I've sent a letter to SLSO. Hopefully they can make the connection to my decades long patronage. (Which, to be fair, is a bit on again off again, but money is not limitless and I do have other musical outlets. But I've been buying tickets since 1992, so . . . ) I'm certainly not going to throw them under the bus over this, but I hope we can do something. Sorry I didn't make it to the rally. I wasn't feeling quite 100% that day, and I figured a letter would do about the same amount of good anyway.
I've sent a letter to SLSO. Hopefully they can make the connection to my decades long patronage. (Which, to be fair, is a bit on again off again, but money is not limitless and I do have other musical outlets. But I've been buying tickets since 1992, so . . . ) I'm certainly not going to throw them under the bus over this, but I hope we can do something. Sorry I didn't make it to the rally. I wasn't feeling quite 100% that day, and I figured a letter would do about the same amount of good anyway.
Speaking of that, I wonder if the SLSO has decided my ssntix tenure (2007-?) is over. I had a subscription every single year after moving here, until Pandemic. First there was the canceled season, which got replaced by a few chamber concerts, and then there was this year kind of back to normal, and they considered Fall pick-3s a ssn ticket, I thought? But then I never heard from them about Spring 2022, and then when my brochure and form came for 2022-23, I didn't have any seats to renew.
I'll spare everyone the Jeremiad about building the Classical music audience, but if you're just letting 15y subscribers fall through unnecessary cracks, you're in some real trouble.
That's good to hear, though part of me is wondering if this is just Lucy setting up the football for Charlie Brown.
I'm unhappy to have been right about this. Apparently Powell Hall is planning to begin demolition next week.
This is why "voice your concerns in a civil and constructive manner" per the Landmarks Association is never the right idea. I'm not sure if being confrontational would have worked either, but I'd say they would have been much more likely to have acted if they thought their reputation was at risk rather than receiving 50 politely worded emails...
^ The Symphony was adamant they wouldn't pay to move house. Steve Smith stepped up with some land but no one came forward with money to make the move happen. I don't like it, but they made clear what they were going to do up front.
What's the alternative to civil and constructive? Setting the Symphony on fire? How would being confrontational have made the money appear? Not being snarky (except the fire comment ), but sincerely asking. Because I'm not sure a small group of preservationists getting snippy would do an iota of reputational damage to the Symphony. It's a shame, but most people simply don't care.
Well I haven't thought up some grand strategy but off the top of my head I would've recommended angry emails instead of civil ones, threatening to cancel season tickets over the plan, putting pressure on Powell Hall board members and donors, etc.
frustrating because admittedly if we assume 500k to move and 750k to renovate, if i look at zillow comps in the area even in what i would call an ideal location you couldn't break even on this. THe property values in GC are just not rising to point they need to to make moving these building an economical aproach.
On the flip side it feels like the neighbor hood could be easily pushed into redhot territoty if they could just get a few starter projects to really heat up the market. There have been a few but each has been fits and starts to get going. I feel like Grand Center Inc is sitting on a huge chunk of the realestate but is waiting for someone else to strike the spark to get it going. sad.
Aren't there enough financially-strapped philanthropists in this city with preservation interests to where it doesn't need to be a 'break even' conversation? Just set up a non-profit, move the thing, and renovate it? Donate it? Or just spend the 1-2 million?
Maybe that's tax evasion, I'm not sure. Just crazy how we have folks with hundreds of millions of financing access yet a measly 1-2 mil is apparently out of the question, and then Powell can also just splurge the $100m. The cost of moving is literally 1-2% of that.
StlToday - St. Louis Symphony says Culver House will be torn down
The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra said Thursday it will demolish the 19th century home in the footprint of its $100 million expansion after no one stepped forward to move the vacant property.
One party toured the home, known as the Culver House, but ultimately declined to proceed with the relocation, which could have cost between $2.4 million and $3.2 million, the symphony said.
“In 2019, the SLSO commissioned an architect team to design the renovation and expansion of Powell Hall. The team studied ways to integrate 3514 Delmar into the expansion. After much study and consideration, this option was deemed not feasible given that the building could not support the core mission of the SLSO, in addition to challenges and costs of addressing code requirements, accessibility limitations, configuration obstacles, uneven floor levels, and environmental control obstacles. The design team determined upgrading the structure to meet the SLSO’s needs would render it unrecognizable.
The architect team completed an inventory of salvageable items from 3514 Delmar in March 2022.
In April 2022, the SLSO met with parties interested in moving 3514 Delmar. The SLSO offered to donate the building and $75,000 (the approximate cost of demolition) to a third party to move the vacant building to land donated by developer Steve Smith four blocks from Powell Hall. The SLSO met with two home relocation companies in April 2022 and received two bids. The cost to relocate the building, including site prep, utility work, hazardous materials abatement, minimal interior renovations, and labor ranged from $2.4 million to $3.2 million. One interested party toured the building and declined to proceed with the relocation.“
“ Parts of the building with historic or artistic significance will be salvaged prior to deconstruction. Items expected to be salvaged from the structure include copper cornices, interior woodwork, pocket doors, fireplaces, and exterior masonry. The SLSO will save some items and is working with groups and individuals on other items that will be salvaged.
Background
The SLSO purchased the property in summer 2015. Previously, the building served as an art gallery and chiropractic office, with alterations made over the years that changed the original aesthetic of the building. Several inspection reports were completed:
• A property inspection completed by Pillar to Post in June 2015 found many safety hazards and maintenance deficiencies, including metal dilapidation, wood rot, moisture throughout the building, and the presence of asbestos, lead paint, and mold/mildew.
• An environmental site assessment completed by Shifrin and Associates in July 2015 tested the site for hazardous materials, and found the presence of asbestos, mold, and lead paint that would need to be abated before making the building functional.
• In October 2015, a building report completed by Jeffrey A. Brambila Architects & Planners did not support that the building be saved or restored given its deteriorated state.
• In January 2022, Geotechnology, Inc. completed a survey and regulated materials inventory and indicated the continued presence of asbestos and lead paint.
Due to the extent of the safety hazards, the cost of abatement, and on the advice of experts, the SLSO planned for an eventual deconstruction and maintained the building in its present state.“
), but sincerely asking. Because I'm not sure a small group of preservationists getting snippy would do an iota of reputational damage to the Symphony. It's a shame, but most people simply don't care.
