Daily Dose of Blairmont 147

• 1215 Wright Street (Blairmont Associates LLC, January 2006)

May 2008

Already covered at Ecology of Absence, this house is old news on the Blairmont circuit. It stands in the middle of a redeveloping section of Old North, with the 14th Street Mall renovation underway a few blocks south, and owner-occupant rehabs going on all around. In the middle of all this activity, the house is a trouble spot, due to its vacancy.


May 2003 - photograph by Kevin Kieffer




Long-deferred maintenance is allowing pieces of the beautiful terra cotta cornice scrollwork to fall off the facade. Couldn't Paul McKee plunk down a few thousand bucks to stabilize his building? He should. Old North isn't going anywhere, and he's doing a criminal disservice to its residents by allowing this piece of the neighborhood's heritage to fall apart.

Links:

• 1215 Wright at the city's Geo St Louis database
  
• Aerial view from Maps.Live.com
  
• More on Blairmont:
  Built St. Louis || Ecology of Absence || What Can I Do?

Daily Dose of Blairmont 146

• 1913 Dodier Street (MLK 3000 LLC, October 2006, $38,000)

May 2003 - photograph by Kevin Kieffer


May 2008

This tiny cottage is looking a lot worse for wear under Blairmont's management, or lack thereof.

The rest of this Old North block is owned by a variety of private entities. Paul McKee should do them all a favor and do something to get this property inhabited again.



Price bounce: Sold in February 2006 for $13,000. Sold again 10 months later for 3 times that amount -- $38,000.

Links:

• 1913 Dodier at the city's Geo St Louis database
  
• Aerial view from Maps.Live.com
  
• More on Blairmont:
  Built St. Louis || Ecology of Absence || What Can I Do?

Daily Dose of Blairmont 145

• 2725 Cass Street (Cass Corporation LLC, August 2007)

May 2008

Blairmont, in one form or another, owns this entire block, from one street to the other, back to the alley. Most of it is a scrapyard, which, curiously enough, has continued to operate under Blairmont's ownership. The dog-eared building, long since converted to a garage, shows just how much abuse St. Louis housing stock can endure.

Links:

• 2725 Cass at the city's Geo St Louis database
  
• Aerial view from Maps.Live.com
  
• More on Blairmont:
  Built St. Louis || Ecology of Absence || What Can I Do?

Daily Dose of Blairmont 144

• 2583 Montgomery Street (MLK 3000 LLC, October 2006, $101,000)

July 2003 - photograph by Kevin Kieffer

It looked pretty cheerful five years ago. But that was long before Blairmont came to town. Now it's boarded up, empty and lifeless.



Blairmont also owns two more houses on the same block (both hit by brick rustlers), and a huge vacant lot next door.
May 2008

Links:

• 2583 Montgomery at the city's Geo St Louis database
  
• Aerial view from Maps.Live.com
  
• More on Blairmont:
  Built St. Louis || Ecology of Absence || What Can I Do?

Daily Dose of Blairmont 143

• 2625 Howard Street (MLK 3000 LLC, February 2007, $40,000)

May 2008

Predictably, the upper windows are missing. The lawn isn't mowed. The gate hasn't even been shut. It's about as stereotypically Blairmont as you can get.



To the right, a former owner-occupant; to judge from its appearance, the house is now vacant. To the left, more Blairmont properties, standing vacant.

Links:

• 2625 Howard at the city's Geo St Louis database
  
• Aerial view from Maps.Live.com
  
• More on Blairmont:
  Built St. Louis || Ecology of Absence || What Can I Do?

Daily Dose of Blairmont 142

Left and right:
• 2629 Madison Street (Dodier Investors LLC, November 2006, $33,750)
• 2627 Madison Street (VHS Partners LLC, November 2005, $50,000)

May 2008
Most of this block's building mass belongs to JVL Renaissance, but Blairmont's managed to snag a couple of townhouses in the middle of it all. Three vacant LRA lots stand next door. Note the cornices -- Italianate brackets give a measure of refinement to them.



That beautiful mansard-roofed building on the corner belongs to a company called "Madison Street Holdings LLC".

Links:

• 2627 Madison at the city's Geo St Louis database
  
• Aerial view from Maps.Live.com
  
• More on Blairmont:
  Built St. Louis || Ecology of Absence || What Can I Do?

