Built St. Louis
The North Side: The Holdings of Blairmont Associates, LC

Blairmont Associates, LC is the most commonly-mentioned of a family of companies whose sole known purpose is to landbank properties on the Near North Side. 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... these companies are both blocking the revelopment of many vacant properties, and allowing those properties to deteriorate.

The latter action is 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. Blairmont does not even maintain the closure and grounds of their buildings, creating havens for crime.

Furthermore, 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.

Shown here is a small sampling of Blairmont's holdings, drawn from the photographs I had on-hand. The list is much, much, much longer than what is shown here.

The enterprising crew at Ecology of Absence has uncovered vast amounts of information on Blairmont, including the addresses shown here.

1930 St. Louis Avenue (2001).

1424 Hebert Street (2003).

1501 Palm Street (2001).

1915 Montgomery Avenue (March 2003).

1937-39 Montgomery Avenue (May 2005).

2629 St. Louis Avenue (September 2006).

2845 St. Louis Avenue (turreted building at left - November 2006).

Blairmont holding at the 14th Street Mall (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).

1521-1523 Palm Street (left-hand building - September 2006.)

The Clemens Mansion, Cass Avenue (December 2002).

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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