Friday, August 5, 2011
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Castle Ballroom Makes the National Register Weekly Highlights!
WEEKLY HIGHLIGHT
Castle Ballroom, St. Louis, Missouri
Built in 1908 in the Renaissance style, the Castle Ballroom in St. Louis, Missouri was designed as a dance hall and dancing academy. The dance hall was one of the major venues for social dancing and dance instruction in St. Louis prior to the dawn of the Jazz Age. By the 1930s, changing tastes in music and the nature of social dancing had transformed the city’s dancing scene into one that was driven by jazz bands rather than dance orchestras. Demographics had also shifted significantly by 1930 so that the city’s largest African American neighborhood had developed around the Castle Ballroom. For the next two decades the dance hall remained an important venue for African Americans in St. Louis. Although the last dance was held sometime in 1952, the dance hall still retains integrity and awaits restoration
Content was taken from this link : National Register Weekly Highlight
Monday, August 1, 2011
Historic Castle Ballroom Saint Louis is now FOR SALE- 2839 Olive St. 63103
Current Pricing and Details: CLICK HERE
Castle Ballroom Saint Louis is Added to the National Register for Historic Places
Nomiantion and Summary Below Provided by:
Lynn JossePublic History Consultant
(314) 229-0793
Built in 1908 as Cave Hall, the venue was designed as a dance hall and
dancing academy. The owners, Cornelius Ahern and Herman Albers, built the hall
when their previous venue closed. Cave Hall became one of the major venues for social
dancing and danceinstruction in St. Louis prior to the dawn of the Jazz Age. By the 1930s,
changing tastes in music and the nature of social dancing had transformed the city’s dancing scene
into one thatwas driven by jazz bands rather than dance orchestras, and the renamed Castle
Ballroom hosted many of the most famous acts of the 1930s and 1940s. Located at the edge of St.
Louis’ storied Mill Creek Valley neighborhood, the Castle became one of the only traditionally“white” halls toallow black customers. As the Castle transitioned into a black venue, it became one of only a
few major halls that catered to an African American clientele. Since the Mill Creek Valley
neighborhood was demolished almost in its entirety beginning in 1959, the Castle is one of the
few extant buildings with significant associations to that community.
dancing academy. The owners, Cornelius Ahern and Herman Albers, built the hall
when their previous venue closed. Cave Hall became one of the major venues for social
dancing and danceinstruction in St. Louis prior to the dawn of the Jazz Age. By the 1930s,
changing tastes in music and the nature of social dancing had transformed the city’s dancing scene
into one thatwas driven by jazz bands rather than dance orchestras, and the renamed Castle
Ballroom hosted many of the most famous acts of the 1930s and 1940s. Located at the edge of St.
Louis’ storied Mill Creek Valley neighborhood, the Castle became one of the only traditionally“white” halls toallow black customers. As the Castle transitioned into a black venue, it became one of only a
few major halls that catered to an African American clientele. Since the Mill Creek Valley
neighborhood was demolished almost in its entirety beginning in 1959, the Castle is one of the
few extant buildings with significant associations to that community.
Here's the link to the Castle Ballroom nomination:
http://www.dnr.mo.gov/shpo/nps-nr/11000024.pdf
http://www.dnr.mo.gov/shpo/nps-nr/11000024.pdf
Preservation Research Office-Publishes Blog About Castle Ballroom Saint Louis
Before I got the listing to sell the Castle Ballroom, curently listed FOR SALE one of my favorite bloggers published a post about it going up for nomination.
http://preservationresearch.com/2010/10/cass-bank-castle-ballroom-nominated-to-national-register/
Accidental Gal for the Job
I am not sure how I became the Real Estate Agent who seems to get Saint Louis' "challenge" properties that just so happen to be on the National Register of Historic Places, it just seemd to fall in my lap. True, I have only really had 3 listings on the Register up until this point, and only successfully have sold one (so far). That is besides the point, kinda. My goal is to start moving more into the marketing, selling and preservation of these properties as a sub-niche is you will. After spending over a year on Sugar Loaf Mound, I think I can handle just about anything.
