Benton Park

Tucked away in the northeast corner of the Benton Park neighborhood of South St. Louis at 1920 Shenandoah, neglected and lonely, is the former Falstaff Brewery. It might not be as beautiful or well known as the Lemp Brewery 10 blocks to the south, but a piece of local history nonetheless. But while talk has continual gone on for years about redeveloping the old Lemp complex and other former Falstaff...

Often overshadowed by it's larger cousin to the south, Fremont Park is a 2.31 acres park located at the corner of Salena and Lynch in the Benton Park Neighborhood of St. Louis. Formerly known as Pontiac Central Park, this green space features a softball field, a playground and a fair amount of open space and shaded areas. The softball field isn't much, but the facilities are good enough for casual game of...

Nothing is quite as healthy as a meal consisting of bratzel (a bratwurst wrapped in a pretzel) and a bag of pretzel sticks. Or at least that is what I tell myself when I stop by Gus' Pretzels twice a week. In business for about 90 years, Gus' is a St. Louis establishment akin to Ted Drew's. Back in the Spring of 2008, I was excited when I heard that they were going to make some significant improvements...

The gut rehab project we have been following in Marine Villa is now officially complete. For a refresher on this project at 3500 Illinois, check out these stories before and during construction. The final product really did turn out pretty wonderful. With 4 bedrooms, 3 bath and white-boxed loft are on the third floor (including an extra bath), this 4,932 sq ft monster is a sight to behold. And that that...

Last December I featured a story about a large former LRA shell at 3500 Illinois getting a thumbs up on a complete green rehab. I finally got a chance to take a look at the progress at the project site, and I am happy to say the Marine Villa property has really come a long way in the last five months. In fact, from what I am told by Tiger Lily Development, the project should be finished by mid-May. At...

Gut rehabs of LRA (Land Reutilization Authority) have been few and far between in the past eighteen months, with construction financing has been virtually nonexistent in this economic climate. So you can count me surprised when I got a call from a friend saying that this 4,932 sq ft monster in Marine Villa was going to be turned into a single family home. Originally a bakery on the first floor and a...

Let me go on the record as saying I love historic architecture. It humbles me to think that with all the technological advancements of the last 100 years, the buildings of 100 years ago display a level of craftsmanship that seems to be lost in the modern day. That being said, our current system of preserving these historic structures misses the point entirely...