Daily Dose of Blairmont 141

Left to right:
• 1722 Leffingwell Street (MLK 3000 LLC, October 2006, $65,000)
  
• 1718 Leffingwell Street (JVL Renaissance)
  
• 1714 Leffingwell Street (Noble Development Co LLC, February 2006, $15,000)
  
• 1712 Leffingwell Street (VHS Partners LLC, January 2006)

May 2008

I'd show a blow-up of this batch, but unfortunately, the full-sized image is out of focus. Too bad -- 1722 a cute little house.

You might think I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel here, but you'd be wrong. Paul McKee's holdings are legion. There is no end in sight. I haven't even started on the most recent purchases made under "Larmer LLC".

Links:

• 1722 Leffingwell at the city's Geo St Louis database
  
• Aerial view from Maps.Live.com
  
• More on Blairmont:
  Built St. Louis || Ecology of Absence || What Can I Do?

Daily Dose of Blairmont 140

• 3237 N. 20th Street (Sheridan Place LLC, December 2006, $75,000)

May 2008

I was negligent -- I should have covered this house along with yesterday's entries, as they're right across the street. How else are readers to get a clear picture of just how much land and architecture Paul McKee has snapped up in the last four years?



The rest of the block is a mix - an owner-occupant right next door; a Blairmont-owned vacant lot on the other side, an LRA house, some off-site landlords.

As usual, the house was occupied five years ago.


May 2003 - photograph by Kevin Kieffer

Links:

• 3237 N 20th at the city's Geo St Louis database
  
• Aerial view from Maps.Live.com
  
• More on Blairmont:
  Built St. Louis || Ecology of Absence || What Can I Do?

Daily Dose of Blairmont 139

• 3238 N. 20th Street Street (Sheridan Place LLC, March 2007)

May 2008

Left and right:
• 3236 N. 20th Street Street (Sheridan Place LLC, March 2007, $130,000)
• 1909 Palm Street (privately owned)

June 2003 - the house appears cheerfully occupied.

Talk about your price jump! After several years under the ownership of distant landlord, the little white house sold for $9,600 in 2006, while the house next door sold for $15,000 in 2004. In early 2007, Blairmont bought both houses for $130,000. That is one heck of a markup! What kind of business sense does it make for Paul McKee to be paying that sort of money? What's it all leading to? How can he justify that sort of flagrant financial abandon?

Links:

• 3236 N 20th at the city's Geo St Louis database
  
• Aerial view from Maps.Live.com
  
• More on Blairmont:
  Built St. Louis || Ecology of Absence || What Can I Do?

Daily Dose of Blairmont 138

• 1510 Leffingwell Street (N & G Ventures LLC, November 2006)

May 2006

A twin house, facing one of south JeffVanderLou's numerous urban prairies.





It features that most common of Blairmont identifiers, the missing upper-floor windows, though the lower level has been properly secured. The building has been vacant since 2001.

Links:

• 1510 Leffingwell at the city's Geo St Louis database
  
• Aerial view from Maps.Live.com
  
• More on Blairmont:
  Built St. Louis || Ecology of Absence || What Can I Do?

Daily Dose of Blairmont 137

• 2713 Mills Street (VHS Partners LLC, November 2005, $39,000)

May 2008


May 2008. The Blairmont house is on the right. In the background is St. Bridget of Erin Catholic Church.



Plus: no broken or missing windows. Minus: not secured; grass not mowed. The house was hooked up to the electrical grid as recently as 2005.

The house next door is owner-occupied. Both stand in a vast urban prairie at the southeast corner of JeffVanderLou.

Links:

• 2713 Mills at the city's Geo St Louis database
  
• Aerial view from Maps.Live.com
  
• More on Blairmont:
  Built St. Louis || Ecology of Absence || What Can I Do?

Daily Dose of Blairmont 136

• 2809 Howard Street (VHS Partners LLC, November 2005, $35,000)

May 2008

It looks incredibly isolated at first, but in fact a massive retirement home stands just behind it, recently constructed by not-for-profit JVL Elderly Housing Corporation.




As for the house itself, Blairmont (yet again) let the City do its work for them -- it was boarded up in November 2007.

Blairmont owns several of the vacant lots surrounding the house.

Links:

• 2809 Howard at the city's Geo St Louis database
  
• Aerial view from Maps.Live.com
  
• More on Blairmont:
  Built St. Louis || Ecology of Absence || What Can I Do?