So here is the story:
One day, sitting at my old RE office I picked up the phone and it just so happened to be someone wanting to list their property. I was excited, I mean really excited. It is what every junior agent dreams of, getting the opportunity to list a property off of an office call. However, I don't think that I knew what I was getting myself into. The owner's daughter on the other end of the line, was wanting me to interview for selling Saint Louis' Last Remaining Prehistoric Native American Mound. How in the heck do you sell something like that? How do you come to a value? I mean, the house sitting atop the mound was probably worth $50,000. How much value did the mound itself hold? Does it's value increase because it was the last one? What made it vauable? Who would buy it? What would they do with it?
Nervous and a bit scared I took my broker with me. Truth be told, I don't think he was much up for the challenge (at the time) and was a bit puzzled himself. Not liking to say, "NO" he agreed to let me take the listing because I was chomping at the bit to dig into the history.
I allowed the owner set the price, and I went to work on Google-ing, researching and making phone calls. I soaked up all I could from the owners, neighbors, websites, archaeologists, the people at Cahokia Mounds, Landmarks Saint Louis, the National Registry Nomination and the list goes on.
Armed with all my info I had to now discover how to market the property. I mean my previous broker was a marketing whiz, but all the knowledge he had previously shared with me was how to sell residential property, and do it well. However, who in the hell is looking to buy a MOUND on Zillow? Survey says, "They're NOT".
In cases like this one it is best to contact all the historical preservationists and press you can. People can't buy what they don't have an awarenss of. The public will not help preserve what they are not aware of. Saint Louis' historical sites & properties are disappearing at an alarming rate. Luckily for me, there are TONS of people interested in a MOUND. I answered more phone calls, delt with special interest groups, Native American Ceremony Groups, Politicians, Press, TV crews, Preservation Groups, Native American Tribes , Bloggers & New Age Groups than you could shake a stick at. The open house had close 150 people through it.
SIDE NOTE: did you know that once information about a mound goes public you have to watch the property for looters? Much like people in Egypt that dig around in tombs and steal treausres? Well, YOU DO. There are actually groups of people who do this.
So , there is how I stumbled into this whole scene. Google Sugar Loaf Mound St. Louis. I dare you. You will see what pops up.
So here is the story:
One day, sitting at my old RE office I picked up the phone and it just so happened to be someone wanting to list their property. I was excited, I mean really excited. It is what every junior agent dreams of, getting the opportunity to list a property off of an office call. However, I don't think that I knew what I was getting myself into. The owner's daughter on the other end of the line, was wanting me to interview for selling Saint Louis' Last Remaining Prehistoric Native American Mound. How in the heck do you sell something like that? How do you come to a value? I mean, the house sitting atop the mound was probably worth $50,000. How much value did the mound itself hold? Does it's value increase because it was the last one? What made it vauable? Who would buy it? What would they do with it?
Nervous and a bit scared I took my broker with me. Truth be told, I don't think he was much up for the challenge (at the time) and was a bit puzzled himself. Not liking to say, "NO" he agreed to let me take the listing because I was chomping at the bit to dig into the history.
I allowed the owner set the price, and I went to work on Google-ing, researching and making phone calls. I soaked up all I could from the owners, neighbors, websites, archaeologists, the people at Cahokia Mounds, Landmarks Saint Louis, the National Registry Nomination and the list goes on.
Armed with all my info I had to now discover how to market the property. I mean my previous broker was a marketing whiz, but all the knowledge he had previously shared with me was how to sell residential property, and do it well. However, who in the hell is looking to buy a MOUND on Zillow? Survey says, "They're NOT".
In cases like this one it is best to contact all the historical preservationists and press you can. People can't buy what they don't have an awarenss of. The public will not help preserve what they are not aware of. Saint Louis' historical sites & properties are disappearing at an alarming rate. Luckily for me, there are TONS of people interested in a MOUND. I answered more phone calls, delt with special interest groups, Native American Ceremony Groups, Politicians, Press, TV crews, Preservation Groups, Native American Tribes , Bloggers & New Age Groups than you could shake a stick at. The open house had close 150 people through it.
