on the steps of the
Old Courthouse.
While Missouri ultimately became a slave
OUTCOMES state, a clause barring free blacks from
entering the state was removed.
1933 NUT WORKERS STRIKE
The R.E. Funsten Company was paying
CAUSES white women 50% more money for a less
labor intensive job.
Over 1,000 black women took to the streets
ACTIONS in protest, demanding change.
The black workers won all of their
OUTCOMES demands, setting a precedent for labor
movements around the country.
1963 BANK SIT-IN BY CORE
While 277 out of over 5,000 workers at
CAUSES Jefferson Bank & Trust were black, 99% of
those jobs were forms of menial labor.
After the bank rejected CORE’s letter
ACTIONS demanding clerical work for blacks, the
group launched a 7 month protest.
Jefferson Bank & Trust hired a few black
OUTCOMES tellers, pressuring other banks and
companies to hire more blacks as well.
1970
LEAD POISON PROTESTS
Due to high demolition rates and various
CAUSES environmental hazards, the children of St.
Louis faced high rates of lead poisoning.
Community activists, like Hosia Martin,
ACTIONS organized a variety of sit-in protests at
realtors’ offices to force change.
While some of the living situations
garnered upgrades as a result of the
OUTCOMES
protests, the lead rates remain high, even
today.
1992 ANTI-VIOLENCE MARCH
Street violence resulted in many lives lost
CAUSES in St. Louis, a 22 year-old death inspiring
the anti-violence march in 1992.
Protesters marched from Williams Temple
ACTIONS Church of God in Christ to bring attention
to violence in the city.
This march became an annual awareness
OUTCOMES rally, the impact of the initial effort
reverberating across the generations.
2016
NGA PROTEST
Developer Paul McKee sought eminent
CAUSES domain to sell land for the National
Geospatial-Intelligence Agency site.
The $1.6 billion deal angered nearby
ACTIONS residents, prompting a small group of
protesters to rally against development.
Several protesters were arrested. The
OUTCOMES deal is currently in a standstill as faulty
business dealings come to light.
FALL 2018
protests are wide-reaching and left, with a look at the specific details What’s important to a society can
diverse: protests have ranged from of each event, which are shown on be read through the things they are
race-based employment strikes to the right. A systematic division of passionate enough to rally against. The
marches against police brutality to each protest into causes, actions, and history of St. Louis carries no shortage
beer boycotts against companies with outcomes makes it simple for readers of passion, its citizens accumulating
racist hiring methods. This graphic to identify wide-ranging themes from social and economic victories across
timeline pairs images from St. Louis’ across the history of the city and to many centuries to enact a more just,
vast protest history, shown on the perhaps apply them to the present. more inclusive community.
1867 ST. LOUIS TROLLEY PROTESTS 1932 CCC DINER SIT-IN
Just after the end of the Civil War, black St. Louisans became increasingly, and justifiably, discontent with The Colored Clerks Circle saw the many
CAUSES the still-present inequalities in their city. Black St. Louisans were routinely refused access to trolley cars, CAUSES new businesses opening in St. Louis that
ostensibly cutting off their access to public transportation. refused to hire black workers.
In 1867, two different lawsuits were filed to attain equal access to transportation. This legal approach to The CCC started a “Don’t Buy Where You
ACTIONS attaining civil rights was a common strategy during this era, the violence of the Civil War putting emphasis on ACTIONS Can’t Work” campaign, boycotting an
array of businesses.
nonviolent means of desegregating society.
While the lawsuits were decided in favor of the black defendants, the victory proved hollow and often, As a result of the protests, some black
OUTCOMES unenforceable. Rather than refusing service to black St. Louisans, trolley drivers simply began passing by OUTCOMES workers were hired and subequent protest
black citizens waiting to board the trolley leaving them, as before, without transportation. measures were taken.
1942 DEFENSE INDUSTRY & TELEPHONE OPERATOR JOBS MARCH 1944 GARMENT STRIKE
A letter writing campaign failed to get
President FDR stopped a march on D.C. that aimed to protest inequitable hiring in the defense industry. The
CAUSES president didn’t want these anti-racism protestors showing up in the capitol when America was supposedly
CAUSES downtown department stores to hire black
female sales clerks.
fighting a war against racism abroad.
St. Louisans refused to be silenced and instead staged a march in their own city to Carter Carburetor, a Black women, later with the support of
ACTIONS production company with not a single black employee in its 3,000 person workforce. The protesters also ACTIONS CORE, staged sit-ins at department store
marched to Southwestern Bell, a telephone operating company without any black operators. cafeterias for the better part of a decade.
A few black employees were hired into the 3,000 person workforce at Carter Carburetor. At Southwestern Bell, After 10 years, several department
OUTCOMES black female telephone operators were hired, but weren’t allowed to work next to white workers-- they were OUTCOMES stores agreed to desegregate their dining
forced to work in a segregated building apart from the white employees. facilities, though other fights followed.
1964 GATEWAY ARCH PROTEST 1969 PUBLIC RENT STRIKE
A range of racist lending and renting
CAUSES policies left black citizens with fewer
When the Gateway Arch project began construction, not a single black employee was hired to work on the choices for places to live.
CAUSES project. Because the project was granted federal funding, local black citizens were doubly perturbed about
the workplace injustice. Tenants of the failed Pruitt-Igoe public
ACTIONS housing project picketed the welfare
office, demanding fair housing treatment.
When construction on the Arch reached 300’, activist Percy Green II and Richard Daly scaled halfway up
one of the legs in protest of the hiring inequity. Green and Daly were part of an organization, ACTION, that Nine months of protest led to the
ACTIONS splintered off from CORE a few years before. ACTION preached nonviolent, but purposefully annoying civil OUTCOMES formation of the Civic Alliance for
disobedience tactics. Many of their protests, like the Arch scaling, gained lots of media attention. Housing, which helped leverage a strike
settlement.
1970
After Green and Daly’s stunt, several black workers were hired to work on the Gateway Arch. In the years that
OUTCOMES followed, Green filed a lawsuit against his construction company for race-based firing. Eventually, Green won BEER BOYCOTT
the lawsuit at the Supreme Court level, setting a national precedent for race-based workplace discrimination.
After a string of workplace equity
CAUSES victories, St. Louisans criticized Anheuser-
Busch’s low black employment rate.
“...people have to do things.”
To protest a 2% black worker rate in a 50%
ACTIONS black city, blacks papered the town with
-Percy Green II
“Drink something else” flyers.
While a few more black workers were
OUTCOMES hired, ultimately, no major results
followed the boycotts.
2014 MICHAEL BROWN SHOOTING 1999 ANTI-VIOLENCE MARCH
A wave of police violence pushed focus
CAUSES onto other sectors of inequality, such as
On August 9, 2014, an unarmed black man, Michael Brown, was shot and killed by a 28-year-old white police the lack of minorities in construction jobs.
officer, Darren Wilson, the the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson, Missouri. After an alleged altercation between
CAUSES Brown, his friend, and the police officer, Michael Brown was shot in his front a total of 6 times.
Protesters from the St. Louis community
ACTIONS blocked off the I-70 freeway, making it
inoperable by cars.
After viral imagery of the event spread across social media, immediate protests ensued, both in St. Louis and
across the country. Protests in Ferguson continued for over a week, leading the police to establish a curfew
ACTIONS for the town’s citizens. This event spurred national attention, prompting discourse around police brutality and After the arrest of 125 protesters,
violence, one part of a larger conversation about inequality in the national media. OUTCOMES contractors agreed to increase minority
jobs and created a job training center.
2017
A grand jury was called to evaluate the actions of police officer Darren Wilson. Three and a half months
OUTCOMES after the shooting of Michael Brown, the grand jury decided not to indict Wilson. After the St. Louis decision, STOCKLEY VERDICT
the U.S. Department of Justice issued its own conclusion that Wilson shot Brown in defense. The incident
remains hotly contested, a tangible example of the long-standing tradition of injustice in America. In 2011, white police officer Jason Stockley
CAUSES fatally shot Anthony Lamar Smith after a
car chase over a suspected drug deal.
“Come out here, you know After a judge found Stockley “not
ACTIONS guilty,” protesters gathered outside the
what’s right and wrong.” courthouse and marched through the city.
-Ferguson protester
The peaceful protest was flecked with
OUTCOMES violence, bringing the discourse about
police violence back to St. Louis.
#ACTIVISM, #HISTORY 9
INSIDE THE THIRD WARD FALL 2018

While many police departments are investigate officers and not just

BLACK LIVES & POLICY MATTER

The Black Lives Matter movement
has put the spotlight on the deaths of
unarmed black people at the hands
of police across the country. Recent
victims, many of whom were shot
after being stopped for simple traffic
violations, have garnered nation-
wide publicity and galvanized many
in the African-American community
against the use of lethal force by
police. In response, racial tensions in
many cities have worsened and large-
scale protests have occurred. Despite
this, the movement has succeeded in
changing both state and local policy
in an effort to stop the violence.
This atricle traces several of these
prominent incidents that have been
the catalyst for many of these reforms.
LIVES LOST
Eric Garner - July 7, 2014
A New York City police officer placed
Garner, 43, in a choke hold during
an arrest for selling loose cigarettes
illegally. He was pronounced dead
at the hospital approximately one
hour later. The medical examiner
concluded that Garner was killed by
“compression of neck, compression
of chest and prone positioning during
physical restraint by police.”
Michael Brown - August 9, 2014
18 year old Brown was fatally shot
by police officer Darren Wilson in
Ferguson, MO after Wilson claimed
Brown tried to wrestle control of his
gun from him. The death of Brown
led to months of sometimes violent
protests, and became a catalyst for the
Black Lives Matter Movement.
Laquan McDonald- October 20,
2014
Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke
shot McDonald 16 times because he
claimed McDonald lunged at him and
his partner while holding a knife with
a 3-inch blade. However, 13 months
later, on November 24, 2015, a police
dash-cam video of the shooting was
released, it showed McDonald walking
away from the police when he was
shot. The knife he was carrying was
found to be closed.
Walter Scott - April 4, 2015
North Charleston, SC officer Michael
Slager shot 8 bullets hitting Scott, 5
times in the back after being stopped
for a broken brake light. The incident
was caught on cell phone video which
later became crucial evidence used to
sentence Slager to 20 years in prison.
A judge concluded Slager had lied to
the court and attempted to obstruct
justice, claiming he felt threatened
after Slager tried to take his stun gun
during a struggle.
Terence Crutcher - September 16,
2016
Tulsa, OK police officer Betty Jo
Shelby shot Crutcher, 40, shortly
after she arrived to find Crutcher’s
SUV stopped in the middle of the
road. Shelby claimed that she was
afraid because Crutcher didn’t obey
her commands and appeared to reach
inside his vehicle. Videos from a patrol
car dashboard and a police helicopter
show Crutcher had his hands in the air
and did not have a weapon.
Jordan Edwards – April 29, 2017
15-year-old Edwards, was fatally shot
by police officer Roy Oliver in Balch
Springs, Texas while unarmed. He
was shot in the back of the head while
riding in the front passenger’s seat of a
vehicle driving away from officers that
attempted to stop it. Officer Oliver and
his partner were called to the scene of
a house party. After an initial amicable
encounter, shots rang out from some
nearby gang activity causing Edwards
and his friends to flee. Oliver claimed
his partner was in danger at the time
he fired the shots at the fleeing car.
POLICY OUTCOMES
Many police departments now require
officers to adopt these de-escalation
techniques that prohibit the use of
force in restraining suspects or as
punishment for attempting to flee.
Officers are now trained to wait out
or move away from violent behavior,
and if force must be used and injury
to a suspect is possible, they must
administer aid in a timely manner.
New police training procedures
reiterate that deadly force should only
be authorized after all other reasonable
means have been exhausted. Current
rules in some jurisdictions allow an
officer to fire on anyone who has
committed or attempted a felony using
force. In the past police were trained
to neutralize a threat by aiming at
vital body parts rather than shooting
to handicap. Today, the Seattle Police
Department equips its officers with
stun guns and prohibits their use
more than three times on a suspect in
order to avoid possible health risks. In
Ferguson, MO and in many
A large percentage of police budgets are garnered from traffic tickets.
SHEDDING LIGHT ON THE
data was also not kept on the racial
makeup of victims of police violence.
places, police used traffic violations
as a means to increase municipal
revenue from which police budgets
were derived. As is often the case,
economically disadvantaged African
Americans failed to pay these tickets
and incurred late fees and court
fees as well as prison time. Terence
Crutcher, whose car broke down in
the middle of the road, and Walter
Scott who had a broken tail light,
unfortunately paid the ultimate price.
Officers are now prohibited from
engaging a moving vehicle, as was the
case with Sam Dubose and passenger
Jordan Edwards. These facts alone
hesitant to share information, most do recommend, but rather enforce the
keep track of incidence reports in each suspension or termination of problem
officer’s internal file. Establishing an officers. Most importantly, courts
early intervention system to correct are now more willing to indict officers
officers who use excessive force has involved in the most egregious cases
decreased the number of complaints of unnecessary use of force. For
against officers by an estimated 50%. example, Ray Oliver was sentenced
However, it is often the case that to 15 years in prison for the murder
some officers are responsible for more of Jordan Edwards, while Jason Van
than their share of complaints or Dyke was found guilty of second
examples of unnecessary use of force. degree muder for the death of Laquan
Internal investigative units are being Mcdonald. He faces a minimum of 20
encouraged to years in prison.
DEESCALATION TECHNIQUES
Use of Force as Restraint:
1) Ban using force as punishment for talking back or running away (Cleveland).
2) Ban chokeholds, strangle holds, hog-tying and transporting people face down
in a vehicle (NYPD).
3) Intervene to stope other officers who are using excessive force and report
them to a supervisor (Las Vegas Metro).
4) Have first-aid kits available and immediately render medical assistance
to anyone in police custody who is injured or who complains of an injury
(Baltimore).
Lethal Force: PROGRESS SINCE FERGUSON
1) Authorize deadly force only when there is an imminent threat to an officer’s
life or the life of another person and such force is strictly unavoidable (Tennessee
Not only have state and local policy reforms. In the years since Ferguson,
changes made a difference, the the total number of police shootings
Deadly Force Law). federal government has also played has fallen by 20%. Yet, St. Louis has
2) Require officers give a verbal warning, when possible, before using deadly a significant role. The Department the highest per capita rate of police
force and give subjects a reasonable amount of time to comply with the warning of Justice (DOJ), sometimes at the shootings among the 50 largest
(Las Vegas Metro). request of the city, has investigated police departments in the United
3) Require de-escalation tactics be used first and that officers carry a less lethal police department conduct and States. Cities that adopted some of
weapon such as a stun gun (Seattle). recommended reforms in cities such as the reforms outlined in this article,
Philadelphia, Chicago and Las Vegas. including improved training and
Traffic Related Deaths: In fact, seven of the ten cities with the new policies around use of force and
1) Prohibit high-speed chases of people who have not and are not about to largest reductions in police shootings accountability, saw their number of
commit a violent felony. had one thing in common: federal police shootings decline by about
2) Prohibit officers from getting in front of or shooting at a moving vehicle. intervention. Cities that voluntarily 29% on average. While the remedies
3) Prohibit the use of traffic stops as a major source of local revenue. adopted DOJ-recommended reforms varied from city to city, many were
saw a 32% decline in officer-involved the same. Steps included the creation
TRANSPARENCY & ACCOUNTABILITY shootings in the first year. The police of a civilian review board to provide
departments that were forced to take independent oversight of the police
on reforms through department, improvement in officer
Transparency:
1) Require reporting of police killings or serious injuries of civilians and whether
or not they are armed (Colorado).
2) Report all uses of force to a database with information on related injuries and
“St. Louis has the highest per capita rate
demographics of the victims (Seattle, Indianapolis).
3) Require the names of both the officer(s) involved and victim(s) to be released of police shootings”
within 72 hours of a deadly force incident (Philadelphia).
4) Require the suspension or termination of an officer attempting to cover up binding agreements with the DOJ training, updates to use-of-force
excessive use of force or misrepresenting the truth. saw a 25% decline that year, including policies that stress the importance of
5) Monitor and report the amount of revenue created through traffic violations. Baltimore, whose agreement began de-escalation and the sanctity of life.
this year. In Chicago, shootings by It is clear much more needs to be done
Investigation: police dropped by more than 50% here in St. Louis and across the nation.
1) Require that an officer’s tactical conduct and decisions leading up to using after McDonald’s death, an incident The people of Ferguson are proud to
deadly force be considered in judgements of whether such force was reasonable that prompted a DOJ investigation be at the forefront of this work.
(LAPD). and a package of recommended
2) Analyze trends in the uses of force, searches and seizures and other law
enforcement activities that create a risk of officer misconduct.
3) Create a new unit specifically trained and responsible for investigating serious
use of force and has the power to suspend or terminate an officer (Chicago).