Daily Dose of Blairmont 135

• 2832 Dayton Street (Dodier Investors LLC, October 2006, $62,500)

May 2008

This poor house bounced between four different owners before landing in Blairmont's uncaring hands. Despite all the changing ownership, and despite Blairmont's inclusion on the list, it seems to be in good condition.

In April, a condemnation was served, and the City boarded the building up.

Links:

• 2832 Dayton at the city's Geo St Louis database
  
• Aerial view from Maps.Live.com
  
• More on Blairmont:
  Built St. Louis || Ecology of Absence || What Can I Do?

Daily Dose of Blairmont 134

Left and right:
• 2719 Madison Street (N & G Ventures LLC, April 2006, $7,500)
  
• 2717 Madison Street (VHS Partners LLC, November 2005, $40,000)

May 2008

The right-hand house was last reported vacant in 1999, after which it was apparently re-occupied. The left-hand house was sold at foreclosure for $21,600, only to be sold to Blairmont for a fraction of that price.

Links:

• 2717 Madison at the city's Geo St Louis database
  
• Aerial view from Maps.Live.com
  
• More on Blairmont:
  Built St. Louis || Ecology of Absence || What Can I Do?

Daily Dose of Blairmont 133

• 2200 St. Louis Avenue (VHS Partners LLC, March 2006, $55,000)

May 2008


August 2003

Remarkably little has changed on the outside of this St. Louis Avenue building since I first photographed it over five years ago. It features Romanesque touches in keeping with the many beautiful mansions that stand on the blocks to the east and west.


March 2003

Links:

• 2200 St Louis at the city's Geo St Louis database
  
• Aerial view from Maps.Live.com
  
• More on Blairmont:
  Built St. Louis || Ecology of Absence || What Can I Do?

Daily Dose of Blairmont 132

• 2830 Thomas Street (N & G Ventures LLC, Octoer 2003)

May 2008. The Blairmont property is 2nd from the right.

A private owner has the boarded property to the right. JVL Renaissance owns the two well-tended buildings to the left.



Permastone cladding does the building no favors, but the wood cornice, brackets and scrollwork remain beautiful in decay.

Links:

• 2830 Thomas at the city's Geo St Louis database
  
• Aerial view from Maps.Live.com
  
• More on Blairmont:
  Built St. Louis || Ecology of Absence || What Can I Do?

Daily Dose of Blairmont 131

• 2707 Stoddard Street (N & G Ventures LLC, September 2003, $1,754)

May 2008

This is an extremely early Blairmont purchase, which (if city records are to be believed) has now been sitting empty in Paul McKee's hands for five years. Five years!

Links:

• 2707 Stoddard at the city's Geo St Louis database
  
• Aerial view from Maps.Live.com
  
• More on Blairmont:
  Built St. Louis || Ecology of Absence || What Can I Do?

Daily Dose of Blairmont 130

• 1220 Garrison Street (N & G Ventures LLC, November 2006)

May 2008

This odd little building sits at the end of a cul-de-sac block, a permanently cauterized portion of the street grid. Nearly the entire block is empty, but across the street is a small church building, still in use.



Paul McKee Jr. bought it in 2006 from a Kansas City landlord.

Links:

• 1220 Garrison at the city's Geo St Louis database
  
• Aerial view from Maps.Live.com
  
• More on Blairmont:
  Built St. Louis || Ecology of Absence || What Can I Do?

Daily Dose of Blairmont 129

Today we continue to drift west down Madison Street, past more of Blairmont's recently-emptied HUD and 1960s frame houses.

Left and right:
• 2513 Madison Street (Sheridan Place LLC, November 2006 )
• 2511 Madison Street (owner-occupied)

May 2008

Left and right:
• 2521 Madison Street (Dodier Investors LLC, October 2006)
  
• 2517 Madison Street (owner-occupied)

May 2008

Left and right:
• 2535 Madison Street (LRA)
  
• 2533 Madison Street (MLK 3000 LLC, November 2006, $55,000)
  
• 2531 Madison Street (owner-occupied)

May 2008



December 2007

Links:

• 2533 Madison at the city's Geo St Louis database
  
• Aerial view from Maps.Live.com
  
• More on Blairmont:
  Built St. Louis || Ecology of Absence || What Can I Do?