SIDE NOTE: did you know that once information about a mound goes public you have to watch the property for looters? Much like people in Egypt that dig around in tombs and steal treausres? Well, YOU DO. There are actually groups of people who do this.
So , there is how I stumbled into this whole scene. Google Sugar Loaf Mound St. Louis. I dare you. You will see what pops up.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Sugar Loaf Mound Sale Has been Completed
Sugar Loaf Mound in Saint Louis was sold to it's new owners on August 1, 2009. The Osage Nation Tribe has purchased the property for the purpose of historical preservation and possibly a cultural center. It was always the wish of the previous owners to pass this property on to someone that was interested in its preservation. The buyers and sellers were very cooperative with one another and sailed towards a smooth closing to benefit all. The mound sold for $235,000.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
We lowered the price by 50K
Sugar Loaf Mound's price has been lowered to $350,000. We expect to have more traffic as a result.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Urban Review STL gets in on the action
Famed Saint Louis blogger Steve Patterson decided to toss in his thoughts on the mound http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/?p=4359. Steve is my co-agent on another historic property, South Side Tower. I have no idea how I fell into the niche of listing properties that are on the National Register for Historic Places, but I love it! South Side Tower is the art deco gem once known as the South Side National Bank Building at Grand and Gravois.
The old building has been turned into 13 luxury condos by The Lawrence Group. There are only 5 remaining units in the building. I believe that this building has some of the most unique and spectacular views of Saint Louis City. To view some great pictures taken by another Saint Louis blogger click this link http://www.romeofthewest.com/2008/11/view-from-top.html
Monday, November 10, 2008
South County Hoosier writes about mound house
Another link just popped up about the mound. I would like to meet this person......Most people that write about the mound I have met or know who they are. Did you come to the open house? Shoot me an email....I would love to get you in there and take a look at the view.
http://socohoosier.blogspot.com/2008/11/sugar-loaf-mound-house.html
http://socohoosier.blogspot.com/2008/11/sugar-loaf-mound-house.html
Interesting site tracks Sugar Loaf Mound
The following is from a website whose link is at the bottom of the page. Non of the material below is wrotten by the author of this blog......
"Artificial Mound in Saint Louis County, Missouri.Sugarloaf is the last remnant of the Saint Louis earthen mounds. It was one of the southern most mounds in the area and lies on a ridge directly above the Mississippi River's west side, and south of the modern city's original center.Sugarloaf has been drastically reduced in size from two homes built directly on the mound and a major highway having clipped the side of the original structure. No focused excavation has ever been made, and even the age of the mound is unknown.Saint Louis's nickname, Mound City, came from a large Mississippian era mound complex, dating to the same era as the larger Cahokia city and mound complex (1050 - 1200 AD). These mounds on the west side of the river were destroyed over the years to make way for city of Saint Louis - most of the structures were used for fill dirt. Sugarloaf, an out lier that may not have been directly associated with the Mississippian complex, may date from the earlier Woodland era.The mound is on the National Register of Historic Places. "
http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=22228&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0
"Artificial Mound in Saint Louis County, Missouri.Sugarloaf is the last remnant of the Saint Louis earthen mounds. It was one of the southern most mounds in the area and lies on a ridge directly above the Mississippi River's west side, and south of the modern city's original center.Sugarloaf has been drastically reduced in size from two homes built directly on the mound and a major highway having clipped the side of the original structure. No focused excavation has ever been made, and even the age of the mound is unknown.Saint Louis's nickname, Mound City, came from a large Mississippian era mound complex, dating to the same era as the larger Cahokia city and mound complex (1050 - 1200 AD). These mounds on the west side of the river were destroyed over the years to make way for city of Saint Louis - most of the structures were used for fill dirt. Sugarloaf, an out lier that may not have been directly associated with the Mississippian complex, may date from the earlier Woodland era.The mound is on the National Register of Historic Places. "
http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=22228&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0
Open house a success! Would you like to see another one?