Freddie Gray – April 12, 2015
Six Baltimore police officers were
involved in the arrest and death of
Gray while he was in custody. The 25
year old died after suffering a spinal
injury in a Baltimore police van,
touching off weeks of protests.
Sam Dubose – July 29, 2015
University of Cincinnati officer Ray
Tensing shot and killed Dubose during
a traffic stop, claiming he feared being
dragged or run over when Dubose
tried to drive away.
Although chokeholds were already
banned by the NYPD at the time of
Eric Garner’s death, the failure of
police and EMTs to administer CPR
may have been a contributing factor in
his death. Likewise, Baltimore police
failed to follow a 6-day old procedure
to secure Freddie Gray while he was
in the police van. He consequently
suffered a spinal injury that lead to a
coma and eventually death.
PROBLEM make it exceedingly hard to judge why
and how often law enforcement uses
Former FBI director, James Comey deadly force. Although it remains to
called the lack of federal data on police be seen if body worn cameras (BWCs)
killings “embarrassing” and committed are effective in decreasing the number
the agency to a new initiative to collect of police shootings, there is no doubt
statistics from police departments. they have been crucial in revealing
In some jurisdictions there is no the truth of what is happening on
system in place to track fatal or our streets, and sharing that truth
nonfatal shootings. Information is not with the world. The Black Lives
collected on whether or not victims Matter movement has called on more
of police shootings are armed, which information to be made public in order
is estimated to only be around 8% of to shed light on how deep and systemic
the time. In Chicago and Los Angeles the problem of police violence is.
Repeat Offenders:
1) Establish an early intervention system to correct officers using excessive force.
2) Report officers who receive two or more complaints or use of force incidents
in the past quarter.
3) Require officers to attend re-training and be monitored by an immediate
supervisor after their first quarterly report and terminate an officer following
multiple reports.
4) Require police departments to notify both state and federal officials when an
officer is found to have willfully violated department policy or the law, committed
official misconduct, or resigned while under investigation for these offenses.
5) Maintain this information in a database accessible to the public and prohibit
these officers from serving as police officers, teachers or other governmental
employees (Illinois).

10 #ACTIVISM #ACTIVISM 11
INSIDE THE THIRD WARD
A PARK AND
ITS VISION
FOR PEACE
The community members of the
College Hill neighborhood have big
dreams for what is possible. Some of
those dreams are being directed into
plans to revitalize Peace Park at East
Grand Avenue and Strodtman Place.
The park, on one side a small orchard,
Jameice Shannon, 10, shares her vision for Peace Park in 5 years. (Photo by Minzi Long)
and on the other side shaded by huge
trees, has been in the works for years.
It was originally imagined by Otis
Woodward, a local activist, preacher,
and community advocate. Woodward
turned the once vacant lot into the
park with hope that having a new
community space in College Hill would
bring a sense of belonging and safety.
The neighborhood, in part, is known
for pervasive violence and substance
12
abuse. Initially when Woodward
created the park, he
provided clothing and warm meals out
of a shed on the park grounds, which
has since been taken down. As many
community members will attest, he
was driven by a desire to be of service,
striving to make Peace Park not just a
place to play, but a place to experience
dignity and belonging. In honor of
Woodward, who passed away in 2015,
a determined group of College Hill
neighbors are working to continue
bringing his vision to life.
At a recent meeting hosted by the
North Corridor Collaborative at Grace
Hill, community members came
#ACTIVISM
Participants from the public forum survey Peace Park. (Photo by Minzi Long)
together for on of many planning
sessions. In partnership with the
Harvard Graduate School of Design,
neighbors worked with visiting
students in architecture, landscape
architecture, and urban design to
narrow down designs for the park.
Many participants in the planning
process have been involved for a
year or more, and the prospect of
plans moving forward is a matter of
celebration. When asked why she
wanted to get involved with Peace Park,
Jasmine Hughes, 28, said, “I believe
it was last October or November, I
came and visited the North Corridor
Collaborative community meeting....
and I was ecstatic that there was a
possibility that there could be more
to do in our neighborhood than there
is.” Hughes, who has lived in St. Louis
since she was 4 years old, explained
that prior to getting involved with
the Peace Park, she struggled to find
welcoming community spaces. “for
a while I was unemployed, and the
only places I felt safe, particularly in
the area, was maybe to the bus stop,
maybe to Divoll Library- that’s really
all I can think of ”she said,
continuing, “Divoll was really the
only place I felt I could hang out and
just be. Everywhere else you have to
be on your way somewhere, or doing
something on a mission”.
Hughes went on to explain that
she decided to continue coming to
the North Cooridor Collaborative
meetings after that first initial meeting
because there were,“wonderful people
with wonderful ideas. I didn’t really
get to see that implemented, in a way,
until I went to that meeting. Going
to that meeting, I thought “oh!”,
well if they have some sort of plan,
something concrete that we can go
off, I would be willing to sink a lot of
my energy and time to this, because
it’s something I really want to see.”
Hughes has been coming back to the
meetings ever since, and over the past
year has helped to brainstorm and
work through various ideas for the
park. As she described, “I wanted to
get involved any way I could. I didn’t
really have anything monetarily to
offer, but I at least wanted to give my
time and my experience in anyway I
could”.
Though Hughes is now employed
full-time, she said that she still wants
“to come to the meetings and see
what things I can contribute. This is
something I really want to see happen-
I want to see it succeed.” Over the past
year, residents like Hughes have been
committed to meeting at the Grace
Hill Water Tower Hub with other
stakeholders in the community on a
monthly basis to continue solidifying
ideas for Peace Park. Ideas throughout
the past year have included community
garden beds, public art, and designing
a multipurpose pavilion for music,
community engagement, and theatre.
Those engaging in the process come
in all ages, from 10 years old to 70.
As Jameice Shannon, 10, described “I
have actually never been so engaged
[with] the neighborhood, so it’s kind
of a big step for me.” Shannon has
been coming to the meetings with her
sister Jasmine Shannon, 11, and her
grandmother Oprah Johnson, 62.
Johnson explained that she has
also been involved in community
engagement by supporting her son
who throws “block parties to bring
the community together…[we’re] all
about getting people to get along and
stop the violence.” In addition to the
block parties, Johnson became
involved with Peace Park because
she was involved in the partner
organization For the Sake of All, and
she knew Otis Woodward. As the older
Shannon sister, Jasmine, expressed,
“it’s really important to keep his [Otis
Woodward’s] dream on- I think he
would have wanted us to keep his
dream alive”.
Another participant in the project,
Elaine Laura, 68, explained that she
found out about the Peace Park
project through Washington
University. She explained, “I attended
a Wash U seminar on disparities in
the greater St. Louis community. One
FALL 2018
of the illustrations of how the city of
St. Louis has not spent tax dollars
on the Northside, was through the
comparison of parks”. As Laura
described, parks in the Northside
have been largely underfunded, and
as in the case of College Hill, some
neighborhoods on the Northside
haven’t even had designated
community parks.
When asked what they are most
excited to see in the park, neighbors
excitedly described what they imagine
for the future of Peace Park. Carmen
Long, 59, who was in the partner
organization For the Sake of All and a
resident of 11 years explained that she
wants to see, “neighbors, people,
different people, nationalities, colors-
we need everybody. This is your park.
We want to make the North side look
like peace, rather than war. Because
when I travel over here from Delmar,
I feel like I am in a warzone.” Long
referred to the Delmar divide, an Jasmine Hughes, 28, shares her ideas for the future of the park.(Photo by Minzi Long)
intersection between the North and
Southside of St. Louis that strikingly
encapsulates the city’s continued
segregation of race and socioeconomic
resources. Erika King, in her 30s,
echoed this sentiment saying, “it is
a close-knit community. It’s a family
around here, and we’ve gotten away
from that a little bit, but we want to
bring that back... we like to look out
for each other. We want to bring that
back in a major way.”
Hughes added that she is hoping the
finished park will allow her to, “stop
by after work and just sit in the park,
or just swing on a swing or something
like that...and then walk home
feeling like I’m safe to walk home.”
She added that she is most excited
“for the possibility that I’ll get to meet
more of my neighbors, [who] I haven’t
been able to see, simply because there
was no reason to come out here in
the first place. There’s an opportunity From left: Carmen Long, Oprah Johnson, Erica King, Elaine Laura, and Lauren Billingsly.
where people might BBQ out here- (Photo by Minzi Long)
that would be great! Maybe we can
have a BBQ competition! I’d like to
see that”. Like the other community
members, Hughes’ hopes for the park
mostly revolve around the potential
for deeper community building in
College Hill. As she further explained,
“there’s a possibility that there is going
to be a community garden. It would be
great if people from the community
felt like they could come in and pick
[some vegetables].” She added, “There
will be more to do- there will be more-
you know that saying that crowds
draw crowds? Knowing that there is
something for us as a community to do
here, and that we can enjoy ourselves
as a community in this space, that in
and of itself will draw other people to
want to come and see this space and
think, ‘hey, what’s going on here? This
is neat’ I like all of that”.
Following the most recent meeting, the students
from the Harvard Graduate School of Design
will be further developing designs for Peace
Park, continuing the conversation between Community members brainstorm designs for the park alongside Graduate students from the
neighbors and community stakeholders. Harvard School of Design. (Photo by Minzi Long)
#ACTIVISM 13
INSIDE THE THIRD WARD FALL 2018

LARMAN WILLIAMS, THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN RESIDENT OF FERGUSON

Some of the first African Americans to as an assistant principal for a school and nannies could come to work in

LANDMARKS OF INJUSTICE
THE SHELLEY VS. KRAEMER HOUSE
A restrictive covenant is a covenant
imposing a restriction on the use of
land so that the value and enjoyment
of adjoining land will be preserved.
This tool was used by many in the
white community to avoid selling their
property to African Americans when
relocating. This practice was upheld
in a Supreme Court case in 1926.
However, in 1948 the United States
Supreme Court overruled the Supreme
Court of Missouri and held that state
courts could not enforce them without
violating the 14th Amendment to the
U.S. Constitution, which requires
equal protection under the law. This
decision was decided in two seperate
cases, however soon became known
as Shelley vs. Kraemer, a dispute that
took place here in the City of St. Louis.
Fern Kraemer, a white homeowner
1 The Shelly vs. Kraemer House
living in the Ville neighborhood,
2 Larman Williams House objected to the purchase of a home
nearby her own by the Shelley family,
3 St Ann
who were African American. At the
4 Deporres
5 time, Kraemer’s neighborhood was
Olivette & Elmwood
under a restrictive covenant organized
6 Bierne Park
by the Marcus Avenue Improvment
7 DeSotto Carr Association made up of 2,000
property owners. The trustees of the
LANDMARK MAP OF ST. LOUIS COUNTY
Cote Brilliante Presbyterian Church, a
signatory to the convenant, sponsored
Ms. Kraemer’s lawsuit with funds from
the church treasury. The Supreme
Court ruled against Ms. Kraemer and
her sponsors not on moral grounds,
but because the homeowner who
wanted to sell his property to the
Shelleys had equal protection under
the law and could sell their property
to whomever they chose.
THE VATTEROTT DEVELOPMENTS OF ST. ANN & DEPORRES
Although, the ruling permitted the
Shelley family to own and occupy their
newly-purchased home, it had no
major impact on discouraging racial
segregation in America’s suburbs. The
ruling did not cover rental apartments
or newly constructed homes outside
the city. It was in the suburbs that the
discriminatory practices in real estate,
home building, and finance continued
unabated. However, the case was
seen as a triumph for civil rights.
The Shelley family was represented
in the Supreme Court by an African
American attorney and a prominent
St. Louis civic leader named George L.
Vaughn.
settle in Ferguson, MO were Larman
and Geraldine Williams and their three
daughters. When Mr. Williams first
came to see the house on 21 Buckeye
Drive in 1968, the real estate agent
refused to show it to him. However,
Williams belonged to a church with
a white pastor who contacted the real
estate agent on his behalf only to be
informed that the neighbors objected
selling property in the neighborhood
to Blacks. The white pastor then
decided to gather the owner of the
home and his neighbors together
for a prayer meeting, after which the
owner agreed to sell the house to the
Williams.
The Williams family had been living in
a St. Louis slum and Larman worked
The St. Ann housing development,
pictured to the left and the DePorres
housing development pictured below
it were built by Charles Vatterott.
Vatterot, a devout Catholic, was a
St. Louis-area builder with the most
liberal attitudes on matters of race
during his time.
Vatterot began building St. Ann
in 1943 under a Federal Housing
Administration (FHA) guarantee,
intending it for lower middle-class
Catholics. Sales to non-Catholic
Whites was allowed, but sales to
Blacks was not in accordance with
FHA guidelines. Deeds on St. Ann
homes stated that “no lot or portion of
a lot of builder erected thereon shall
be sold, leased, rented or occupied by
any other than those of the Caucasian
race.”
in Wellston, an all black St. Louis
suburb. Geraldine was a state special
education teacher. They could afford
to live in middle-class Ferguson and
decided to move there to protect their
daughters from the violence of their
St. Louis neighborhood and provide
them with better schooling.
Larman had previously lived in
Kinloch, an all black suburb adjoining
Ferguson. At the time Ferguson was
a ‘sundown town’ which meant the
presence of African Americans was not
permitted after dark. As was common
in other suburbs of St. Louis, Ferguson
blocked off the main road from
Kinloch with a chain and construction
material but kept a second road open
during the day so housekeepers
Despite this, Vatterott insisted, over
resident’s opposition, that the golf
course, he built as part of the St. Ann
development be open to nonresident
African Americans. He then went on
to build a separate, but lower quality
sub-division for African Americans
named DePorres in the town of
Breckenridge Hills, a few miles away
from St. Ann.
The DePorres buyers had incomes and
occupations similar to those of St. Ann,
yet because DePorres was intended for
African Americans Vatterott could not
secure FHA financing and so many of
the homes were rented. Vatterott did,
however set up a special savings plan
by which residents could put aside
money to purchase their homes in the
future.
Ferguson. The school district that
had once been united was segregated
until court-ordered integration in
1975. Slowly the African American
community in Ferguson expanded
from 1% in 1970 to 14% in 1980, 25% in
1990 to 52% in 2000, and finally 67%
in 2010. Other northwestern suburbs
of St. Louis saw the same expansion
while the southwestern suburbs and
St. Louis itself became more white.
Larman and Geraldine and another
early resident named Adel Allen,
an engineer who came to St. Louis
in 1962 to work at the McDonnell
Space Center, testified about their
experiences at a 1970 hearing of the
United States Commission on Civil
Rights.
The DePorres development also lacked
the community facilities such as the
park, playground, and golf course that
had been incorporated into the St.
Ann subdivision.
Today the developments of St. Ann
and DePorres are vastly different.
St. Ann is now an incorporated town
boasting amenities not seen in other
nearby local communities. Property
values are high, houses are large,
streets are safe and lawns are well
maintained.
DePorres on the other hand is now
part of another community and so
does not have the strong identity St.
Ann enjoys. In some neighborhoods,
houses remain small and of poor
quality with lower property values.

On August 9, 2014, a Ferguson,
Missouri policeman shot and killed
an unarmed black teenager. Michael
Brown’s death lead to protests across
the country and brought the Black
Lives Matter movement to national
prominence. The national spotlight
was now on Ferguson and questions
arose concerning how a formerly
white suburban community was now
majority African American. How did
this come to be?
We are taught to believe that “white
flight” is the cause. When African
Americans move to the suburbs to
escape poor inner city schools, the
white population moves elsewhere. It
is said that African Americans moved
to Ferguson specifically because
of prejudiced real estate agents.
Potential homeowners are steered
away from other towns through
zoning rules that require specific lot
sizes and single family homes. To
rely completely on this narrative only
acknowledges part of the story. There
were in fact historically, a whole host
of very intentional federal, state and
local land use policies that mandated
racial segregation.
In the Economic Policy Institute
article entitled “The Making of
Ferguson” author Richard Rothstein
outlines these policies in great detail.
He explains the creation of OLIVETTE & ELMWOOD, BIERNE PARK, AND DESOTTO CARR
“segregated public housing projects
Olivette in St. Louis County annexed after the Civil War by former slaves. erected a barbed-wire fence between
that replaced integrated low-income
a portion of an unincorporated It had few paved roads or sewers. the Elmwood Park neighborhood
areas, federal subsidies for suburban
community of Elmwood Park in 1950. Olivette took the portion of Elmwood and the nearest white subdivision in
development conditioned on African
Olivette was an all white middle- Park north of the city but south of the Olivette. Throughout St. Louis county
American exclusion”, and “federal
class community while the Elmwood railroad tracks that bisected the area. today one can find driveways that
and local requirements for, and
Park neighborhood was made up of This provided more industrial land for once sat by houses that do not connect
enforcement of, property deeds
37 dilapidated home that were often the growing city and created a physical to adjacent streets in order to create
and neighborhood agreements that
subjected to flooding from the Des barrier between Olivette and the rest physical separation between whites
prohibited resale of white-owned
Pres River. Elmwood Park was settled of Elmwood Park. Soon after, Olivette and blacks.
property to, or occupancy by African
Americans.” Rothstein details how
inner ring suburbs like Ferguson were Bierne Park, was built on a site with Venables had their building permits the action in court but a Missouri
created with “municipal boundary a very storied history. One tool used approved and construction began when appeals court ruled that courts could
lines designed to separate black nationwide by suburbs to maintain town residents discovered they were not inquire into the motives for a
neighborhoods from white ones and to racial segregation was eminent black. A hastily organized citizents condemnation provided its purpose
deny necessary services to the former” domain, the power to condemn and committee raised contributions was for public use. Fifteen years
and “urban renewal plans whose seize land for public purposes. In to purchase the property but the later, the city again took similar
purpose was to shift black populations 1959, Howard and Katie Venable, an Venables did not not budge. The city action by ousting its one small black
from central cities ...to...suburbs.” African American couple, purchased a then condemned the property for use neighborhood, characterized by small
According to Rothstein’s research, residential lot in the mostly white St. as a park and playground known today homes on small lots in order to build
there were “real estate, insurance, Louis suburb of Creve Coeur. The as Bierne Park. The couple challenged Malcolm Terrace Park.
and banking regulators who tolerated
and sometimes required racial In the WWII period the city of St. Louis for war workers and then returning land that was also once integrated.
segregation.” This history is little revised its public housing plans and veterans. St. Louis continued this In effect, the city of St. Louis had
discussed and often overlooked. Yet designated the DeSotto Carr housing practice of racial segregation after the wiped away several integrated
the places where this history took place project for African Americans only, 1949 Housing Act was passed. The act neighborhoods in favor of segregated
are all around us. Highlighted here with a separate project designated did not formally require segregation housing projects. When a federal court
are 7 historic landmarks pertaining to for whites called Clinton-Peabody. but neither did it encourage integrated banned this practice in 1955, African
racial injustice in the St. Louis area. By Clinton-Peabody was built south of projects. Rather, it financed each as Americans were allowed to reside
acknowledging and publicizing what downtown St. Louis in an area that was local custom. St. Louis used this formerly segregated housing projects,
occurred at locations, we can work to was formerly integrated. Both of these program to build the John J. Cochran but by this time federal promotion of
fight the racial segregation happening projects opened in 1942 initially Garden Apartments for whites only on white flight to the suburbs was in full
in St. Louis today. swing.

