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2845 St. Louis Avenue (turreted building at left - November 2006).
2629 St. Louis Avenue (September 2006).
Properties in Old North St. Louis:
1500-12 Branch Street - September 2006.
1523 Palm Street (left-hand building - September 2006.)
1501 Palm Street (2001).
2701 Blair Avenue -September 2006.
1949-51 Clinton Street - September 2006.
1315 Howard Street -- not a building, but the vacant lot shown here is one of many holdings. This is an example of where a development company could truly do something beneficial -- lots like this need buildings on them, and new development could greatly enhance the neighborhood. In light of that, Blairmont's silence speaks volumes.
The collapsing building in the background is apparently for sale by a private owner, but at a somewhat inflated price. (November 2006).
Brecht Butcher Supply Company warehouses, Cass Avenue -- right across the street from the Greyhound bus station. One of the buildings suffered a massive fire recently, giving the owners what they seem to hope is an excuse to pull down the entire complex. This is how big-shot developers say welcome to St. Louis! (November 2006).
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Built St. Louis
The North Side: The Holdings of Blairmont Associates, LLC
Blairmont overview
In 2003, a private company known as Blairmont Associates, LLC began buying up houses and vacant lots on the near north side of St. Louis. In 2005, the pace increased, and many additional shell companies were used to continue the purchases. All these companies have been tied back to one Paul McKee, a suburban developer.
As of 2008, Blairmont owns over 600 parcels of land, concentrated in the St. Louis Place, JeffVanderLou, and Old North St. Louis neighborhoods, directly north of downtown.
Many of Blairmont's initial purchases were empty lots or vacant houses, but they have since branched out into buying houses that were very recently occupied. Word has spread of strong-arm tactics, of tenants forced to vacate before the sale.
Encouraging decay
Much physical evidence exists to suggest that Blairmont's properties are being actively pushed into deterioration, ruin, and ultimately demolition:
Without exception, Blairmont properties are vacant. If there are tenants before the purchase, they are quickly evicted.
Blairmont makes no effort to repair or maintain their buildings.
Blairmont makes no effort to maintain the grounds of their holdings, forcing the city to mow the grass. This neglect makes it obvious that the properties are empty, making them an easy target for criminal activity.
Most of Blairmont's buildings are not properly secured, with windows left unboarded.
In many cases, windows are actually removed from the buildings after their purchase by Blairmont, leaving them open to vandals, thieves, drug dealers, and the elements, all of which hastens their deterioration.
Blairmont's properties are also subject to destruction by brick rustlers with uncanny frequency.
Most of these actions are both illegal and immoral, creating dangerous conditions for residents who live nearby, and preventing other buyers from renovating these buildings. The decay drives down property values, raises fears of emminent domain siezures, and creates isolation and fear. Demolition by neglect diminishes established historic districts, violating the law and endangering the tax credits that ordinary citizens often rely upon to make their renovations feasible.
Silence
Blairmont has been absolutely and steadfastly silent about their plans for the properties. Any semblance of being a good neighbor requires that the intentions of such a massive property owner be made public. That they are being held in secret leads to all kinds of speculation, none of it good for the area.
Just as Old North is truly coming into its own, just as the revival of this area is showing signs of spreading into adjacent communities, just as awareness of the housing stock of this area is growing... Blairmont's actions are both blocking the revelopment of many vacant properties, and allowing those properties to deteriorate.
Shedding light
Shown here is a small sampling of Blairmont's holdings, drawn from the photographs I had on-hand in 2006. The list is much, much, much longer than what is shown here.
More Blairmont coverage:
A Daily Dose of Blairmont, illustrating dozens of Blairmont properties photographed in 2007 and 2008.
Brick Rustling in St. Louis, a prominent problem that seems to plague a lot of Blairmont properties.
Ecology of Absence's intrepid crew first uncovered the Blairmont operation and brought it to light. The web site systematically documents Paul McKee's shell companies and their actions.
Paul McKee Distressed Property Tour from Urban Review StL author Steve Patterson, August 2007.
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