The first open house for the Sugar Loaf Mound House was a huge success. We must have had at least 100-150 people. I had the pleasure of meeting many wonderful people that day. Some of Walter's friends came by and told more colorful stories. The neighbor who had lived there since she was 7 years old stopped over for a minute. Archaeologists, preservationists, and photographers all were there. I was never in need of company. I was truly excited to see so many people with so much interest on the mound.
Many people had viewed the mound house from the highway on their way to work every morning and had always been curious. Another large majority of people were those who have always favored a river view. There are so many possibilities for the property in the future. Someone could renovate the house and enjoy an urban getaway, build a new house, or turn the property into a park. I would love to hear every one's ideas!
I have found a flickr site for photos that were taken that day. The link is published here http://www.flickr.com/photos/jerkinhead/sets/72157608816255131/
Many people had viewed the mound house from the highway on their way to work every morning and had always been curious. Another large majority of people were those who have always favored a river view. There are so many possibilities for the property in the future. Someone could renovate the house and enjoy an urban getaway, build a new house, or turn the property into a park. I would love to hear every one's ideas!
I have found a flickr site for photos that were taken that day. The link is published here http://www.flickr.com/photos/jerkinhead/sets/72157608816255131/
NOTE: The photo used for this blog was taken by a visitor (Mark Scott Abeln) to the mound and sent to me via email. View his blog here http://www.romeofthewest.com/
That is it for now..........
Leigh :)
That is it for now..........
Leigh :)
Landmarks Association provides great history
Andrew Weil has posted a great article/blog about the history of the mound on the Landmarks' website. I was shocked to learn that people have been interested in preserving Saint Louis' mounds as early as the 1880's. I thought preservation was something that always started as an afterthought, many years later. There was also a call for Sugar Loaf to become a park in the 40's...
Another thing I was astonished by was when someone referred to the mound as "Saint Louis' oldest standing man made structure." Amazing! I had never thought of it like that.
click the link to read the whole article
http://www.landmarks-stl.org/news/the_last_standing_mound_in_mound_st_louis_city_is_for_sale/
Another thing I was astonished by was when someone referred to the mound as "Saint Louis' oldest standing man made structure." Amazing! I had never thought of it like that.
click the link to read the whole article
http://www.landmarks-stl.org/news/the_last_standing_mound_in_mound_st_louis_city_is_for_sale/
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Sugar Loaf Mound in the news today!
Two very popular publications/news outlets featured the mound today.
Saint Louis Posit Dispatch wrote a lovely article. To read it follow the link below
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/C0638F0B7471B539862574F70016C0CD?OpenDocument
The blog Ecology of Absence written by Michael Allen also featured the mound. See link below
http://ecoabsence.blogspot.com/
Saint Louis Posit Dispatch wrote a lovely article. To read it follow the link below
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/C0638F0B7471B539862574F70016C0CD?OpenDocument
The blog Ecology of Absence written by Michael Allen also featured the mound. See link below
http://ecoabsence.blogspot.com/
I stand corrected...It can't always be that romantic
In an earlier post I had stated that the first owner of the Sugar Loaf House had been a river boat captain. I had gotten that information from both Walter and the next door neighbor who had lived there since a child. So, naturally when telling the history of the house to people I repeated what I had heard. Tonight I received an email from Andrew Weil of Landmarks Association Saint Louis, Inc. telling me that my information may have been incorrect.
"I have some interesting news for you regarding 4420 Ohio. It turns out that the home was built by a man named Frederick E. Adams (of Ohio) and his wife Nellie (From Arkansas). Adams was a molder at an iron foundry, not a riverboat pilot. I found them in the Gould's Red and Blue Book in 1929 and then looked them up in the 1930 census. Sorry, I know it is not as romantic as riverboat captain, but it appears to be the truth." -Andrew
Landmarks is a local non-profit that helps preserve Saint Louis' historic places through education. Andrew is a researcher there who has been very helpful with helping guide me through the history of the mound.