14 #INTERESTING #INTERESTING 15
INSIDE THE THIRD WARD FALL 2018

THE JOURNEY OF A ST. LOUIS BRICK

Most us went through the Hydraulic Press Brick Company, where we got transformed from raw
materials to what we are today: Bricks. A process of grinding, screening, being pressed into shape and
finally brought to the kilns to be burned.
....even to big cities as Chicago and New York, where they were used in
A lot of us travelled all over the country from east to west to serve different construction purposes... skyscraper construction.

Though times have

changed we are still
there and are precious.
Vacant houses are
torn down to reuse
We contributed us, sometimes even
to the prospering without permission.
times of the
Indeed, people steal us!
We all came from city, when
the soil around St identities and
Louis, clay deposits neighborhoods
which were once were built on
up to 60ft deep bricks.
spread all around
town, in Oak Hill,
Cheltenham and
the Hill for instance.

But why did St Louis build on us?

There are many reasons. One is that
we are fire resistant! Others praise
our durability, you name it!

Each of us, has its origin stamped on the topside. Today, bricklaying isn´t affordable anymore, so we get sliced into
thin bricks. One of us turns into multiple. Unfortunately, we lose a But People just love our patina, so we end up as interior cladding in bars or in
lot of our characteristics, for instance our structural strength. living rooms all over the country.

So we became …to the water towers of St Louis.

the number one
building material
in town for all
different kinds
But I am still here, out on the field waiting. What will the future bring?
of projects, from
family houses...

The most beautiful ones were lucky and are today

shown to the public at the National Building Arts
Center.

16 #HISTORY #HISTORY 17
INSIDE THE THIRD WARD
THE TWO TOWERS OF THE
THIRD WARD
What are they for?
Standpipe water towers, built in the
late 1800’s were once used to release
pressure from pressure-driven water
distritbution systems in cities. They
were once common around the United
CAST IRON
States and 423 of them are recorded
MOLDING
AT TOP
to have existed. Now only six towers
remain standing in all of the United
States, two of these just so happen to
be in the Third Ward.
DID YOU KNOW
THAT THE THIRD
WARD HAS 2 OF
THE 7 REMAINING
STANDPIPE WATER
TOWERS IN ALL OF
BRICK AND TERRA COTTA EXTERIOR
THE U.S ?
What’s Inside?
Each tower is constructed of brick,
terra-cotta and stone. The base of the
Grand Avenue tower is pure stone
and the walls at its base at 2ft thick!
The shaft is tapered as it reaches the
top of the column, the wall at the top
measures 1ft in thickness. The top of
the column is made out of pure cast-
iron.
STAND PIPE
This is a drawing (on the left) shows
what the Grand Avenue water tower
might have looked like inside.
Centered around a 5ft diameter pipe
made of iron is a spiral staircase
that allowed maintenance crews
access. Unfortunately the staircase
5’
and iron pipe have been dismantled
and replaced with an iron ladder
that allows for maintenance access.
2’
Bissell Street Water Tower (seen in
the background of the photo at left)
does still contain a staircase as it was
restored in the 1970’s. However both
towers are currently closed to the
public.
WATER MAIN
Both the Grand Avenue Tower and
BLAIR AVE
Grand Ave Tower Bissell Street Tower are designated
landmarks on the National Register of
Historic Places. The hope is that one
day they can be restored fully and open
GRAND AVE to the public to get a bird’s eye view of
North Saint Louis and the Mississippi
N. 20TH ST
River. The Grand Ave tower is 154ft
Bissell Street Tower
tall and the Bissell Street tower stands
BISS at 194ft. As the tallest structures in the
ELL S
T
neighborhood, both would give one a
formidable view.
18 #HISTORY
A Short History
1871 GRAND AVE WATER
TOWER IS CONSTRUCTED
The expanding city of Saint Louis
decides to construct a water treatment
plant at the site of the current Bissell
Point Wastewater Treatment Plant.
At this time, potable water was
pumped by steam engine through
the City’s water pipes, building up
excess pressure which could cause
pipes to burst. To remedy this issue,
the Grand Avenue water tower was
constructed to hold a large iron pipe ,
5ft in diameter, which would allow the
release of excess pressure by pushing
large amounts of water up through a
giant pipe concealed by a 154 ft tall
brick-terracotta tower.
The Grand Ave water tower made it onto
this 1875 Pictorial St. Louis map by Richard
Compton and Camille Dry. Note the farm
land and dirt roads surrounding the tower.
1886 BISSEL STREET
WATER TOWER BUILT
To accommodate its growing
population, St. Louis constructs
another water tower, this one modeled
after a minaret instead of a roman
column. This one surpasses the Grand
Avenue tower, standing at 195’ tall
and contains an iron standpipe 6 feet
in diameter.
Postcards circa 1886 boasted of “the New Water Tower”
1902 STREET CARS RULE
A bustling city needs a robust
transportation system. The Grand
Avenue water tower became an
anchor point of the street car system
(red lines on the map below). The
street cars are visible in this photo
of the Grand Avenue tower, opposite
a horse and cart. The water towers
helped serve as useful landmarks as
visitors arriving for the 1904 World’s
Fair navigated the City. St. Louisians
were extremely proud of this amazing
technology that brought water directly
into their homes.
The view at street level around the Grand
Avenue tower.
The Crystal Water Co. Map of St Louis in
1902 with street car lines in red. Note the
“Water Works” building at the bottom of the
map.
#HISTORY
FALL 2018
1912 OUT OF SERVICE
With an advancement in technology,
the steam-engine, piston-driven water
distribution system was changed to
a spinning pump system that made
the need for water towers obsolete.
However, the towers having been
constructed from terracotta, brick
and stone to prevent the water in
their stand pipes from freezing, were
extremely sturdy and could not be
easily torn-down. What was the city to
do with them?
1920-1930 NEW PURPOSES
Trying to make use of the now-
obsolete infrastructure, the City of
Saint Louis repurposed the towers
according to its needs. Aviation lights
were placed on top of the Grand
Painted postcard of the Bissell Street
Avenue tower in the 1920’s to help
tower from 1888.
guide planes attempting to locate the
local airfield. As time went on, these
towers became landmarks with local
1969 LANDMARK STATUS
businesses proudly incorporating the
word “Tower” into their names so as to
These 19th century relics and
neighborhood landmarks were finally
associate themselves with a particular
location in the city.
protected from demolition in 1969
when an official report was entered
into the National Register of Historic
Places.
In this photo from the Missouri History Excerpt from National Register of Historic
Museum dated to the 1920’s, one can clearly Places report showing the precise location of
see the Grand Avenue Water Tower’s entrance the Grand Ave Tower.
and tiny windows running up to the top of
the tower.
1930-1960 THREAT OF TODAY:
DEMOLTION A CALL FOR RESTORATION
Requiring major upkeep, St. Louis’ St. Louis’ third water tower- Compton
three water towers were under threat Hill Water Tower - located in Reservoir
to be demolished by the City. Local Park, near the intersection of S. Grand
businesses and citizens rallied around Ave and Russell Ave. was restored in
the cause of preserving the landmarks the 1990s at a price tag of $19 million.
and when the City realized that it It is now is open for tours and one can
would cost more to demolish the climb up the 198 stairs to the top. The
structures rather than leave them Bissell Street tower was last restored
in place, they relented. In 1954, the in the 1970’s by the U.S. Department
Grand Avenue tower underwent a of the Interior, however it is now
restoration, and remained the pride of closed. The Landmarks Association of
many local business which continued St. Louis has recently raised $40,000
to operate in its immediate vecinity. for a detailed engineering assessment
of both towers. The organization hopes
to then raise money for their complete
restoration. This would allow them
What do you think of the water towers?
to more fully serve the community as
Tell us on our Facebook-Page!
the incredible landmarks they are and
https://www.facebook.com/gsdinw3/
provide a small glimpse into St. Louis’
history of technology and innovation.
19
INSIDE THE THIRD WARD FALL 2018

SHAPE SHIFTING
how population shapes the ward
WARD 3 WARD 5 WARD 7
POPULATION DECLINE -28% POPULATION STABILITY +2% POPULATION GAINS +5%
2000
2010

Population
Under 2000 2000-2500 2500-3500 3500-4500 4500+

The Wards Over Time Ward

WARDComparison
COMPARISON What Defines a Ward
From 2000 to 2010, most wards
lost residents as St. Louis’ overall Total
TOTALPopulation
POPULATION Since 1957, the city of St. Louis has
been divided into 28 wards each with
population decreased. During this Population Population Population
Ward
WARD
POPULATION POPULATION POPULATION
%%Change
CHANGE its own Alderman. Each Alderman
time, the Third Ward lost 28% of 2000
2000 2010
2010 CHANGE
Change
is awarded an equal share of revenue
its residents, the most of any of the 1 11,900 9,875 -2,025 -17%
used to develop their ward.
wards. By contrast, the Fifth Ward, 2 11,882 10,351 -1,531 -13%
Recently, there has been a movement
next to the Third Ward, remained 3 11,832 8,478 -3,354 -28% to cut the number of wards from 28
relatively stable, growing by 2%. The 4 12,043 8,965 -3,078 -26% to 14, as recognition of the fact that
Seventh Ward, which incorporates the 5 11,843 12,095 252 2% the city’s population has dropped
downtown district saw a 21% increase 6 12,017 14,259 2,242 19% substantially. There is much fear
in population during this time, the 7 11,990 14,555 2,565 21% that this move would change power
highest of any of the wards. 8 12,976 10,881 -2,095 -16% dynamics in the city, weakening the
These diagrams show the changing 9 12,951 11,323 -1,628 -13% wards with lower population densities,
shapes of the these three wards as 10 12,967 11,984 -983 -8% particularly those in North St. Louis,
their populations change. The darker 11 12,945 11,996 -949 -7% and discouraging development in
the color, the greater the population 12 12,607 12,271 -336 -3% areas that are in dire need of it.
density. In 2010, despite not changing 13 12,497 12,019 -478 -4% Currently, there is a lack of political
in population dramatically, the 14 12,991 11,962 -1,029 -8% will to make this change. The City’s
Fifth Ward’s shape changes to allow 15 12,982 12,046 -936 -7% population today is estimated to
neighboring wards such as the Third 16 12,999 12,252 -747 -6% be just under 350,000 residents, a
Ward to have the correct amount 17 12,771 12,060 -711 -6% number which must be split evenly
of residents. In stark contrast, the 18 12,149 10,937 -1,212 -10% among each of the 28 wards.
Seventh Ward has gotten substantially 19 11,832 12,402 570 5% Each ward is thus comprised of
darker in 2010, but its shape has 20 11,931 10,662 -1,269 -11% approximately 12,000 residents.
not changed because the shape of 21 12,633 10,534 -2,099 -17% With each census, the city of St. Louis
the wards that border it have also 22 11,906 9,302 -2,604 -22% adjusts the boundaries of the wards to
remained relatively unchanged. 23 12,961 11,961 -1,000 -8% ensure their equal share of residents.
Should the Third Ward and its 24 12,903 11,744 -1,159 -9% Thus the shapes of the wards
neighboring wards in North St. Louis 25 12,991 11,657 -1,334 -10% change every ten years, shrinking or
continue to lose residents by the 26 11,940 11,107 -833 -7% expanding as needed.
next census in 2020, their political 27 12,178 9,834 -2,344 -19%
representation and as a consequence, 28 12,572 11,782 -790 -6%
What do you think of this?
local control of their neighborhoods is TOTALS 348,189 319,294 -28,895 -8%
Tell us on our Facebook-Page!
at stake. https://www.facebook.com/gsdinw3/

20 #HISTORY #HISTORY 21
INSIDE THE THIRD FALL 2018
BEYOND THE WALLS (2016) to provide a temporary face lift to MIKE BROWN MURAL (2014)
abandoned buildings, a source of light

ART HISTORY
ARTIST: CHRISTOPHER GREEN
LOCATION: Page Avenue, St. Louis
In 2016, St. Louis nonprofit group
for the community amid a long history
of darkness.
In an interview with the St. Louis
American, artist Christopher Green
said, “I had the idea of putting
ARTIST: JOSEPH ALBANESE
LOCATION: 1902 Union Blvd, St. Louis
In 2014, the St. Louis community
Brown was fatally shot: he finished it
that same day. This mural stands as
a visual reminder of this particular
tragedy and many more like it, both

african-american history as seen through St. Louis’ murals Better Family Life commissioned
local artist Christopher Green to
address the negative aesthetic effects
of vacant homes and to build the
WALL OF FAME (2017) morale of the community through
the medium of art. This 2016 mural
project sought to ameliorate the
ARTIST: Grace McCammond and visual and psychological effects of
the Boys & Girls Club students living in a neighborhood with failing
infrastructure and that is continually
LOCATION: 4243 Manchester Avenue overlooked by policy makers. Through
art, the neighborhood could move
This 2017 art piece popped up in the forward together.
Tower Grove neighborhood after the
unfortunate removal of the original The art depicts famous and influential
“Wall of Fame” mural in 2011. black St. Louisians- artists, authors,
The artwork celebrates notable St. athletes, and more. Painted on colorful
Louisians from the past two centuries. backgrounds, the faces of these
Check them out below! prominent, successful black figures
BACK ROW: Henry Armstrong, James remind residents
Bell, Katherine Dunham, Nelly, Robert of possibility,
Guillame, Chuck Berry, Redd Foxx, Jackie
Joyner-Kersee, Dick Gregory, Miles Davis
even in the most
trying of times.
“I want to give hope
dignitaries on derelict buildings as a
positive image, to show that people
came together to protest accumulated
injustices, namely the murder of
in North St. Louis and across America.
Creative resistance, like this piece
from tough neighborhoods can become eighteen-year-old Mike Brown by of art, helps keep history alive while
respectable citizens.” Green, who Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. making sure that we keep fighting
grew up in “the Ville” neighborhood Artist Joseph Albanese began working against its systematic continuance in
in St. Louis, understands the local on this mural just nine days after the future.
issues that residents of this area face
on a daily basis. The “broken window
theory” corroborates the idea that a
deteriorated built environment can
communicate negative narratives
about a community to those outside
and, unfortunately, those within. By
using his artistry to address social
issues, he brings attention both to
the rich historical tapestry woven by
black St. Louisians and the inequities
of housing stock in St. Louis.
This project
illicits ideas
for
temporary
other

to people who come

FRONT ROW: Johnnie Johnson, Maya
Angelou, Josephine Baker, Cedric Kyles, Tina The project measures that
Turner, Scott Joplin, Harriet Scott, Dred Scott also serves as a could rehab
quasi-role model
for kids in the from neighborhoods the
and
image
morale
JAMES “COOL PAPA” BELL KATHERINE DUNHAM CHUCK BERRY JACKIE JOYNER-KERSEE area. By seeing of Northern Here’s a list of a few of the St. Louisians Jamala Rogers, author & activist

