Terrific news! I hope more of these schools can be saved, they really are masterpieces as well as the places where the city stands to benefit the most in truly investing in the future.
Six other school buildings have been sold or are under contract for redevelopment: St. Louis Public Schools get offers for vacant buildings for sale
Garfield School at 3200 Texas Avenue, apartments for the chronically homeless
Scruggs Elementary at 4611 South Grand Boulevard, Asian cultural center and Buddhist temple
Central High School at 3616 North Garrison Avenue, "multifamily development"
Mark Twain School at 5316 Ruskin Avenue, affordable housing
Baden School at 8724 Halls Ferry Road, community center
Dunbar Branch at 3018 Brantner Place, community health center.
These may not all go through, but it's great that there's interest in re-utilizing these vacant buildings. It's good for the school system too, adding some money while lowering their maintenance costs.
Garfield School at 3200 Texas Avenue, apartments for the chronically homeless
Scruggs Elementary at 4611 South Grand Boulevard, Asian cultural center and Buddhist temple
Central High School at 3616 North Garrison Avenue, "multifamily development"
Mark Twain School at 5316 Ruskin Avenue, affordable housing
Baden School at 8724 Halls Ferry Road, community center
Dunbar Branch at 3018 Brantner Place, community health center.
These may not all go through, but it's great that there's interest in re-utilizing these vacant buildings. It's good for the school system too, adding some money while lowering their maintenance costs.
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anybody know what's going on with Scruggs Elementary at 4611 S. Grand? the post above, from March 2012, mentions that it was sold for an "Asian cultural center and Buddhist temple". Google Maps and the nearly illegible banners hanging on the building say "Quang Phap Monastic Institute," but it looks boarded-up. i haven't seen a single soul coming or going from the building in years, and i've never heard anyone mention anything about the place. is it actually occupied? seems like a very poor use for the building (and the empty ocean of concrete behind it)—it would make a great apartment conversion, and additional units or SFH could be built in back.
No, it's tax exempt.
The last permit was for banners issued 2/6/2020
The last permit was for banners issued 2/6/2020
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^They've replaced the banners at least once since I've lived here. My wife translated them for me, but they're just the name urban_dilettante
gave, but in Vietnamese. A little digging about makes it sound like it was a small group of monks who bit off more than they can chew. I'd swear I saw a picture of the gymnasium used as the main hall of the temple with a big statue inside, but I can no longer find it, so maybe I'm imagining things. There's a bunch of small temples in the area, believe it or not, and some are fairly active. But that one worries me. I hope they can find the funding they need to keep the place up.
gave, but in Vietnamese. A little digging about makes it sound like it was a small group of monks who bit off more than they can chew. I'd swear I saw a picture of the gymnasium used as the main hall of the temple with a big statue inside, but I can no longer find it, so maybe I'm imagining things. There's a bunch of small temples in the area, believe it or not, and some are fairly active. But that one worries me. I hope they can find the funding they need to keep the place up.
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Just a quick note: The Wilkinson School has repaved and put lighting on the parking lot. I've seen dumpsters over there consistently for the last year. Looks like they are getting close to finishing up?
