Daily Dose of Blairmont 203

• 2541 W. Sullivan (Union Martin LLC, May 2008, $66,500)

May 2008

It's obvious that Mr. McKee has not yet found time to visit this block in person. If he had, he'd surely be working to renovate its charming cottages and get them occupied again, assuring that no more of them would be lost to arson or brick theft. The magnetic pull of this block is irresistible, and any savvy developer would surely capitalize on that charm. Right??

Links:

• 2541 W Sullivan 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 125

• 2516 W. Sullivan Avenue (N & G Ventures LLC, December 2005, $16,000)

May 2008

Every time I think I've got this block fully covered, something else pops up. Blairmont's intentions to clear out the existing population and destroy all the remaining historic buildings on the entire block could not be more clear than they are here.

Once again, strange doings in the sales history. Someone bought the building in foreclosure for $35,000, then sold it to Paul McKee for less than half that amount. Bad bargaining?

Links:

• 2516 W Sullivan at the city's Geo St Louis database, including photographs
  
• Aerial view from Maps.Live.com
  
• More on Blairmont:
  Built St. Louis || Ecology of Absence || What Can I Do?

Daily Dose of Blairmont 110

• 3101 Lismore Street (Noble Development Co. LLC, September 2006)

May 2008

Vacant since 1999, this house stands on a short stretch of street in JeffVanderLou. Its only surviving neighbor is the spectacular St. Augustine Catholic Church, currently in a state of minimal use by a small local church.


July 2003, photograph by Kevin Keiffer

Until recently, the house stood back-to-side with two neighbors, also owned by Blairmont:

• 2559 W. Sullivan Street (Blairmont Associates LLC, May 2005, $12,000)
  
• 2561 W. Street (Blairmont Associates LLC, May 2005)

2559 W. Sullivan, September 2003, photograph by Kevin Keiffer

2561 W. Sullivan, September 2003, photograph by Kevin Keiffer

Both were demolished in 2007.

The LRA owns the vacant lots to the west, which always seem to have activity going on -- guys sitting around, smoking, chatting, or barbecuing. I believe a small industrial business of some sort is located across the street. It's always been kind of an awkward spot to pull out a camera and start snapping.

Links:

• 3101 Lismore 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 24

Left to right:

• 2533 W. Sullivan Street (Dodier Investors LLC, October 2006 - left edge)
  
• 2531 W. Sullivan Street (Sheridan Place LLC, February 2007)
  
• 2529 W. Sullivan Street (Sheridan Place LLC, March 2007)
  
• 2527 W. Sullivan Street (private owner)
  
• 2523 W. Sullivan Street (N & G Ventures, June 2006)
  
• 2521 W. Sullivan Street (private owner)
  
• 2519 W. Sullivan Street (private owner)
  
• 2517 W. Sullivan Street (Dodier Investors, LLC, September 2006 - right edge)

September 2006

This photo was taken just before Blairmont came to town. The shell companies targeted three of the five inhabited houses, buildings that were someone's home. Most of the remaining privately-held buildings on the block were already vacant.

I love this block. Its tidy row of one-story cottages is so intimately St. Louis that it's hard to imagine feeling any other way.

Yet Blairmont's proprietors seem to feel apathy or worse towards these buildings. They are working to buy up the entire block, which essentially means they're trying to drive out everyone who lives there and destroy it. Two of their other holdings on this block have already been obliterated by brick rustlers, even though there are other vacant buildings -- the coincidence is too extreme to ignore.


September 2006

• 2543 W. Sullivan Avenue (Blairmont Associates LLC, December 2004)

And this is the capper, the bookend for the block. Blairmont's got it too. How long till it gets ''accidentally'' trashed on some late Sunday afternoon?

Links:

• 2543 W Sullivan at the City Assessor's database
  
• Aerial view from Maps.Live.com
  
• More on Blairmont

Daily Dose of Blairmont 23

Left to right:

• 2521 W. Sullivan Street (private owner)
  
• 2519 W. Sullivan Street (private owner)
  
• 2517 W. Sullivan Street (Dodier Investors LLC, September 2006)

February 2008

Three houses. All are vacant.
Only the house on the right is owned by Blairmont.
Only the house on the right has been destroyed by brick rustlers.

That house was intact when Blairmont bought it; it's the last house on the far right edge:


September 2006

More on this wonderful block tomorrow, as Blairmont is working hard to destroy it all.

Edit, 7 May 2008: The vacant house at 2519 was destroyed by fire in the first weekend of May 2008.

Links:

• 2517 W Sullivan at the City Assessor's database
  
• Pre-brick rustling aerial view from Maps.Live.com
  
• More on Blairmont

Daily Dose of Blairmont 5

• 2509 W. Sullivan Avenue (Blairmont Associates Ltd., October 2003)

August 2003

Blairmont owns the house on the left. This little cottage was part of a charming block of similar houses. A few have been lost at this end, but most are still standing. Blairmont owns one more at the west end of the block.

2509 was purchased by Blairmont Associates Ltd. in 2003. Since then, it's been brick rustled, reducing it to rubble. Bad enough on its own, but look what's happening right next door!


September 2006


November 2007

The privately-owned cottage next door is getting some rehab work -- a board-up has come off the basement window, it looks like a new porch is getting started, and that might even be new brick tuckpointing on the side wall. What kind of neighbor lets a house fall to rubble when private citizens are working hard to improve their own properties?

Links:

• 2509 W. Sullivan at the City Assessor's database
  
• Aerial view from Maps.Live.com
  
• More on Blairmont