Born in 1903 in Starkville, Mississippi,
Bell played in the Negro baseball
league from 1922 to 1946.
Bell was widely revered
for his quick pace, leaving
a legend of remarkable
athleticism in the face of
certain segregation when he
died in St. Louis in 1991.
SCOTT JOPLIN
Scott Joplin is an early example of
an appropriation of African-
American musical tradition
for white mainstream
audiences. Joplin, “the
King of Ragtime,” made
ragtime music popular for
the masses, and even wrote
two operas in his free time.
MAYA ANGELOU
An icon of American poetry and literature,
this St. Louisian has written on behalf
of American presidents
and Civil Rights activists.
Prolific, to say the least,
Katherine Dunham was an artist and a
social commentator. Though born in
Illinois, Dunham made
her mark in the art world
after settling in St. Louis
in the 1960s. A dancer,
choreographer, and
activist, Dunham rightly
earned her place on this
wall.
CORNELL “NELLY” HAYNES, JR.
Nelly moved to St. Louis as a teenager
and gained local popularity as a
member of the music
group the “St. Lunatics.”
Now an established
rapper, songwriter, and
entrepreneur, Nelly still
remembers his St. Louis
roots, and resides there
when not performing.
“You may not control all the events that
happen to you, but you can decide not to
A pioneer of rock and roll music, Chuck
Berry set the country on fire with his
original sound and ambitious
musical work. A native St.
Louisian, Berry continued
producing music until
he was 90 years old, even
putting out a record during
his last year of life in 2017.
JOSEPHINE BAKER
Though born in St. Louis, Baker left
America for Paris when she
was just 19 years old.
There, she became a
notable entertainer and
activist, even working for
the French Resistance
during World War II; her
legacy is international.
Jackie Joyner-Kersee, while now
retired at the age of 56 years old,
is considered one of
the greatest track
and field runners in
history. This East St.
Louis native won six
different medals at
four different Olympics.
TINA TURNER
After moving to St. Louis as a teen,
Tina rose to fame in her 20s after
collaborating with Ike
Turner. An amazing
performer and talent,
Tina Turner earned over
120 awards and had
many top charting songs.
Look out for her next
musical hit!
HENRY ARMSTRONG
Armstrong holds a unique legacy in
the history of boxing. A world boxing
champion, Armstrong remains one of
the only fighters two win
in three or more weight
the
that
heights
previous
like this.”
St. Louisians
reached in their
-Christopher Green
professional
careers, so too can the city’s youth be
reminded of the inherent value of their
own lives, no matter the obstacles they
might face. By creating a platform that
exposes kids to a variety of ways to
succeed, St. Louis residents will feel
empowered to follow whatever path
they lay out for themselves.
Just as important as the subject
matter of the art is where the art
is being placed: on the boards of
vacant homes in St. Louis. Because
the city’s population dropped from
over 1,000,000 to just over 300,000
within the last century, St. Louis has
a vast inventory of abandoned and
dilapidated homes to pull from. These
paintings prove a tangible step towards
correcting this diaspora. Rather than
waiting for the slow drudge of policy
to propel the city into the 21st century,
the Beyond the Walls project uses art
St. Louis.
Stationed in a
part of the city
historically left
to deteriorate,
this project proves effective
predominantly because of its refusal
to wait for outside help. Immediate
actions with tangible results, these
murals promote the idea of strength
from within, also standing as a signal
to the outside world of the value and
resolve of this St. Louis neighborhood.
Ultimately, the project works as a
visual reminder of the dual potentials
and limitations for black St. Louis
residents. The art, a love letter to
black St. Louisians, works more
subversively as a reminder of the
inequality of housing policies in
St. Louis because of its positioning
on abandoned homes. Hopefully,
projects like Green’s will help open
up dialogs between city officials and
residents, so that everyone is given
equal opportunity to, one day, be
painted on the wall.
featured in Green’s work:
Devon Alexander, pro boxer
Norville Brown, police officer
Katherine Dunham, artist & activist
Donald Suggs, dentist & activist
Grace Bumbry, opera singer
Bernie Hayes, radio & civic leader
Zaki Baruti, community organizer
Thelma & David Steward,
entrepreneurs & philanthropists
William Clay, politician
Ron Henderson, police chief
Robin Boyce, talk show host
Tyrone Thompson, philanthropist
Eddie Hasan, politician
O.L. Shelton, politician
Kevin Cunninham, police officer &
boxing trainer
Virvus Jones, novelist
Robin Smith, news anchor &
politician
Betty Thompson, politician & civil
rights activist
Jet Banks, former state senator
Henry Givens, educator & activist
Freeman Bosley, Jr., St. Louis’ first
black African-American mayor
Jimmie Edwards, judge
Denise Thimes, jazz musician and
performer
Anthony Shahid, civil rights activist
& community organizer

Art by Christopher Green, collage by author

Maya Angelou is one of the
best modern examples of
artistic excellence in the
country.
REDD FOXX
Born John Elroy Sanford, Redd Foxx
worked as a stand-up comedian and
actor for fifty years. Foxx, while
often remembered for his
use of explicit language,
both produced and starred
in the 1970s sitcom Sanford
and Son, a show that helped
diversify family TV comedies.
be reduced by them.” -Maya Angelou
DICK GREGORY
Dick Gregory proved talented in many
ways: as a comedian, a writer, an
activist, an actor, and as
an entrepreneur. Perhaps
Gregory’s greatest legacy,
after passing away last
year in 2017, is his refusal
to shy away from bigotry
and racism in his comedy.
DRED SCOTT
Dred Scott was at the heart of one of the
most gut-wrenching Supreme
Court cases in American
history, Dred v. Sandford.
This landmark case ruled
that Scott could not sue for
his freedom, as blacks were
not considered citizens. It
has been overturned.
divisions. Proving his
ability on multiple fronts,
he defended his
featherweight title 19
times.
HARRIET SCOTT
Harriet Scott, married to Dred Scott,
was an African-American slave
woman who fought for her
freedom in pre-Civil War
Missouri alongside her
husband. Scott later earned
her freedom and lived out
her life in St. Louis as a
laundress.

22 #HISTORY #HISTORY 23
INSIDE THE THIRD WARD FALL 2018

STOP!
BOLLARDS IN STL
The City of St. Louis (which is an independent city separate from St. Louis by some residents as a way to decrease traffic on their streets. But, they’re also
County) has a tremendously fractured street grid, with a variety of physical criticized for hindering firefighters and police who respond to emergencies.
structures used to create cul-de-sacs or to otherwise block through traffic. Additionally, their untidy appearance is frequently a complaint.
These so-called “Schoemehl pots” and "Ingrassia balls" named for two political

an observation on traffic bollards in St.Louis

figures whose tenure spurred the implementation of many of them, are lauded

BUDDY IN WARD 6: INGRASSIA BALLS SCHOEMEHL POTS

K
Christine Ingrassia is the alderman who called for traffic calming measures in There is no more recognized symbol of grid interruption than the sewer pipes
the 6th Ward. Someone nicknamed the bollards “Ingrassia Balls” when they stationed in the middle of streets throughout St.Louis- “Schoemehl pots,”
first appeared in 2017. Ingrassia thinks these balls are useful and financially named for former mayor Vincent C. Schoemehl. Schoemehl's tenure brought

R
responsible measures for calming traffic. The pilot has been launched on the arrival of many of these pipes in 1982 with the hope of decreasing traffic in
Compton Avenue to discourage large trucks from using Compton as an alternate the streets by closing off streets, creating a space where pedestrians could feel

S COMPTON AVENUE
A
route to Grand Avenue. Discouraging larger trucks from using Compton as an more comfortable. The large-scale push from his administration to get the pots
alternate route to Grand was part of the plan — it’s better for commercial vehicles in the streets happened from 1982 to 1983, but wasn't without controversy.
to use major roadways rather than residential streets. But the narrow turns are While this infrastructural move closed off streets and confused traffic, it also

P
proving difficult for residents to navigate in their own, smaller cars as well. Mid-block Closures created spaces where residents could feel safer in their neighborhoods.

“What we are used to here in St. Louis are “It’s this blend of creating a sense that

LAFAYETTE
these ridiculously wide lanes,we just had ‘this is my street,’ while keeping it
a number of pedestrians and cyclists not reasonably accessible for people who live
feeling safe.” on that street.”
Christine Ingrassia, alderwoman of Ward 6, spearheaded an effort to slow traffic along Compton Vincent C. Schoemehl, Jr. was the 42nd mayor of St. Louis, Missouri, serving
Avenue, using $300,000 of her ward’s budget. Multiple Closures three terms from 1981 to 1993.

SHENANDOAH

S COMPTON AVENUE Partial Closures

M A G N O L I A

Simple Closures
R U S S E L L

“I’ve seen moving trucks

do five-point turns just
S COMPTON AVENUE

to do a turn... It’s like Partial Closures

“ Most of them, I don’t
threading a needle now.” like because I’d feel
A R S E N A L

like a prisoner in my
own neighbourhood. "

Credit to Street Not Thru: St. Louis

Barriers Project

24 #INTERESTING #INTERESTING 25
INSIDE THE THIRD
THE WARD 3 UNDERGROUND
what’s beneath the neighborhood?
1764: THE NASCENT CITY
St. Louis sits at the confluence of
the Missouri and the Mississippi
Rivers, making the land extremely
fertile and wildly desirable. Before
European settlers came, the territory
was occupied by American Indian
tribes, people well aware of the site’s
productive land. These tribes had a
tradition of building large mounds,
mounds which were demolished to
make room for urban development.
One of the first soil surveys of the land,
conducted by the state of Missouri in
1919, marks the city’s soil as majority
“silty clay loam,” a soil type often
used to manufacture high quality
brick products. With this soil, the St.
Louis’ construction industry could
locally source and quickly assemble
buildings, one of the main reasons that
so many of St. Louis’ buildings today
are made from brick, a visual marker
of the city’s underground resources.
The clay deposits central to brick-
making were often buried beneath a
layer of natural coal. Remarkably, the
earth held both the raw material to
make brick and the substance needed
to form the brick, localizing the brick-
making operation to just one site.
1910: THE GROWING CITY
Clay and Coal Deposits
The rich material properties that made
the soil desirable ultimately led to its
degredation, the emphasis on mining
one of key players in the depletion of
the soil’s mineral resources. Over time,
the mining of St. Louis’ soil has left it
somewhat barren and homogenous,
a far departure from the rich, varied
mineral mix of the same soil just over
a century before.
With the clay deposits exhausted,
original St. Louis bricks are now held
at a premium, as there isn’t a way to
produce more brick in any significant
amount. Now, the city faces a wave
of “brick thievery,” where people
use fire, force, and other destructive
means to pry off and steal brick from
vacant structures. Just as the soil was
depleted in order to make bricks,
so too are the brick buildings being
stripped of their material richness.
The modern soil of St. Louis no longer
holds the means for production, but
serves as the record of the production
of an entire material culture, the
vestige of a tradition of construction
and demolition.
26
FALL 2018
“The practice of dumping materials into the foundations was common
until the mid-2000s, when the city restricted the practice.”
-Michael Allen, Senior Lecturer at Washington University in St. Louis
1930: THE DEVELOPING CITY
Urban Soil Compaction
While urban devlopment can be good
for humans, it physically changes the
material properties of the ground
we walk on through a process called
“soil compaction.” Soil compaction
happens when the air and water in
the soil gets compressed, leaving less
space for microbes and plant growth.
Soil compaction can occur through
regular pedestrian use, construction
stress, automobile traffic, or even
through stormwater runoff, hardening
the soil through use.
The amount of developed parcels in a
neighborhood gives one major clue as
to how compact the soil might be: the
more extensive the development, the
more likely the compaction.
WHAT’S GOING ON BELOW...? While undeveloped space is often SOIL COMPACTION
1. SURFACE SOIL understood through the lens of failed 1. DEBRIS
2. SURFACE SOIL
economic growth, in this sense, non-
2. SILTY LOAM
development is a positive sign, one
3. SUBSOIL that the basic soil chemistry of the land 3. COMPACTED SOIL
might still be intact. Reframing vacant 4. CLAY DEPOSITS
4. SILTY CLAY lots as environmental strongholds
could refashion conversations about
Ward 3, offering a new narrative on
5. BEDROCK place-making. 5. BEDROCK
1990: THE BURIED CITY
Underground Material Disposal
In St. Louis, a vacant lot is never
empty. Each piece of land has a history
of occupation, of use, of life. People
ought to challenge the conception
that vacant parcels in the area are
“empty” and should instead push to
understand how a seemingly bare
space might have an entire history
layered just below the surface.
Up until the mid-2000s, burying
the rubble from previous buildings
underground was a perfectly legitiable
and acceptable method of material
disposal. However, this practice was
made illegal just over 15 years ago
and this piece of this specific material
culture was relegated to subterranean
spaces.
RESOURCE MINING By understanding vacant lots as BURIED RUBBLE
1. SURFACE SOIL potential “brickfields,” we can 1. DEBRIS
unearth a history unique to the
demolition culture of the city of St.
2. COAL LAYER Louis, a treasure map to the past. 2. BUILDING MATERIAL
Buried beneath the tangible sites
of the present lies the record of past 3. COMPACTED SOIL
3. CLAY DEPOSITS development, physical remains that
carry with them the memory of people,
5. BEDROCK places, and community. 4. BEDROCK
#HISTORY, #LAND USE #HISTORY, #LAND USE 27
INSIDE THE THIRD WARD
N.Vandeventer Rain Garden Planter Boxes in Jeff VanderLou Beacon Ave Rain Garden in Walnut Park
WHAT’S WITH ALL THE
RAIN GARDENS?
Background parties (a consent decree) which Why is this a Problem?
required the MSD work to fix this issue.
In 2007, the Environmental Protection By 2012, the consent decree was Untreated sewage contains toxins,
Agency (EPA) filed a lawsuit against officially in effect and numerous trash and pathogens that are extremely
the Metropolitan Saint Louis Sewer system-wide infrastructure projects harmful to people if they come into
District (MSD) for its violation of the were started. These projects, all meant contact with this water. Its discharge
Clean Water Act, accusing MSD of to reduce or eliminate the discharge of into rivers also leads to algae blooms
discharging large amounts of untreated untreated sewage into waterways, are which can cause fish and other aquatic
sewage into the Mississippi River. estimated to cost of approximately life residing in waterways to die.
By 2011, the Department of Justice $4.7 billion spent over 23 years. Therefore this is something to avoid,
filed a settlement between the two and if possible, eliminate all together.
What Now?
MSD has decided to
approach the dumping of
untreated sewage in two ways:
(1) Constructing green infrastructure
projects (such as rain gardens,
bioswales, and detention basis).
(2) Through the physical separation
of its sewage system from its
stormwater collection system.
What is a CSO - Combined
Sewer Overflow?
ry
da
Bissell Point
un
Wastewater
Bo
Green-Infrastructure Treatment A combined sewer and stormwater
Plant
is
Pilot Program Area collection system is an old-fashioned
u
Lo
way of collecting all of a city’s
.
St
wastewater (sewage and rainwater)
of
and putting it through a series of
ty
Extent of
Ci
Ward 3
Combined pipes that lead to a wastewater
Sewer System treatment plant. If it begins to rain
a lot, the system gets so full of water
that it can no longer be processed
by the wastewater treatment plant.
Instead of allowing the untreated
wastewater to back-up into people’s
homes (a major health-hazard), the
water “overflows” out through a pipe
Green-Infrastructure
Focus Area an into the nearest body of water, in
this case, the Mississippi River. The
CSO or combined sewer overflow is
the pipe through which the untreated
CSO wastewater “overflows” into the river.
How do Rain Gardens help
er
reduce the number of CSO
iv
R
events?
pi
ip
iss
Rain gardens and other forms of
iss
M
“green-infrastructure” act as sponges
on the land, soaking up excess
rainwater run-offing from homes,
Map showing location of St. Louis’ combined sewer area (light grey), MSD’s Green- parking lots, sidewalks & streets,
Infrastructure Focus Area (dark grey), MSD’s Pilot Program Focus Area in North St. Louis allowing it to slowly infiltrate back
(darkest grey), and CSO locations (black dots). into the ground.
28 #LAND USE
FALL 2018
Geraldine Ave. Rain Garden
Mis
I-
sis
70
sip
pi
Riv
er
The process of water filtering through
the plants in a rain garden also filters
out the potentially harmful pollutants
that the stormwater carries with it
such as animal feces, heavy metals,
asbestos, bacteria, and oils from
cars. When the water has returned Ward 3
to the ground, it can be used again
for drinking. If the planting of
rain gardens is multiplied across a
neighborhood, this can lead to a major
reduction in stormwater washing into
the sewer system during a rainstorm.
Why use a Rain Garden
instead of a Separate Pipe for
Stormwater?
Rain gardens and other forms Demolotion funded by the MSD on an
of green-infrastructure such as LRA-owned Property
bioswales and detention basins, Rain garden or other form of Green-
soak up excess rainwater and allow infrastructure
it to slowly infiltrate back into the
ground. The plants planted in the
rain garden naturally filter out the Why are there so many Rain barriers to stormwater infiltrating into (2) Placing a deed-restriction LRA-owned parcels. This reduced
potentially harmful pollutants carried Gardens in North St. Louis? the ground on these properties. on the parcel, mandating that any the amount of ground covered by
Thus the MSD decided to partner future development manage its buildings or parking lots (surfaces that
in stormwater.
MSD selected the wards north of I-64,
with the Land Reutilization Authority stormwater run-off on-site through cannot be penetrated by rainwater) by
as the location of its $3 million-dollar (LRA) to decrease the amount green-infrastructure and not through 9.4 acres.
A pipe built to carry stormwater
Pilot Program from 2011-2015. Part of
of land in North St. Louis with a connection to the sewer system
underground is extremely costly by
the reason these wards were selected abandoned buildings or pavement By partnering with the LRA, MSD
comparison and must be properly
is due to their proximity to the that were preventing stormwater from Or was able to be deeded land on which
maintained over its 100-year lifetime.
Mississippi River. When it is raining, infiltrating into the ground. The MSD to construct neighborhood-scale
To separate out the approximately
and the Bissell Point Wastewater thus funded $1.5 million dollars in (3) Putting in place a development rain gardens in the Third Ward and
10,000 miles of combined sewer lines
Treatment plant cannot handle all of LRA demolitions on parcels in North incentive for the parcel, stating that surrounding wards. Access to land
that the MSD currently maintains
the combined sewage and rainwater, it St. Louis and worked to implement one should a future development be became a crucial part of the MSD
would involve digging up all of the
overflows through 17 different CSOs, of three different green-infrastructure considered on the parcel, the parcel’s being able to carry out its massive
streets in St. Louis and could cost as
directly into the Mississippi River. strategies on these properties: stormwater is already filtered through green-infrastructure program as part
much as $7,000 per foot to replace,
adding up to a whole lot more than the a large, neighborhood-scale rain of its consent decree with the EPA.
North St. Louis also has a large number (1) Planting of a rain garden on garden, that is owned and managed
$4.7 billion dollars currently set-aside
of vacant or abandoned land parcels the parcel (if topography and location by the MSD. Welcome to the Third Ward, MSD!
for this project.
– some with structures on them and away from occupied buildings were Going forward, we hope you will better
some without. The MSD recognized favorable) According to the MSD, the LRA and communicate your intentions to the
A rain garden, by comparison, is much
these parcels as potential MSD’s partnership resulted in the community, working with us and not
less expensive to install, involves
little maintenance, and can be left in demolitions of 221 buildings on 219 just for us.
place for an indefinite period of time.
It also beautifies the city with green
vegetation and wild flowers. Lastly,
rain gardens allow for water to filter
into the ground instead of going to
a river, creating water we can drink.
Stormwater flowing out of a pipe into
a river still contains the contaminants
it picked up while flowing over-land
and the river has limited mechanisms
for cleaning this water, especially as it
is already full of contaminated run-off
N. Sarah St Rain Garden in the Ville Clinton St. Rain Garden in Old North Warne Ave Rain Garden in O’ Fallon Geraldine Ave. Forebay in Mark Twain
from the farms along its banks.
#LAND USE 29
INSIDE THE 3RD WARD FALL 2018