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“Tu Vien Quang Phap (The Universal Buddhist Congregation Quang Phap Religious Monastic Institute)
4609 S Grand Blvd, St louis MO 63111
This is a very interesting building – around 66,000 square foot multi-level on a huge 3 acre lot with an oversized parking lot, this “temple” building started life around 1911 or 1918 as the Scruggs Elementary School. St Louis county closed the public school by 2010 and decided to sell the property, as well as several other surplus schools, to raise money. Originally listed for $1.25 million at auction, it finally sold in 2012 for $700,000 to this Vietnamese Buddhist group. I’m not sure what happened between 2012 and 2021, but as of 2021, the building appears to be partially abandoned and boarded up, and a Vietnamese nun from another temple noted she thinks that group didn’t have the manpower or financial resources to run a monastery in such a large location hence why it is mostly unused now. “
https://www.google.com/amp/s/rabbitshor ... mples/amp/
4609 S Grand Blvd, St louis MO 63111
This is a very interesting building – around 66,000 square foot multi-level on a huge 3 acre lot with an oversized parking lot, this “temple” building started life around 1911 or 1918 as the Scruggs Elementary School. St Louis county closed the public school by 2010 and decided to sell the property, as well as several other surplus schools, to raise money. Originally listed for $1.25 million at auction, it finally sold in 2012 for $700,000 to this Vietnamese Buddhist group. I’m not sure what happened between 2012 and 2021, but as of 2021, the building appears to be partially abandoned and boarded up, and a Vietnamese nun from another temple noted she thinks that group didn’t have the manpower or financial resources to run a monastery in such a large location hence why it is mostly unused now. “
https://www.google.com/amp/s/rabbitshor ... mples/amp/
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it would be great if a local developer with interest in renovating the building into residential could approach them and help them to find a more suitable location for their congregation. this is going to end up another case of demolition by (perhaps unintentional) neglect if they don't have the means to maintain it. and even if they could nominally maintain it, it's terribly underutilized and not contributing at all to the vibrancy of the neighborhood.
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^ seemed like that developer presentation on Fanning went pretty well and with a lot of interest; the zoom setup only had capacity for 100 people and that filled up, but I think the presentation also was up on Facebook.
Anyway, 62 units as mentioned; 13 LIHTC at 50% AMI (so true affordable housing) with the rest essentially market-rate. These won't fetch top of the line CWE rates like at 100 Above the Park but are well beyond area rents. So mixed-income for sure. 4 units also will be accessible. Seemed like only one person, who I think lives across the street from Fanning, brought NIMBY vibes... concerns on parking and wanted to see fewer units with some for sale.
Anyway, 62 units as mentioned; 13 LIHTC at 50% AMI (so true affordable housing) with the rest essentially market-rate. These won't fetch top of the line CWE rates like at 100 Above the Park but are well beyond area rents. So mixed-income for sure. 4 units also will be accessible. Seemed like only one person, who I think lives across the street from Fanning, brought NIMBY vibes... concerns on parking and wanted to see fewer units with some for sale.
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Does anyone know what's happening with Yeatman / Central? There's a fence surrounding the school and I haven't found any data from a few quick searches.
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Putting together a list of all SLPS former school buildings and their current statuses. Will eventually be rolling this info into an article of some kind. Wondering if the brain-trust here knows of anything I may be missing, or another status for something listed. PDF attached with clickable links. What am I missing??
BTW, RE: Yeatman/Central --The 3616 N Garrison Address is no longer active with the city. The lot has been split into two lots on adjacent streets. One of them (3617 Glasgow Av) lists an unissued March 2023 Demo permit app for "WRECK MULTI-STORY COMMERCIAL BRICK BUILDING"
https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/edu ... -top-story
City offers $500,000 for two vacant schools, hopes to stabilize them before seeking developers to turn them into housing or community uses.
City offers $500,000 for two vacant schools, hopes to stabilize them before seeking developers to turn them into housing or community uses.
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^ Will be great if Cleveland and Marshall can be saved and put back into productive use.
Baden School should be the next successful rehab as Lutheran Development Group/RISE were issued the building permit earlier this year for affordable housing renovation supported by LIHTC. Banneker School on Samuel Shepard in Midtown and Simmons School in The Ville have been sold and the hopeful redevelopers are applying for LIHTC awards. (Banneker is owned by the people who did the market rate reno a couple years ago of Sheppard School just off Cherokee.)
Baden School should be the next successful rehab as Lutheran Development Group/RISE were issued the building permit earlier this year for affordable housing renovation supported by LIHTC. Banneker School on Samuel Shepard in Midtown and Simmons School in The Ville have been sold and the hopeful redevelopers are applying for LIHTC awards. (Banneker is owned by the people who did the market rate reno a couple years ago of Sheppard School just off Cherokee.)