Great Grandma’s Old Flat
This is a story about 1942-44 Hebert Street, which is in the Old North St. Louis neighborhood of St. Louis, MO. Like its neighbors, this structure has seen better days. I became interested in the building because my great grandmother lived at this address in 1930.
My maternal grandfather’s family lived in the northern part of St. Louis during his childhood from 1915 to the early 1930s. He owned a home on Dryden Avenue in the 1950s, which is in better condition than this building. He used to speak nostalgically about growing up in Walnut Park and living with his Uncles Jules. Unfortunately, Uncle Jules’ house on Thrush Avenue is now a vacant lot.
Photo of the front of 1942-44 Hebert Street from 2009 (Courtesy of Geo St. Louis)
The picture above is of 1942-44 Hebert Street today. Builders completed the flat in 1882 making the dwelling 131 years old. It is a testament to the standards of construction at the time that its roof is almost completely gone, the entire rear of the building has collapsed into the backyard, bricks are missing from some of the walls and it appears that the upper floors may have collapsed due to the rain coming in through the roof. Yet, the building still stands.
A “For Sale Sign” is visible on the 1944 entry board but it is old. The Land Revitalization Authority, the St. Louis City delinquent property owner, took over the property in 1996. According to city records, it has been vacant since at least 1995. The city condemned the building in January 2013, which means a date with the wrecking ball is on tap within the next few months. The city will demolish 1942-44 Hebert Street with nary a whimper. Neighbors will celebrate that they do not have to live with the eye sore anymore. Old North St. Louis has been experiencing a revitalization. Residents are saving the buildings. If the 1942-44 Hebert Street could have still been intact a little longer, rehabbers could have saved the building.
Photo of the back of 1942-44 Hebert Street from 2009 (Courtesy of Geo St. Louis)
Unfortunately, short sighted urban planners thought it would be a great idea to let the older housing stock in the north section of the city rot. The city could demolish the old housing and replace it with newer housing. Builders constructed south side buildings over a series of caves, so the sinkholes in the area made it difficult to build. The North side built up sooner, so the buildings tend to be older.
Naturally, the housing stock was older, but city planners gave little thought to its place in the history of the city or the superior construction of the time. 1942-44 Hebert Street is an eye sore now but in 1930 it was a haven for a widow with a young son, who wanted to be closer to her family. An all too familiar tale of a sad end to a once proud structure on the North Side.
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