St. Louis developed through the main The expansion of the city was wide high income inequality neighborhood these abandoned properties are

VACANCY OVER TIME

port of the Mississippi River during
the 19th century. Once one of the
largest cities in the United States, St.
Louis has developed economically
through manufacturing, trade, and the
transportation of goods and tourism.
enough to maintain its status as one
of the largest cities in the United
States, but recently it has fallen on
hard times. The city currently suffers
from a high number of the vacant lots
and abandoned buildings. These are
to neighborhood. It has over 12,000
vacant lots and over 7,600 vacant
buildings. The property maintenance
costs of these parcels has exceeded
$5.7 million over the last five years.
While the cost of managing vacant and
located. This presents a much larger
problem. The city will continue to
suffer from these challenges if nothing
is done to stop the vicious cycle of
citizens leaving and generating less
tax revenue to support those who

how the city and population have changed Now the city has become known
for its medical and pharmaceutical
institutions.
Hyde Park Over Time
just the physical manifestations of
a city suffering from a shrinking tax
base, a decline in public services, and
abandoned buildings presents a major
fiscal challenge, the deteriorating
remain. These population changes
in North St. Louis can be easily
understood through maps.
fabric of the neighborhoods where

1910, Sanborn Fire Insurance Map 1950, Sanborn Fire Insurance Map 1996, Aerial photo 2018, City of St. Louis GIS

St. Louis World’s Fair opens - 1900s Vehicles in traffic - 1920s St. Louis smog in daylight - 930s Pruitt-Igoe housing built - 1950s Demolition of Pruitt-Igoe 1960s Dr. Martin Luthor King Dr. 1970s Cochran Gardens demolished 2000s Protests in Ferguson 2010s

5,000

1,000,000 2,000
vacant buildings
total po
pulation

white
popu
lation 15,000

500,000 13,000

employment

population
tion
black popula

1950
1910 population Pruitt-Igoe 1990 2018
Pruitt-Igoe demolished Michael Brown murdered in
peak public housing built
Fergurson

30 #LANDUSE #LANDUSE 31
INSIDE THE THIRD WARD
WHOexamining
OWNS THE
properties in st. louis
AMOUNT OF
PROPERTIES
OWNED
The ruin-like appearance of St. Louis,
its patchwork of brick, industry,
abandonment, and vacancies is the
result of a deep and tragic history
of federal and state segregation
regulations. Delmar Boulevard divides
the city into two distinct and unequal
halves. The southern district consists
mostly of white residents, brick houses,
and tree-lined streets. The northern
parts of the city house large populations
of black residents where there are
scattered buildings fragmented by
crumbling buildings and empty lots.
These visual differences are the lasting
results of racist housing policies
implemented by the city years ago.
The map above illustrates this
narrative by drawing the city as a
tapestry of ownership. Each parcel
is colored based on the number
of other properties the landowner
owns. The darker colors show that
32
LAND?
MADRAS REAL ESTATE
(SPECULATOR)
ENERGY MARKETING
MADRAS REAL ESTATE
(SPECULATOR)
PRIVATE OWNER
NORTHSIDE
REGENERATION LLC
(SPECULATOR)
MOST
NORTHSIDE
REGENERATION LLC
(SPECULATOR)
LEAST
the landownerowns several other
properties, where the lightest color
expresses an owner who possesses one
plot, perhaps their own house. This
spectrum varies throughout St. Louis
but there is a large concentration of
darker patches in the northeast portion
of the city. The properties with darker
colors could be a result of vacant lots
taken over by the LRA or speculators
buying property and time. These
occurrences correlate with the racially
black parts of St. Louis, suggesting
that there are fewer individual
homeowners in this area, or that
previous homeowners were no longer
able to pay for their homes and that
the properties were either abandoned
or bought. In contrast, the South
side most likely is filled with streets
of homes where the landowners live,
thus reinforcing St. Louis’ histories
of segregation over the last century.
#LANDUSE
LAND OWNERSHIP
IN WARD 3
EAST GRAND LLC
DOUGLAS ST
(SPECULATOR)
speculator and private owned neighborhod
industry and abandoned lots
PRIVATE OWNER
This map represents the average number of properties owned per parcel
rather than per individual lot.
SPECULATION IN WARD 3,
PRIVATE OWNER THE STORY OF NORTHSIDE
REGENERATION LLC
Paul McKee is a formidable property
developer and real estate speculator for
McEagle Properties. He’s a powerful
NORTHSIDE
REGENERATION LLC figure in the St. Louis community,
(SPECULATOR) on the board of BJC HealthCare, the
city’s largest employer, and a sponsor
to both political parties, whoever
speculator and private owned neighborhood
private homes and vacant lots will further his business agenda.
For the last decade McKee has been
buying properties in St. Louis’ north
side under the Northside Regeneration
LLC. He’s proposed the Northside
Regeneration project to redevelop the
neighborhoods to include commercial
centers, retail, office space, new homes,
and parks. As part of the project he
neighborhood of privately owned homes
Private
LRA
Speculator
Agency
entered a Redevelopment Agreement
with the city that allowed him to
receive tax incentives. After ten
years, the project has still not broken
ground. The land remains vacant,
with no promise of development.
Meanwhile, McKee has received over
$43 million in tax credits from the city.
McKee was continuing to covertly
buy up properties in the northern
neighborhoods in St. Louis. Despite
resident objections, he refuses to sell
the empty lots, even to legitimate
buyers. This past summer on June
12, the city nullified its agreement
with McKee and his ambitious yet
fictional redevelopment project. As of
that decision, Northside Regeneration
LLC owned 1,630 properties in
the city, second only to the LRA.
#LANDUSE
FALL 2018
A PRIVATE PERSON OWNS THE LAND?
Often homeowners care to keep their homes in good condition: mowing the lawn,
taking the trash out, keeping the front and back yards free of litter. Homeowner
wealth is tied to real estate. However, often in disinvested communities,
where speculators are buying up land, house values depreciate. Lack of home
maintenance might be the result of an owner who is no longer able to afford the
dues on a house, leading to deteriorated maintenance. Two houses might belong
to single owners but may appear drastically different. There are no generalized
characteristics of privately owned properties. Though much of Ward 3 succumbs
to vacant and abandoned land, there are still many privately owned homes.
A SPECULATOR OWNS THE LAND?
Real estate speculators buy dilapidated properties without intent to
rehabilitate, live, or rent out the buildings. The sole intention for the
buyers is to resell these properties for a profit. The purchased land remains
undeveloped and as it depreciates in value and it effects the value of
properties in the surrounding area. This makes it easier for the speculator
to buy the surrounding land around the original site. This cyclical process
allows the speculator to buy more land and ultimately sell all of it for a much
higher price to a developer or to the city. The northeast side of St. Louis has
been negatively impacted by the speculators over the past several years.
THE LRA OWNS THE LAND?
Land Reutilization Authority, owns over 12,000 parcels in St. Louis. The LRA
collects abandoned or vacant properties throughout the city by recieving titles for
all tax delinquent properties that are not sold at the sheriff’s safe. The St. Louis
Development Corporation (SLDC) maintains, markets, and sells the properties for
beneficial future developments. The department is dedicated to selling property
to individuals or entities who are willing to use the vacant land for projects that
stabilize the neighborhood or benefit the existing urban populations. The goal
is to return the land back to housing or industry that produces taxes for the
city. LRA land is often characterized by vacant lots, cleared of housing debris.
AN INDEPENDENT AGENCY OWNS THE LAND?
The St. Louis Housing Authority, an independent agency, is a local group
that seeks to build and maintain desirable affordable housing for residents
in St. Louis. These goals are achieved through leadership training, innovative
partnerships, progressive technology, and expansion of resources. The St.
Louis Housing Authority looks to improve quality of life for residents and
communities while also providing employment opportunities, education,
training, and professional services. Within the city, the authority owns 166
properties public housing properties that provide quality and safe rental
housing for low income families, elderly people, and people with disabilities.
COMMUNITY LAND TRUST, Prospective homeowners have the
AN OPPORTUNITY TO BUY opportunity to buy a home but enter a
Community Land Trusts (CLTs) renewable lease with the CLT to lease
are nonprofit, local organizations the property beneath the building.
that guarantee long term housing When a homeowner sells, they make
affordability. The trust, comprised money from the sale but a portion of it
of community members, acquires goes to the trust. This ensures that the
land through purchases or property remains affordable for future
donation. The trust maintains low to moderate income families.
ownership of the ground.
prospective buyers purchase the building
the CLT owns the land beneath
33
INSIDE THE 3RD WARD
SECRET OF THE STREET
many houses in the 3rd ward look the same but look closely and you’ll find subtle differences
Examaple 1: John Avenue
Example 2: Destrehan Street
Example 3: Penrose Street
34
FALL 2018
HOUSING PROTOTYPE
There are a variety of houses in the third ward- your house, your neighbor’s
house, your friend’s house, and others. They all look different from each other,
with unique shapes, windows, doors, and roofs. But on some streets in the
third ward, all the houses are variations of one prototype. One example of this
phenomena are the houses on John Avenue. By carefully looking at the houses on
John Avenue and ignoring the material differences, we found the foundational
prototype of the block (Fig.1). Every house on John Avenue is different from
each other while keeping some generic characteristics from the prototype.
Example 1 examines the differences between each house and the prototype, and
green drawings mark all the differences. Interestingly, the degree of difference
varies from house to house. For some houses, the only difference is the external
window shading, while some other houses have a different roof shape or location
and size of the window.
These houses are over 80 years old and it is difficult to find out why these
variations happen. One potential explanation for these variations is that new
owners renovated the houses when the ownership changed, assuming they
looked the same when they were built. Another possible explanation is that the
architectural design at that time is looser than today, so they were designed in
different styles. Whatever the reason is, have fun with the game below, go out to
the street and find more by yourself! Fig.1: Housing Prototype of John Avenue
Game Rules: Compete with your friends;
1. Grab a black ink pen and a colored pen. who found more differences?
CAN YOU SPOT 2. Trace the elements of the drawing that match with the
THE DIFFERENCE? pohoto Go out to the streets, find
3. Draw the different elements (window, door, etc) with your other streets and make your
colored pen, just like the examples on the left own documentation
Game 1: Kennerly Avenue Difficulty: Casual
Game 2: Harper Street Difficulty: Challenging
#INTERESTING #INTERESTING 35
INSIDE THE 3RD WARD
DISCOVER THE
inspiring mural projects in neighborhoods
Inspirational artists
Discover the murals in the neighborhood
St. Louis has inspirational murals
in different neighborhoods and on
designated art walls. Above is a
mural map of St. Louis where one can
discover these beautiful pieces of art.
Murals play a role as a valuable public
service: They invite and bring people
into vertical spaces. They create
inspiration and empathy by filling in
36
MURALS
William Burton, Jr.
is one of the most versatile visual artists
from St. Louis. Working in a variety of
mediums, he specializes in (but does
not limit himself to) murals, canvas
paintings, pyrography, illustrations,
and airbrushing. William’s talents
extend over wide range of artistic
expression.
1400 St. Louis Avenue
5415 Page Blvd
empty mundane walls of buildings.
They do not only entertain, but give
certain subtle messages as well as
initiate sensitive conversations. Also,
there are some annual mural events
you can visit in St. Louis:
The Mural Mile is a graffiti wall which
is located along the riverfront, on the
Mississippi River floodwall, south
#INTERESTING
What inspires you?
“I grew up in, live in, and work in
inner city communities that don’t
get celebrated much. When my
community is portrayed to those who
live outside of it, they generally see
negative images of poverty, crime,
and violence. These same negatives
messages are consumed by the people
1902 N. Union Blvd.
2703 N 14th St
2600 N 14th St N Florissant Ave & N Market St
of Gateway Arch. The annual event
started in 1997, is held every labor day
weekend.
Paint Louis was started with a small
group of local artists in 1995. In 2001,
because of the event’s success and
popularity, some graffiti artists who
were not given the space to paint
threatened to bomb the city, which
UNTAPPED POTENTIAL
how the 3rd ward could benefit from more historic districts
living in my community, although
Map of St. Louis Historic Districts
they know they have families,
friends, schools, churches, and other
institutions that bring them joy, serve
their needs, and give them a sense of
belonging. I create murals in these
spaces that my people, my neighbors,
and my family members inhabit.”
Courtesy of https://undergroundart.
weebly.com
https://undergroundart.weebly.com
0 1.5 3 mi
What does this mean for
the property owners and
neighbors?
Once a neighborhood has been
designated a historic district,
the community creates a set of
rehabilitation and design standards
that govern the historic district for it
to maintain a historic look and feel.
The standards are put into place in
the form of a city ordinance. When a
property owner decides to renovate
their building, they are eligible for
grants and tax credits to offset the
cost of their renovation, specifically
because their property falls within a
historic district. The renovation must
caused jeopardy of being shut down
be approved by the City of St. Louis
of the event. However, it started again
Cultural Resources Office to make
in 2013 with 300 artists and around
sure it follows the city ordinance that
1,000 attendees appreciating the art.
was put in place by the community to
maintain the historic look and feel of
Check out these events and more at:
that district. As a renter in a historic
https://www.stlpaintlouis.com/
district, one benefits from these
improvements as they help to keep
vacant homes from being demolished
and make the neighborhood safer.
FALL 2018
Discrepancy in Location housing: Many of the houses in North
St. Louis are the same age or older than
The City of St. Louis currently has the districts that have been preserved
17 historic districts that are eligible in South St. Louis. The fact that there
for government funds to repair and are fewer districts in North St. Louis
remodel the homes and businesses indicates that less funding is available
within the district. It is clear from to repair and restore the many vacant
the map of historic districts that the and abandoned properties in addition
majority of them are located in South to assisting with the repair of occupied
St. Louis. This discrepancy does not
homes.
match up with the age of St. Louis’
HOW TO APPLY FOR HISTORIC DESIGNATION:
STEP 1:
Commission an architectural or historic survey of the area being considered
Ward 3
for historic designation. This will later become evidence to help show why a
particular area deserves historic designation.
STEP 2:
Once a survey is completed and one of the following takes place (A) 10% of the
proposed district’s property owners, or (B) the Alderman of the ward, or (C)
the staff on the St. Louis Preservation Board agree(s) that the neighborhood
deserves recognition, a petition is filed and sent to the Preservation Board and
Board of Alderman of St. Louis.
STEP 3:
The Preservation Board and the Board of Alderman hold multiple public hearings
to discuss the proposal, and then they must vote to approve the petition for a
historic district.
Historic District
“THEY DON’T BUILD THEM LIKE THIS NO
Open Space MORE. THIS IS 3 LAYERS OF BRICK. THEY
Structure
Built before
1918
JUST DON’T BUILD THEM LIKE THIS AT
ALL.” - Eltoreon Hawkins, Author of the ‘Finest 15’
Types of Funding for Fixing
Up a Property Inside a
Historic Distric
Federal:
A tax credit is granted by the Internal
Revenue Service to property owners
for 20% of construction costs incurred
on the upkeep of a historic property
for 5 years from the start of occupancy.
For example, if one spent $10,000 per
year for 5 years to fix up a house one
was living in, that amounts to $2,000
back per year for those 5 years, or a
$10,000 tax credit in total.
State:
The Missouri Department of Economic
Development offers a 25% state home
rehabilitation credit to properties
located in a recognized historic
district. To qualify, the renovation plan
must be submitted to and approved by
the State Historic Preservation Office
(SHPO). Fortunately SHPO offers
addtional grants from their Historic
A house with a slate roof on Athlone Ave in the 21st Ward of North St. Louis, dating this home
Preservation Fund. For more info
visit: https://dnr.mo.gov/shpo to the early 1900’s.
#HOW TO 37
INSIDE THE 3RD WARD FALL 2018

TAKE ME TO THE RIVER

St. Louis and Mississippi River
St. Louis is a city of rivers. During
the 19th century, St. Louise was
developed as a major port on the
Mississippi River, and it was ranked
as the 4th-largest city in the United
physical, but mental, too. Now, the
river signifies what people are scared
of, a place to avoid. What makes up
this reluctance?

what makes you reluctant to get to the riverfront States. However, the distance to the
river has gotten farther since the
economic center of the city has moved
On this page, face the obstacles you
might see when you try to reach the
Mississippi River from the residential
to the west. This distance is not just area by solving the maze puzzle!

