The Historic Preservation Commission members Thursday considered the demolition only of 3432 Commonwealth Avenue — not construction of any house after demolition — and they voted no.
The commission considers protecting buildings of “special historic, aesthetic or architectural significance,” but what weighed mostly against demolition was that the house was in better condition than the developer presented.
See the meeting packet, including photos of the house.
Commission member Ray Crader said after the meeting that the math doesn’t work out for the developer, who wants to demolish the house and build a new one, which he guessed could cost $500,000.
Tailored Properties bought the house, appraised this year at $229,800, for $85,000, leaving $144,800 to improve the house up to its appraised value. Crader said the house could easily be rehabbed with that margin.
He added that improving the basement and building an (allowed) 500 square foot addition would put the currently 1,162 square foot house at over 2,000.
For the house to be demolished now, the petitioner would need to bring it before the city council. He did not attend the meeting on Thursday.
In the Design and Review board meeting, held before the Historic Preservation Commission meeting, all new signs were approved, including signs for Gamlin’s restaurant at 2704 Sutton Boulevard and for About Time at 2175 S. Big Bend.
Neigherhoods may loose there charm without Hustoric District Classification another Kirkwood home may face demolition.
It may not be the end of the Marquitz house in Kirkwood just yet. A group has filed a suit to block the demolition of the historic home in Kirkwood. This is important for the city of Kirkwood, as well as historic districts in the region overall. While national register listings do little to actually protect historic homes from demolition, locally created districts can make it harder to lose these buildings by denying permits. If a home of this significance in this decent of condition can be lost in spite of a city landmark designation and fairly rare Italianate style architectural features, it means that any home in Kirkwood could be at risk of going away at any time, once the 270 day demolition stay would expire.
If one or two of these houses disappear, or you lose ten bungalows, the impact isn’t incredibly noticeable unless you’re actively looking for changes. However, if that happens every year, it starts to become more like a nice collection of historic homes dotted amongst a monotonous cookie cutter suburb. Eventually, it could end up like parts of South county, where most of the historic homes in a 1988 architectural survey are now gone. Currently, Kirkwood has some of the region’s most prized historic architecture, including numerous country estates built around the time of the Civil War. It would be a huge loss to the rig this area slowly transformed into an alternative version of Chesterfield.
Greg Smith This isn’t Kirkwood. McMansions aren’t being built. I would validate your point. Capital being invested into houses, that infrastructure is failing and not cost-effective to replace, and to demolish and replace with a (like kind in architecture and square footage) would be appropriate. Maplewood is unique. With a downtown main street on one side of Manchester Rd., and a very unusual grocery store and strip center on the other side of Manchester Rd. The result of really poorly thought-out development. This brings to reason that Maplewood desperately needs a Planning Commission reboot with public transparency to continue whatever vision the neighborhood decides is best. Yes, it appears Kirkwood is facing this dilemma as of this conversation. Many people who at one time raised a family in Kirkwood but are now not needing a four-bedroom house and are downsizing their living quarters, but would like to remain in Kirkwood. How to have your cake, but eat it too?
This isn’t Kirkwood, McMansions aren’t being built. There are dozens, if not hundreds of small, framed poorly constructed houses in Maplewood that make zero sense to rehab for structural and or financial reasons. General rule of thumb is the maximum that can be paid for a teardown is 15% of what the new house will sell for, so the math is easy. These houses will continue to deteriorate as dumping $ into them doesn’t pencil. Then everyone (Karens) can complain about their condition. Who was monitoring when farmland was sold to build houses 100-150 years ago? These are not majestic colonial houses, they’re house s that should be demolished so that a family with 2-4 children could live there.
Cut down a 50ft beautiful tree before then got denied a demolition of a historic house permit. I build houses in Wildwood, MO. We cannot touch a tree without the Wildwood Government’s approval. If Maplewood claims to be Historic Preservation, they would go through a process to become a historic district. What does that do? A local historic district is an entire area or group of historic structures deemed significant to the city’s cultural fabric that are protected by public review. This can include downtown commercial areas, main streets, waterfront districts, and residential districts.
Most often, communities create local districts to prevent unregulated and insensitive change. The main tool is the preservation ordinance, a local statute that provisions for designating historic resources, establishes a design review board (also called a preservation or historic district commission), and creates a design review process and guidelines.
It’s sad they cut down a 50ft beautiful tree before they got denied!!! My husband and I are sick about the tree. It was beautiful!!!
A big shout out to the Historic Preservation Commission committee who voted to retain the beauty and charm of the neighborhood. Once one goes, it’s like a camel gettinh it’s nose under the tent. Then they all go. Nearlt 15 years ago, we left a great little neighborhood off of Woodlawn in Kirkwood, where these great little 2Br 1Ba houses with attached garages were being bought up and torn diwn to be replaced by little McMansions with little or no yard left. It was one developer doing it, just ruining the character of the neighborhood.
Historic Preservation Commission in Maplewood, MO. saved 3432 Commonwealth Ave from a greedy developer, and Gentrification the process where increased investment in a neighborhood drives up property values and rents, displacing lower-income residents. In public discourse, it has been used to describe a wide array of phenomena, sometimes in a pejorative connotation.
Gentrification is a common and controversial topic in urban politics and planning. Gentrification often increases the economic value of a neighborhood, but can be controversial due to changing demographic composition and potential displacement of incumbent residents. Gentrification is more likely when there is an undersupply of housing and rising home values in a metropolitan area.
How do we as neighbors on the street get involved in preventing the destruction of the historic elements of our street and prevent McMansions and gentrification?
I am horrified this house would be demolished a block from me.