Lv.1 Lv.2 Lv.3 Lv.4

START POINT MISSISSIPPI

RIVER

Vacant lots Freeway Industrial site River

A housing unit is vacant if no one is
living in it. Units occupied entirely by
persons who stay for two months or
less and who have a more permanent
residence elsewhere are considered
to be temporarily occupied,
and are classified as “vacant.”
Interstate 70, an east-west highway,
runs roughly from the northwest
corner of the city to downtown St.
Louis. This highway connects the
North and the South, but at the same
time, disconnects the neighborhood
from the Mississippi River.
In the 19th Century, St. Louis
transitioned from a frontier
outpost and trading center to
an industrial powerhouse. That
legacy survives today in the form of
numerous factories, warehouses,
breweries and power plants that
punctuate the city’s landscape.
The Mississippi River is the chief
river of the second-largest drainage
system on the North American
continent. It flows generally south
for 2,320 miles to the Mississippi
River Delta in the Gulf of Mexico.

38 #HOWTO #HOWTO 39
INSIDE THE THIRD WARD FALL 2018

A GUIDEneighborhood
TO WARD 3 PARKS
PARK BREAK DOWN
ever wonder how many sports fields there are in ward 3?
how much space the do you think trees take up? P
lets find out.

facts and history 87 % lawn 1.5 % buildings

+ parking

6% water .02% playgrounds

did you know

1 Fairground Park has a
bear pit from the old
zoo? 3% sports fields 2% paths

WINDSOR did you know SPORTS FIELDS TAKE UP THIS MUCH SPACE TREE CANOPIES TAKE UP THIS MUCH SPACE
built 1947 Windsor Park used to
be quarry?
FAIRGROUND
built 1908

WARD 3 HYDE 495 TOTAL TREES

PARKS
14 tennis courts 12 baseball fields 5 basketball courts 3 football fields 1 soccer field 1 hockey rink
built 1854

1 FAIRGROUND PARK On opening day thirty black swimmers 2 CITYBEAUTIFUL attractions. He planted thousands of
trees, developed a drainage system,
RIOT lined up at the entrance with the ST. LOUIS AND 20TH designed views and open spaces.
did you know In 1913, Fairground Park was
regualrly attending white swimmers.
The greenery aimed to diminish
Plant4Peace planted home to the largest public pool
Throughout the day a large crowd of CENTURY PARKS the pains of an overcrowded city.
new trees in Yeatman white residents violently gathered The City Beautiful Movement sprung
in the American Midwest. At four up in the early twentieth century to Kessler followed up by designing
Park last fall at the gates of the pool. They held
hundred and forty feet long, the pool reform architecture and cities. City the Kingshighway Commission, a
baseball bats and clubs, shouting
could hold up to twelve thousand Beautiful emerged alongside city circular boulevard design which
hurtful slurs and profanities at the
swimmers... Twelve thousand white planning, both serving as methods connected several greenways to
black swimmers. As the crowds
swimmers. to alter the built environment the park. This plan provided green
expanded, the white police officers
aesthetically and to improve city space, street paving, riverfront
escorted the black swimmers out of
As St. Louis’ black population moved resident’s behaviors. The theory was design, planted trees, and building
the pool but made no attempts to
North, pressures increased to open that if the city was attractive, citizens monuments. The key remnants of this
subdue the belligerent masses. The
to the pool to all. John O’Toole, the would be encouraged to take better planning effort include the St Louis
riots became aggressive and physical.
city official in charge of parks and care of their neighborhoods, thus City Hall Building, the Civic Courts
This event must not be erased from
pools, stated that he “could see no avoiding undesirable activities like Building, and the Public Library.
YEATMAN basis for keeping negroes out of the
the collective memory of the city.
crime. The Kessler city plan also revealed
It represents a culmination of a long
built 1906 pools. They are citizens like everybody
history of forgotten racial divisions in St. Louis adopted the City Beautiful that the resident’s west of Grand
2 else and have every legal right to philosophy in 1902 by forming the Boulevard had one acre of park
the city. While the pool is no longer
enter any public facility.” Thus, the Civic Improvement League. With land per 96 people, but between
segregated, the effects of those policies
pool opened to all on the first day of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Grand, and the river, there was one
are still evident and embedded into
the summer season, June 21, 1949. approaching, the government decided acre for every 1,871 residents. This
the way the city operates today.
to invest in urban reform and local realization led St. Louis to establish
environmental improvements. a permanent City Plan Commission
WHAT ARE YOU Visitors would flock to St. Louis for in 1911 to focus on these disparities.
the exhibition and the fair became The development of the Commission
LOOKING FOR IN YOUR
did you know an excuse to revitalize the city. aided in the implementation of
LOCAL PARKS? STRODTMAN several playgrounds for neighborhood
Strodtman Park was St. Louis hired American Landscape
email upgraded with the help built 1924 Architect George Kessler to create children like Strodtman and
gsdinward3@gmail.com of Students 4 Change? the city’s first comprehensive plan Windsor Park. However, the city
with your ideas to connect the street grid with a had invested too much money on
series of green boulevards and the exhibition and did not have
parks. Kessler redesigned Forest enough left over to implement all
Park, today one of St Louis’ main of the planning recommendations.

40 #HOW TO #HOWTO 41
INSIDE THE THIRD WARD FALL 2018

GARDENS IN THE COMMUNITY

WHY COMMUNITY GARDEN?
A community garden can be seen as a collective space to which members of the
community can contribute socially, culturally, and environmentally. Successful
community gardens may have broad neighborhood benefits such as increased
nearby property values, increased community engagement and pride, and
levels of social capital, neighborhood engagement, and satisfaction. Interviews
with Latino community gardeners in New York suggest that gardens can host
social, educational, and cultural events, and in some cases, promote local
activism.

an overview of current attempts on community garden in St.Louis

improved safety. Community garden participation is associated with increased

HOSCO SHIFT GIBRON JONES

HOLISTIC ORGANIC SUSTAINABLE training and community development.
COOPERATIVES is a Sustainable Expect for 20 types of micro greens
that HOSCO is now specializing on, - Founder of “HOSCO SHIFT”
Food Cooperative Incubator for - Social Architect
Economic Development. they are planning to diverse our fresh
vegetable production with new and
Their strategy is to empower people advanced urban farming technology--
hydroponics & aeroponics system.
living at or below poverty levels by
training and providing skills needed to “ When I see children
work or run their own food business.
HOSCO shift the consumer based interested in growing
mindset towards a producer mindset “Well, you have to
to provide an opportunity to obtain
food, that gives me
trade skills that become life skills.
grow more growers.
They aim to empower other hope.”
individuals developing their own You have to teach
products in the St. Louis community.
They have grown operations to include
sustainable farming, food production,
other people to
food systems development, education,
become growers.”
SWEET POTATO PROJECT “I’m able to take SYLVESTER BROWN
The Sweet Potato Project is a program
offered through the North Area young people who - Founder of “Sweet Potato Project”
Community Development Corporation
(NACDC), a 501 organization. In the
summer of 2012, NACDC introduced
were raised in the - Writer
- Journalist
the Sweet Potato Project. Journalist
and community activist, Sylvester
same environment - Public Speak

Brown, Jr. was the visionary behind

the project, an initiative founded to I was raised in “ You are the young, urban
address two significant needs: young
men and women in North St. Louis who when I was a kid pioneers who will help revitalize
need an opportunity to earn money
and job training through dignified
work; and many neighborhoods
and say ‘you’ve our neighbourhoods and create
in North St. Louis want to become
safer, economically reliant, and self- got something jobs and opportunities for your
sustainable.
special, here is the siblings and peers.”
opportunity.”
SUNFLOWER+ PROJECT RICHARD REILLY
and two of winter wheat- with the
The Sunflower+Project: StL is goal of maximizing and measuring
remediating and making productive the efficacy of the remediation efforts.
vacant, previously developed urban - Founder of “ Sunflower+ Project: STL”
While the test is being performed the
lots through the cultivation and - Energy/Sustainability
project will serve as a neighborhood
planting of sunflowers and winter - Photography
beautification tool.
wheat. These hyper-accumulators - Art
have been shown to extract lead and
other contaminants contained in
“Our hope is that
previously developed urban soils.
The Sunflower+Project: StL looks to through this project “ We’ve made a vacant
demonstrate and study the viability,
affordability, practicality
potential for employing this strategy
and we really are lot that people thought
at the urban scale through the use of
a single urban lot. The team is using
building a dialogue was an eyesore into a
Lot 4 as a learning lab and test site for
the implementation of this strategy. to think differently head-turner.”
Over the course of two years we plan
to cultivate, plant, and harvest 4 crop about vacant land.”
rotations in total – two of sunflowers

42 #LANDUSE #LANDUSE 43
INSIDE THE THIRD WARD FALL 2018

MOW TO OWN
increase your property by mowing for 24 months!
An eligible
Mow to Own Plot
Must Be:
Less than 40 feet
wide Owned by the LRA
Not bordering
more than 3 LRA
properties

What is the LRA? 1. Assess

The Land Reutilization Authority (LRA) is a land bank and is part of the city
of St. Louis. If someone stops taking care of their property and stops paying
taxes on it for 5 years, the plot is seized and auctioned at the sheriff ’s
auction. If nobody buys the seized plot, it gets transfered
to the LRA. 25,000 of the 129,000 properties within
the city limits are vacant or abandoned, nearly half of
wich are owned by the LRA. Mow to own is one of
many programs trying to give the land back to the
people in order to reactivate communities and
help opportunities grow. Nobody is trying to
make money off you here. Rather, the Land
Reutilization Authority (LRA) is trying to
reduce their 60 million dollars a year in
maintenance expenses. So make sure
you are part of the mowment!
During this time you make sure that the
lot next to your house:
– Is owned by the LRA (check here:
tinyurl.com/lra-property)
– Doesn’t border with 3 or more LRA
properties
– Has a frontage of 40 feet or less
Also you should:
– Make sure hat you paid all the taxes on
your property and that you have all the
paperwork proving you are the owner of
it.
– Fill out the application-form (https://
tinyurl.com/mowtoown-application)
– Pay the 125$ Fee
This also applies to businesses!
When all of this is true, you can go to the
Land Reutilization Authority, hand in
the documents and pay the fee. The LRA
Council will decide over your case.

2. Mow
Once all the paperwork is set, get out
your gardening gear and, of course, your
mower! The Forestry Division is going
to come by every now and then to check
on your plot and make sure you keep up
your side of the bargain. As long as you are
mowing your plot, you are allowed to use
it immediately.
Buying a mower isn’t too expensive either.
Hand pushed lawn mowers start at $47.
You might want to consider investing into
a motorized one though. These start at
$85, but you should consider that the list
of best mowers at popularmechanics.com
which start at $280.
Mow to own is an opportunity that is
getting very popular. In 2017 alone, 74
parcels were claimed.

3. Own
After 24 months you get a deed in your
This map shows all the plots that were claimed name for the mowed plot, and then it’s
through the Mow to Own program inside the 3rd all yours! You can use it to build another
Ward. house, host parties, or just plant a chair and
enjoy a cold beverage on your property.
Given that this also applies to businesses,
you could add an outside terrace to your
restaurant! Or expand your kitchen!
Beware that you will have to pay property
taxes on your new lot. Given the size of the
average vaccant plot owned by the LRA,
this should total around $50 per year.

Land Reutilization Authority

(314) 657-3721
1520 Market St., Suite 2000
St. Louis, Mo 63103
8:30 A.M. - 4:30 P.M.

44 #HOWTO #HOWTO 45
INSIDE THE THIRD WARD
tuckpointing
cutting
grinding
WANT TO LEARN SOME REHAB SKILLS ?
DREAMBUILDERS FOR EQUITY
Dream Builders for Equity is an organization
working with young adults to assist them attaining
financial ownership in real estate through a process
of life- and job-skill courses. The aim is to strengthen
community-development in low income neighborhoods.
The program covers real estate management and investment,
construction experience, and builds awareness of assisting
underprivileged families. The young adults are required
to document their process in a book and reflect on their
experiences. The profits earned from the real estate and book
sales will be allocated to their future educational expenses.
What can I learn?
Drywalling, painting, plumbing, HVAC, electrical,
carpentry, journal writing, real estate trade
16-22 years
46 #HOWTO
HARAMBEE
Harambee provides job trainings for teens and works
on volunteer community service projects for low-income
homeowners. They specialize in tuckpointing, a valuable
technique to rehab old brick structures. This technique
is taught through both summer-programs and after-
school programs. Young adults who graduate from the
teen trainings can join the production crew to work on a
professional-level job. You get the opportunity to learn a
healthy work ethic, self-discipline, confidence, and team
dynamics, as well as profitable skills in the construction
trades.
What can I learn?
Tuckpointing,
brick repair on exteriors and basement stone foundations
Age: 12-18 years
JOIN THESE YOUTH PROGRAMS BELOW !
BUILDING FUTURES
Building Futures is a program run by group of design
professionals to inspire the youth through hands-on design-
build workshops. They provide a variety of workshops
for teens from 4th to 12th grade. They conduct in-school
programs, after-school programs, summer camps and free
workshops every Saturday throughout the entire year.
Workshops are run in a 5000 square feet environment
in the 3rd ward with classrooms and two separated work
areas. In the process students are challenged to discover
practical applications in their everyday life and realize
their own designs.
What can I learn?
Workshop experience, working with power tools,
computers, drawings, model-building and problem solving
Age: 10-18 years
#HOWTO
FALL 2018
drywalling
plastering
painting
YOUTH BUILD
St. Louis Youth Build is an alternative school/pre-
apprenticeship program, offering a supportive learning
environment for high school drop outs. They support
young adults to earn a high school equivalency certificate
and acquire job skills in the construction field. The program
includes leadership development training, computer skills
instruction, occupational training and special opportunities
to earn nationally recognized construction certifications. For
instance, you can get certified in carpentry, green building,
weatherization, and OSHA-10. Furthermore, they prepare
you for your future career with a soft skills education.
What can I learn?
A variety of skills in the construction field (earning
differnt certifications), gardening, landscaping
Age: 16-24 years
47
INSIDE THE 3RD WARD FALL 2018

WANT TO BUY A VACANT LOT?

The city of St. Louis has more than 1,900 vacant lot and abandoned properties. and the procedures are too complicated. However, with the help of the LRA,
A vacant lot is a neglected parcel of property that has no buildings on it. In purchasing a lot is cheap and easy. You will not need to figure out who owns the
many cases, houses were on these lots, but as they fell into disrepair, they land, and you will be able to purchase a lot for around one thousand dollars. If
were burned or demolished. Vacant lots are an issue of concern because they the lot is for residential use, the price will be even lower! And if you intend to buy

IT’S POSSIBLE!
disrupt a neighborhood’s sense of community and lower property values. In a side lot with your lot, you only need to pay about 30% of the side lot’s original
theThird ward, the biggest problem is the number of vacant lots and the lack price. We calculated the price/sqft of the lots for residential use with the side
of community involvement. The best way to help reduce these problems is to lots, and surprisingly some lots only cost $0.15/sqft. We created this map and

purchasing a vacant lot in the 3rd ward can be easy and cheap
own a vacant lot by yourself and build a nice property on it to build up the the instructions to help you explore the possibilities of purchasing a lot. Feel free
community. You might think that is not possible since the price is too high to take a look at the map and maybe consider buying one.

VANCANT LOT PRICE MAP (RESIDENTIAL USE)

“OWNING A VANCANT
LOCATE A VACANT LOT
LOT IS GREAT, BUT IT STEP 01 - Locate it on the Map on the next page or LRA website

ALSO MEANS RISK AND L O C AT E A

VANCANT
- Search “LRA-Owned Property Search” on Google and click the first
result AMAZING
LOW
- Search by neighbood, ward, zip code or street and select Vacant Lot
RESIBONSIBILITIES.” LOT under Usage for detailed information PRICE!
$1075

COLLEGE HILL

Price: $0.14/sqft, Area: 7250sqft

Check List INSPECT THE LOT
When you find a vacant lot you like, thoroughly STEP 02
Identify the boundaries. FAIR GROUNDS
inspect it in person by getting detailed
information of the land from LRA and walking
INSEPECT
Soil and underground condition.
the entire property. Use this general checklist THE LOT
Access to utilities and road. when eval- TWO
uating a piece of land.
Land clearing and leveling issues. PARKS
Neighborhoods and their lifestyle. LRA Property Search Page NEARBY!
$1720
Distance to work, shopping, restaurant and school.
STEP 03 PREPARE THE DOCUMENT
Any noises, smells or hazards nearby?

Previous uses of the land.

PREPARE 1. Complete the Offer to Purchase Form
- Download from the QR code below
THE Price: $0.15/sqft, Area: 8034sqft
DOCUMENT HYDE PARK

Offer to Small Project Credit Informations

Purchase Form Planning Sheet for Individuals
STEP
2. Complete Credit Information for Individuals and Small

DID YOU KNOW?

04
JEFF-VANDER-LOU
Project Planning Sheet
- Download from the QR code above
- Or go to LRA office at 1520 Market St., Suite 2000, St. Louis, Mo
- Property Owner: Own a side lot for free 63103, complete with the help of LRA staff
The ‘Mow to Own’ Program enables residents to own a 3. Valid Identification
vacant lot that is located next to an occupied residential - Drivers License or State ID or Military ID
or commercial property that they own, for a nominal fee. 4. Most recent checking and/or saving account statement OLD NORTH
ST. LOUIS
YOUR HOUSE - Contact your customer service representative of your bank
OWN IT FOR FREE 5. Most recent tax return and W-2 Form NEAR
- Download from the QR code below COMERCIAL
STREET!
$1720

- Residents: Own a lot for garden for $1.00 a year Tax Return Example of
The “Garden Lease” Program encourages the creation & W-2 Form Pay Stub Price: $0.15/sqft, Area: 7120sqft
of vegetable and flower gardens, which allows residents 6. Two most recent pay stubs, or proof of income LOW
to lease LRA lots for a five year period for $1.00 a year - Other proof of income: Letter from Employer, Profit and Loss VACANCY
($5.00 total). Statement, Social Security Benefits Statement
AREA!
$1.00/year
$1094 NEAR
ELMENTARY
STEP 04 1. Make an appointment through (314) 657-3721 SCHOOL !
SUBMIT 2. Pay the fee through check to St Louis Development Corporation Price: $0.36/sqft, Area: 3006sqft $1445
[SLDC].
THE
3. Go to LRA office at 1520 Market St., Suite 2000, St. Louis, Mo 63103 LEGEND ($/SQFT)
A P P L I C AT I O N 4. Apply before 12 noon Oct.10 for the Oct.31 meeting and 12 noon Under $0.20
Nov.13 for the Dec.5 meeting for consideration Price: $0.20/sqft, Area: 7130sqft $0. 20 -$0.40
Discover more at the LRA website $0.40 - $0.60
through this QR code > $0.60

48 #HOW TO #HOW TO 49
INSIDE THE THIRD WARD
how you can buy your own neighborhood back !
Angela Drake and Eltoreon Hawkins in front
of a Finest 15 house.
What is the Finest 15 ?
The Finest 15 is a workshop that
provides information on how to
purchase LRA properties and offers
resources to help renovate those
properties.
How did the Finest 15 idea
emerge?
Three years ago, the St. Louis
Association of Community
Organizations (SLACO) started a
initiative to tackle vacancy. Each
member chose a committee to
participate on and four of us choose
to serve on the LRA Committee.
When we started meeting, we talked
about our goals. We decided our goals
would be to educate people on how
to purchase an LRA property and get
resources to fix up that property. So
we started having workshops called
the Finest 15 and we advertised the
best 15 properties in the neighborhood
that were for sale by the LRA.
What is its relationship to the
LRA?
When we started our committee we
asked the Director of the LRA, Laura
Costello, if we could meet to discuss
with her what our objective and
goals were. From there we created a
relationship with her office that has
been really supportive.
How do you try to achieve your
goals and what strategies and
processes are involved?
We try to achieve our goals by having
different resources at the workshop
speak in-person to give the audience
information that will assist them with
making this purchase. I [Angela] do
a presentation that teaches who, what,
where, when & why. Those are all
things that should be thought about
when someone wants to purchase one
of these properties.
50
THE FINEST 15
Who is part of the Finest 15 team.
What are your responsibilities
and how do you split up your
work?
There are currently four of us:
Myself (Angela Drake), Eltoreon
Hawkins, Lillie Clay and Alvin Willis.
I am Co-Chair of Finest 15 and thus
responsible for public relations.
Eltoreon, as Co-Chair coordinates
different operations, and manages
social media, including the Facebook
videos. He also conducts property
tours for perspective buyers and gives
presentations at the workshops on
steps to renovate your home. Lillie
Clay gets in contact with people to
attend and speak at workshop. Alvin
Willis as our LRA committee support,
works with the LRA to pick homes for
the list, taking photos, and advertising
at the workshops.
How do you evaluate and
rank the vacant houses. What
knowledge is needed? Do you get
help from external resources?
The committee looks at the
neighborhood we plan to advertize
and checks the inventory of what is
available. Alvin and I go out to preview
homes and then we talk about their
condition. This helps us determine
which homes we are choosing as a
committee.
Eltoreon Hawkins on a house tour in the 3rd
ward.
What are the most important
things folks need to take care of
buying a Finest 15 house?
(1) We always encourage people after
they purchase this home to purchase
insurance to protect their investment.
(2) Map out a plan of what you are
doing so that you don’t become
overwhelmed.
(3) See if you are able to utilize some
of the resources we shared at the
workshop and start on their project
soon as possible to not let the home sit
vacant.
(4) Make sure you have secured the
building to best of your ability to
protect your investment.
#HOWTO
What is the most common
problem these houses have?
No plumbing and possible leaking
from old gutters.
What are the estimated costs to
rehab a Finest 15 house?
We cannot estimate an exact cost. It
always depends on what the buyer is
trying to do. Prices can be pretty low
for basic upgrades or become extreme
with a major renovation.
You conduct workshops on the
current list of Finest 15 houses.
What is the history of these
workshops and how successful
are they?
When we started in May of 2017 we had
seven people at our first workshop. At
our 4th workshop in February 2018 we
had 165 people and it was a standing-
room only.
How do you communicate the
events and how can people
follow your updates?
We communicate our events by posting
on Facebook. SLACO shares with all
of their neighborhood members who
share with others by word of mouth or
Facebook.
“We always tell people
to send us an email if
they are interested in
a workshop for their
neighborhood and we can
put them on our 2019
schedule! “
Selection of Finest 15 houses at a workshop.
FALL 2018
Just follow these 5 steps:
#1
Follow the Finest 15 on Facebook to
keep track of upcoming events and
Do you collaborate with
builders to help people conduct new updates !
a renovation?
We don’t collaborate with builders.
We understand that these homes are
#2
not in their price range to make any
money from that buyer and a lot of Join a workshop to be introduced
times these are people who don’t have to the Finest 15 houses in your
a very large budget. We are looking to
neighborhood.
create a contractors/handymans list.
We will be speaking with Habitat for
Humanity on getting some contractors
that we can add to our list. #3
Schedule a house tour with me or the
Do you offer inspections or
certificates on the houses, city to see the property.
for instance lead, asbestos,
mould or contamination, for
perspective buyers?
No, those are things the buyer needs
#4
to speak with a inspector about.
Finally, get your papers ready,
including LRA application form,
project plan and credit statement.
Discussion at a finest15 workshop.
Have there been major changes
in the behavior of buyers
towards vacant houses?
I would say yes there are always
changes in behavior when someone
is excited about something they can
purchase and excited about making a
difference in a neighborhood.
How many houses did you sell
in the last months?
We currently don’t have total numbers
for the previous month. Recently, we
advertised 20 homes in the Walnut
Park Neighborhood and helped to sell
27! So that is seven homes that weren’t
even advertised. I did share these
properties with people that called
me personally and were interested.
Also from our workshop at the Hyde
Park Neighborhood Association there
are now at least four homes under
contract and possibly ready to close.
Do you have experience working
in the 3rd ward?
No we never did a workshop in the
Third Ward.
The questions and answers
provided here are based on a e-mail
correspondence with Angela Drake,
Co-Chair of the Finest 15.
#HOWTO 51
INSIDE THE THIRD WARD FALL 2018

A GUIDE FOR THE YOUNG PEOPLE

OF THE 3RD WARD
A lot of useful and free resources are
availabe for the young people of Ward
ST.LOUIS ARC: Employment and
3, including off-campus activities, Training
a skillset building workshop and https://www.slarc.org/programs/adulthood/em-
job seeking assistance. To build an ployment-training/
effective and healthy self-development
framework for the youth of the Third St. Louis Arc provides work readiness training, job
Ward, this guide invites community placement and career coaching for 18-25 year-olds.
members to learn more about these
tools and explore new opportunities.
If you like what you see, scan the Youth Development Grant
QR code with your phone for more https://urbanawarenessusa.org/youth-grant/
information!
LEARN A SKILL? If you are already involved with a youth
development non-profit such as the Link STL
(18-25) Youth Council, did you know that Kars4Kids
is accepting grant applications for initiatives
that support you? Grants range from $500 to
$2000.
Help for Jobseekers
https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/depart-
ments/slate/slate-mo-career-center/

Training & Apprenticeships/ Employment Assis-

tance/Programs & Initiatives

(20-25)
STL YOUTH JOBS
http://stlyouthjobs.org/

Provides job training through the

STL Youth Jobs summer program
and the STL Youth Jobs: North
County

WHAT’S NEXT?
If you want to see even more
Free Summer Camps opportunities for youth in the
https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/depaments/
parks/news/free-kids-summer-camps.cfm
FIND A JOB? Third Ward, be sure to reach out
(20-25) the Link STL Youth Council. They
are ready and willing to listen to
The City of St. Louis and Playtime Recreation announce open your needs and concerns.
registration for free summer camps for City youth ages 5-17. Your voice DOES matter, and with
a little help, we can create a positive
Art/Basketball/Cheerleading/Cooking/Fishing/Football/Robotics... change in the neighborhood. You
are not alone. Together we can
achieve success!

LinkSTL Youth Council

http://www.linkstl.org/youth-council/

Youth Council works to empower the youth

of the community so they know they have a
voice that can be heard and can create a
positive change in the neighborhood.

-Join us to help clean up our park.

OFF-CAMPUS ACTIVITIES? -Come to our monthly meetings and make
your voice be heard.
(For those 6-18) -Become a mentor to our younger neigh-
bors

Blueprint4Summer
https://blueprint4summer.com/

A web app providing easy mobile

access to summer camps and events
START HERE! in the local area so you can plan
your summer around fun activities.

52 #INTERESTING 53
INSIDE THE THIRD WARD

IN NEED OF HOME REPAIRS?

minor and major home repairs funded by government
NEIGHBORHOOD REPAIR PROGRAMS
With the incoming NGA development
looming in North St. Louis, many
community members are worried
about gentrification and losing
their properties to eminent domain.
The new development will employ
Interested homeowners can apply
through the North Newstead
Association website. If selected, the
homeowner will identify their home’s
exterior and interior problems. From
there an inspector will assess the
St. Louis Place
Old North St. Louis
house and define a scope of work. Jeff Vanderlou
North Newstead will work with the
Near North Riverfront

hundreds of people from outside the
neighborhood who might search for
housing close to work, and justifying
existing residents’ fears. Luckily the
St. Louis Community Development
Administration with HUD funding
is providing money to residents in
some of the neighborhoods in North
St. Louis for repairs. Fixing existing
problems with a house will increase
city and constructors to bid the work
out to find a fair deal. If the repairs
cost between $1-$10,000, the cost will
be in the form of a forgivable loan. For Carr Square
the first 5 years after the project, 20%
of the principal, interest free loan, will Columbus Square
be forgiven. After 5 years of paying
80% of the loan, if the homeowner is
still living in the home, the entire sum
will be forgiven, and the homeowner Midtown

property values and decrease the will have no further obligation. If your Downtown West

likelihood of the government taking
away your home through eminent
domain.
The Community Development
Administration has allocated funds to
the North Newstead Association. The
funds are distributed to two major
programs. The first is the Choice
Neighborhood Home Repair program.
This program funds serious home
repair for projects up to $30,000, such
as roof replacement, tuckpointing,
replacing HVAC systems, etc.
CHOICE NEIGHBHORHOOD HOME
REPAIR PROGRAM
roof replacement
repairs cost more than $10,000, the
first $10,000 will be in the form of
a forgivable loan and the rest will be
considered an interest free deferred
payment loan. This will need to
be paid back by the time the deed
changes names, or the house is sold,
and the remainder of the payment will
be transferred back to the home repair
program.
This program is in effect for residents
living in the eastern tip of Jeff-Vander-
Lou, the bottom half of St. Louis Place,
the bottom half of Old North St. Louis,
Residents within these boundaries can use repair programs.
Columbus Square, Carr Square, the
northern third of Downtown West, the
northern third of Downtown, and the
bottom of Near North Riverfront (see
the map above). In order to qualify
for the program you must meet or fall
below the minimum required income,
own and live in your house for the
last two years, have a clear title to
the property, have insurance for your
FREE MINOR
HOME REPAIR
do you need help with...
Downtown
home, have paid your real estate taxes,
and be up to date on your mortgage
loan payments.
The second program, the Minor
Home Repair program is to aid home-
ownership seniors, 62 years or older
with small repairs. This includes leaky
faucets, needing grab bars installed,
replacing small sections of pipes, air
conditioners inspected or cleaned,
installing ceiling fans etc. Residents
are eligible if they meet the age
requirement, are homeowners paying
property taxes and insurance and are
residents of Mark Twain/I-70, Wells-
Goodfellow, Greater Ville, Ville, Carr
Square, St. Louis Place, Jeff-Vander-
Lou, Old North St. Louis, Penrose,
O’Fallon, Fairground, or Gate District.

See NorthNewstead contact

information below.

installing grab bars

If you are interested in the

Minor Home Repair or
Choice Neighhorhood Repair
Program
fixing a leaky faucet please contact:

NORTH NEWSTEAD ASSOCIATION

4601 Pope Ave., St. Louis, MO 63115
Office: (314) 385-4343
https://northnewstead.org
email: northnewsteadassociationstl@gmail.com
replacing a broken pipe

tuckpointing

BEFORE AFTER inspecting and clearning your air

conditioner

54 #HOWTO 55
INSIDE THE THIRD WARD
Chop Suey!
chop suey comes in many shapes and sizes in the ward
DID YOU KNOW?
The aim of Chop Suey was to integrate
Chinese Immigrants into American
society. Like many others they were seen as
inferior by the American population. The
first Chinese men arrived during the Gold
Rush in California, to work in the mines
and then went on to build the railroads,
to then slowly spread towards the East.
Discrimination led them to open their own
businesses: laundries, grocery shops and
restaurants, resulting in “Chinatowns”. In
many cities these were the only restaurants
that served African-Americans during the
period of segregation.
Today, the U.S. counts more than 40,000
Chinese restaurants: that’s more than
every McDonalds, Burger King and KFC
restaurant combined! This proves that
Chinese cuisine is in high demand in this
The Stand-Alone The Add-On
Chop Suey Recipe for 6 from epicurious.com
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 pound pork tenderloin, cut crosswise
into 1/8-inch-thick strips
- 2 celery ribs diagonally cut into 1/4-inch-
thick slices
- 6 oz snow peas diagonally cut into
1/4-inch-thick slices
- 1/2 lb bok choy, cut into 1/4-inch-thick
slices (leaves and ribs separately)
- 1/4 lb mushrooms cut into 1/4-inch-
thick slices
- 1 onion, halved lengthwise and into
1/4-inch-thick strips
- 1 green bell pepper cut into 1/4-inch-
thick strips, then halved crosswise
- 1/4 lb mung bean sprouts, rinsed and
drained
- 1 (5-oz) can sliced water chestnuts
- 1 (5-oz) can sliced bamboo shoots
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- Vegetable oil
- Water
- Salt and pepper to taste
56
FALL 2018
The Add-On The Stand-Alone The Stand-Alone
country. While it is very diverse today, Its hard to drive by this place and pass it when you’re hungry – Jarvis Henrys is the best. – Lady Best St. Pauls EVEERRRR!!! – Stuffy
most of the Chinese cuisine in America
was Cantonese until the 1970’s, until
people from other parts of China started
moving to the U.S..
These drawings classify Chop Suey
restaurants in St. Louis into three different
building typologies: The stand-alone, the
add-on and the inside job.
The stand-alone caters to the idea of the
cowboy. With great self eastem it defeats
all the troubles of the Wild Wild West by
itself. The Add-on would love to have the
bravery of the stand-alone and is nearly
there, but sill holds on to another building,
clinging to it for security. The inside job is
stealthy. Hiding inside the envelope of a
greater block, it is often found on bigger,
busier streets, blending in.
Bing Lau Chop Suey – 3101 N Grand Blvd Wing Hing Chop Suey – 3900 Natural Bridge Ave Newstead Chop Suey Cat Fish – 3812 Newstead Ave
The Inside Job The Stand-Alone The Stand-Alone
Only place me and the hubby go for Chinese food.– Whitney This place is small but mighty. – Anthony They The Best This is the only one I go to – Maxie
The Inside Job
Stir together garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon
oyster sauce, soy sauce, salt, and 1/2
teaspoon cornstarch in a bowl. Stir in pork
and marinate 15 minutes.
Keep cut vegetables separate. Heat a
wok over high heat until a bead of water
dropped onto cooking surface evaporates
immediately. Drizzle 1 teaspoon vegetable
oil around side of wok, then stir-fry celery, Canton House Chop Suey – 4100 N Grand Blvd Delmar Chop Suey – 3336 Delmar Blvd Florissant Chop Suey – 3721 W Florissant Ave
seasoning with salt, until crisp-tender,
about 2 minutes. Transfer celery to a The Inside Job The Stand-Alone The Stand-Alone
large bowl. Reheat wok and stir-fry each Soo good – Nicki Yoooo I love Harold’s! One of the best in the Metro! – Stephanie Great food,fast service – RaZoole
remaining vegetable separately in same
manner (but allow only 1 minute for bean
sprouts), adding 1 teaspoon oil to wok
before each batch and seasoning with salt.
When stir-frying bok choy, begin with ribs,
then add leaves and 1 tablespoon water
after 1 minute. Transfer each vegetable as
cooked to bowl with celery.
Stir together chicken broth, 1 teaspoon
oyster sauce, and 1 teaspoon cornstarch.
Reheat wok over high heat until a bead
of water evaporates immediately. Drizzle
1 tablespoon vegetable oil around side of
wok, then stir-fry pork until just cooked
through, about 2 minutes.
Return all vegetables to wok and toss. Make
a well in center, then stir broth mixture
and add to well. Bring sauce to a boil,
undisturbed, then stir to combine with
pork and vegetables. Serve immediately,
with cooked rice. New Light Chop Suey – 4004 W Florissant Ave Harold’s Chop Suey – 1122 Union Blvd Union Chop Suey – 2846 Union Blvd
#INTERESTING #INTERESTING 57
PAGE #
INSIDE THE THIRD WARD
Coding for Kids
how coding kids can change the third ward
Brandon Bosley is the Alderman of
the 3rd Ward, Inside the Third Ward
asked him about his plans for the
future generation of constituents.
Why do you think that kids
should learn to code?
Every generation throughout
history, has had the skills
necessary to be able to survive
and create work for themselves
and to be able to help create the
world around them. They had
particular skills that needed
to be learned. 100 years ago
people weren’t learning how to
code. There were only few that
were working on systems like
that. People were learning skills
of their time, they were learning
how to build, how to weld, things
that are needed and necessary
now but we have come to a
technological age. Everything
that we do involves computers,
involves the use of coding. What
we used to do manually, we
do now in collaboration with
machines and computers, these
“I want to have an entire
generation of young
people who can create
their own future”
systems are manipulated with
code.
A lot of children today don’t have
physical books in some schools,
they actually have iPads. I would
not want that age to come and
the children that live right now
to only know how to use an iPad,
they need to know how to create
an iPad, they need to know
how to take the pieces apart,
to know what the motherboard
is for, to be able to create the
inside and the outside of it.
The Kids need to know what Is
happening behind the scenes,
inside the computers. We have
to give them the opportunity
to understand the factors that
shape the world around them,
allowing them to get outside the
world they live in.
It is important because in 15-
20 years from now, this hyper-
technological world will be a
reality for them. We have to
teach them the very basics of
58
Brandon Bosley is the Alderman of Ward 3
what will be necessary so they
know in which direction to go
in. And they will need basic
programming to be able to
understand the world around
them.
Is there also an immediate
time factor for this idea?
A lot of kids don’t have anything
to do after leaving school and
they don’t have parents that are
really active in their lives. Giving
them a space where they can
grow and learn how to use your
time wisely is crucial. We have a
lot of kids in the ward that live
in households that try to make
ends meet every month. The
kids have to take care of their
little brothers, they have to take
care of what they eat, figure out
how to keep the lights on. These
kids have a lot of creativity.
They can make 100 dollars
stretch to seem like 1,000
dollars. This creativity just needs
the right toolset to achieve great
things.
Did you know?
It is estimated that by
2020 1 million tech jobs in
America will be unfilled
We have to breed that kind of
behavior, by creating a haven
#INTERVIEW
for that to grow. I think coding
is everything because it doesn’t
take money, it doesn’t take a
whole lot to be able figure out
how to build a program you just
have to invest the time in order
to figure it out and get it done.
The very basics of building is
having tools. And coding is the
most important tool in the world
that they are going to live in.
If I were a 10-year-old kid
in the 3rd Ward how would I
learn to code?
Coding is a language and
children respond to games. It
would be easy to teach children
“I would just rather
have a place where kids
grow up to build their
environment rather
than just be part of it”
how to code with something
that is already familiar. I would
start with basic coding with
Java Script and C Sharp. There
are other coding languages out
there that they need to learn,
but learning just those few and
being creative is something that
will bring them very far.
With Java Script they can create
an amazing game, they can take
it with them on their phones,
show it to their friends, share it
FALL 2018
with other people. And, that’s a
realistic thing that you can learn
how to do in 50 weeks. So it
takes you under a year to learn
how to create something that
will last. People can take it home
and say that this kid from the
Third Ward made an amazing
game. When they are sitting
at home, they will be playing
games on their phones that they
created themselves, thinking
how they can improve it, how to
make it better. Instead of the kid
asking for a ready-made game
or toy for Christmas, the kid will
be asking for a computer. They
will ask for a 3D-Printer to print
their own toys because they
will understand that, together
with the knowledge of how to
use it, they will have access to
an unlimited number of toys
that they can design and print
themselves.
The goal would be to create
small project and utilize code
to make them a physical, real
object, a real material thing they
can be proud of and enhance and
work on. It all starts with getting
them involved with something
on a more basic level, so they
can start creating something
every month with code, doing
something physical and being
proud of it. On top of that, this
knowledge is not bound to the
physical location, one can go to
a friend’s house and do the same
thing there. This knowledge isn’t
bound to any infrastructure.
It’s time that we start taking
advantage of these incredible
resources around coding.
Scratch
The MITs Media Lab created this
coding language. Aimed at teaching
coding to children, it is built up in a
library of visual blocks, which can be
combinde into games. A first desktop
version of the language has been
published in 2003. Today, it has over
32 million registered users.
scratch.mit.edu
59
INSIDE THE 3RD WARD FALL 2018
During our trip to the 3rd ward from to inprove the living condition of the race,but from various races and they are and what they do. We also

ORGANIZATIONS WE MET
September 23 to September 28,
we’ve met varies intereting people
and have had so many meaningful
conversations. These meetings
showed us how energetic this ward
is and how talented people here are.
we met many organizations who can support and help the local community during the trip There are people who are trying to
provide job opportunities and income
neighborhood, building affordable
housings for low income people,
advising gorvernment to promote
equity-driven policy making and
providing educational programs
for teenagers. It is also very excited
to see that people who are making
tremendous efforts to eliminate
neighborhood, even cities that are
far from the 3rd ward and St. Louis.
However, during our trip, we found
that most of the residents in the 3rd
ward still don’t know that there are so
many people and organizations who
are trying and are able to help them.
We made this map with a description
provided the contact information of
the founders or main members of
each organization. We encourage you
to contact these organizations if you
found that they can provide something
you need or you are interested in the
things they are doing.

for other residents, organizing events racism are not only from a single of these organizations about who

THE NORTH CAMPUS FINEST 15

NORTH NEWSTEAD ASSOCIATION NORTH SIDE COMMUNITY HOUSING LINK STL

North Campus is a community centered Finest 15 is a non-profit organization lead

around education. They provide free after-
school tutoring, mentoring, meals, and
transportation services. They also rehab and
transform vacant buildings on campus into
safe places for kids to learn. They are going
to open their new pizza shop, Sanctuary Pizza
soon.
Contact Information:
Antonio French
Founder, The North Campus
antonio@thenorthcampus.org
by Eltoreon Hawkins. He is dedicated to
The North Newstead Association is encouraging home ownership among those
North Side Community Housing is a non- LinkSTL is a place-based community
a Community Based Development living on the North side of St. Louis by
profit, community development corporation. organization focused on linking people to
Organization. Its mission is to bring selecting the ‘Finest 15’ homes available
Its mission is to provide high quality housing opportunities. It serves as a community center
community partners together to promote for purchase from the Land Reutilization
that is affordable to low- and moderate-income for gatherings and as a resource for finding job
economic well-being in the local area by Authority (LRA). Eltoreon is always willing
area residents and to create opportunities for and education opportunities. Through one-on-
providing affordable housing and family to help people better understand the legal
them to improve their lives and revitalize the one interviews, it can connect local residents
support services to low and moderate-income process to purchase a home from the LRA.
community. Their new project near Lincoln directly with local resource providers including
residents. Contact Information:
Ave is under construction and will be finished food, healthcare, education, and jobs.
Eltoreon Hawkins
soon. Contact Information:
Contact Information: Founder, Finest 15
Contact Information: Timetria Murphy- Watson
Sal Martinez eltoreonhawkins@yahoo.com
Michael Burns Director, LinkStL
Executive Director, North Newstead
President, Northside Community Housing tmurphywatson@gracehillsettlement.org
Association
michael@nchistl.org
smartinez@sfm-stl.com

NORTH CITY FOOD HUB SEWCIAL IMPACT

“FORWARD THROUGH FERGUSON” SWEET POTATO PROJECT Hyde Park Neighborhood Association ANTI-RACISM COLLABORATIVE

Forward through Ferguson is a group that
emerged in the after-math of the death
of Michael Brown. After coming up with
recommendations to remedy community-
police relations in Ferguson, MO and the
surrounding areas, they now strive to continue
this work with St. Louis institutions. By
providing information, trainings, and policy
recommendations their goal is to ultimately
embed racial equity into all aspects of society.
Contact Information:
David Dwight
Executive Director, Forward Through
Ferguson david@forwardthroughferguson.
org
The vision of the North City Food Hub Sewcial Impact Project is a social enterprise
(NCFH) is to make a local food system working with ten young people, ages 12-20
in North St. Louis a reality. The NCFH to reflect on their current experiences from
has a shared use kitchen and functions as around the city, imagine radical alternatives,
an incubator for entrepreneurs in urban and produce quilts depicting scenes from
agriculture.​They provide culinary arts the world they have imagined. They recently
training with the goal of connecting people to held an event with local youth to sew protest
employment opportunities. They also assist banners.
Sweet Potato Project is a program that The Hyde Park Neighborhood Association Anti-Racism Collaborative’s purpose is to
local food producers by providing a space for Contact Information:
seeks to empower low-income youth and was formed to connect neighbors – both provide education and awareness to persons
them to process and sell their products, which Umeme Houston
adults through land-ownership and urban renters and homeowners. They work to who feel compelled to act on issues related to
increases the availability of healthy food on CCP Lead, Sewcial Impact
agriculture. The project was designed to promote and foster community activities racial inequality. They are primarily a group
the North Side of St. Louis. umemejay@gmail.com
promote urban farming, basic business skills, and civic engagement while improving the of white anti-racist activists who, through
Contact Information:
healthy behaviors, and healthy choices. It quality of life for those living, working, or extensive self-reflection and thoughtful
Dr. Mildred Mattfeldt-Beman
provides a 10-week summer program for attending institutions within the Hyde Park community organizing, further an anti-racist
Project Coordinator, North City Food Hub
students through which they can earn an neighborhood. agenda in the St. Louis area.
alayna.ncfhstl@gmail.com
income while they learn. Contact Information: Contact Information:
Contact Information: Michelle Dufe James Meinert
Sylvester Brown South Hyde Park Developments Anti-Racism Collaborative
Program Director, Sweet Potato Project mduffe@ndconsulting.com ?? CONTACT INFO
sylvesterbj@gmail.com

60 61
#INTERESTING #INTERESTING
 FALL 2018

WHO WE ARE

Aleiya Evison Hannah Lyons-Galante Melissa Green Jakob Junghanss

Louisville, Colorado Cambridge, MA New York City, NY Basel, Europe
my feature my features my features my features
“LIGHTNING THE WAY” “WHAT’S WITH ALL THE RAIN GARDENS” “A GUIDE TO WARD 3 PARKS” “THE JOURNEY OF A ST.LOUIS BRICK”
“THE TWO TOWERS OF THE THIRD WARD” “WHO OWNS THE LAND” “WANT TO LEARN SOME REHAB SKILLS?”
“A PARK AND ITS VISION FOR PEACE”
“UNTAPPED POTENTIAL” “IN NEED OF HOME REPAIRS” “THE FINEST 15”

I am in my first year of the Master’s

I am a Master of Landscape I am in my third year in the GSD I am an Architecture student from
in Design Studies Program, with a
Architecture student. I am interested Harvard of Landscape Architecture. Switzerland, studying on exchange at
concentration in Art, Design, and the
in Ecology, Habitat Conservation and I am interested in incorporating the GSD Harvard. I am fascinated by
Public Domain. My passions include
the Design of Community Open Space. vernacular tools into practice. the history of the built environement
equity design and progressive politics. and it´s possible futures.

Kun Luo Eunsu Kim Lanie Cohen Minzi Long

Shanghai, China Seoul, South Korea Henderson, NV Guilin, China
my features my features my features my features
“SECRET OF THE STREET” “TAKE ME TO THE RIVER” “THE CITY OF PROTEST” “STOP!”
“ORGANIZATIONS WE MET” “VACANCY OVERTIME” “THE WARD 3 UNDERGROUND” “GARDENS IN THE COMMUNITY”
“WANT TO BUT A VACANT LOT? IT’S POSSIBLE!” “DISCOVER THE MURALS” “ART HISTORY” “A GUIDE FOR THE YOUNG PEOPLE OF THE 3RD WARD”

Hi, I am Kun and I am currently I am studying landscape architecture I am a Master of Landscape I am a Master of Urban Design
learning architecture design at the at Harvard Graduate School of Design. Architecture student. I’m interested in student. I am interested in shifting
GSD. I like traveling and watching I want to investigate into public spaces making places that address social and the focus of design to a more human-
movies. in St. Louis! environmental inequalities. centered experience.

Luka Travas Rudy Botros Andy Lee Daniel D’Oca

Vienna, Austria Dartmouth, MA Louisville, Colorado Brooklyn, NY
my features my features
“MOW TO OWN” “BLACK LIVES & POLICY MATTER”
“CHOP SUEY” “LANDMARKS OF JUSTICE”
“SHAPE SHIFTING”
I am an Associate Professor in Practice
“CODING FOR KIDS”
of Urban Planning, and principal and
I am of Egyptian decent but grew up I am a Teaching Assistant (TA) co-founder of Interboro Partners,
Hi, I am Luka, I am an exchange
in the States since I was 5. I am a studying landscape architecture, and a New York-based architecture,
student from Zurich, Switzerland,
Master’s of Urban Planning student. I have a background in Architecture. planning, and research firm.politics.
where I study Architecture.

62 63
EXPLORING A NEW PERSPECTIVE, TESTING LIMITS, EXPANDING POTENTIAL

SUMMER 2019

Design Discovery is a six-week summer program at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design (GSD).

We welcome people—from recent high school and college graduates to seasoned professionals—who want to explore
the possibilities. Some of our participants are considering a career in design or planning, but not all. Design Discovery
appeals to people with a broad spectrum of interests and remarkably diverse plans and goals.