Who I am to change history? It was an honest mistake and I am sure that Walter and the neighbor might take issue with this news. However, for my part in this I apologize and kindly defer to the researchers. I encourage any readers of this blog that are interested in Saint Louis history and historic places to check out Landmarks' website http://www.landmarks-stl.org/
Thanks again Andrew!
"I have some interesting news for you regarding 4420 Ohio. It turns out that the home was built by a man named Frederick E. Adams (of Ohio) and his wife Nellie (From Arkansas). Adams was a molder at an iron foundry, not a riverboat pilot. I found them in the Gould's Red and Blue Book in 1929 and then looked them up in the 1930 census. Sorry, I know it is not as romantic as riverboat captain, but it appears to be the truth." -Andrew
Landmarks is a local non-profit that helps preserve Saint Louis' historic places through education. Andrew is a researcher there who has been very helpful with helping guide me through the history of the mound.
Who I am to change history? It was an honest mistake and I am sure that Walter and the neighbor might take issue with this news. However, for my part in this I apologize and kindly defer to the researchers. I encourage any readers of this blog that are interested in Saint Louis history and historic places to check out Landmarks' website http://www.landmarks-stl.org/
Thanks again Andrew!
Why did Walter want to live there?
I was fortunate enough to be able to talk with Walter for a bit before he left town. I was curious about why he wanted to live there. Did Walter always want to own a Native American Mound? Did Walter even know that is was a mound when he bought it? I wanted to know what the draw was for him. After all, there weren't that many neighbors and there were other houses that were much larger. So I asked, "Walter why did you want to live there?". The answer I received was a marvelous one related to more of Saint Louis' nearly forgotten history.
Walter as a young man belonged to what he called "the poor mans' rowing club". Walter had belonged to the Saint Louis Rowing Club, a club that had teams of rowers that raced competitively. These competitions were called regattas and they were held on the Mississippi River. Walter love to row and so began his love affair with the river.
When it came time for Walter to purchase a house he knew it had to be on the river. The large mansions that dotted Broadway were a little out of his price range so he went on a search. When he came across Sugar Loaf House he knew he had to have it. He approached the current owner and asked if he would like to sell. Unfortunately for Walter he wasn't quite ready to move at the time. Walter gave the man his phone number and 10 years later his phone rang with the opportunity to move to the river. Without any hesitation Walter purchase the home at 4420 Ohio in 1962 and has lived there ever since until a couple weeks ago.
Walter was told by the previous owner that he was now owner of Sugar Loaf but he didn't recognize the importance until people started showing up at his door. Walter over the years has graciously been allowing people access to the mound for various reasons, and keeping an ever watchful eye.
I tried to do some research about the rowing clubs but was unable to find much. If anyone has any information or pictures I would love to view them!
Walter as a young man belonged to what he called "the poor mans' rowing club". Walter had belonged to the Saint Louis Rowing Club, a club that had teams of rowers that raced competitively. These competitions were called regattas and they were held on the Mississippi River. Walter love to row and so began his love affair with the river.
When it came time for Walter to purchase a house he knew it had to be on the river. The large mansions that dotted Broadway were a little out of his price range so he went on a search. When he came across Sugar Loaf House he knew he had to have it. He approached the current owner and asked if he would like to sell. Unfortunately for Walter he wasn't quite ready to move at the time. Walter gave the man his phone number and 10 years later his phone rang with the opportunity to move to the river. Without any hesitation Walter purchase the home at 4420 Ohio in 1962 and has lived there ever since until a couple weeks ago.
Walter was told by the previous owner that he was now owner of Sugar Loaf but he didn't recognize the importance until people started showing up at his door. Walter over the years has graciously been allowing people access to the mound for various reasons, and keeping an ever watchful eye.
I tried to do some research about the rowing clubs but was unable to find much. If anyone has any information or pictures I would love to view them!
Monday, November 3, 2008
Open House Sunday
The Sugar Loaf Mound House will be open this Sunday November 9, 2008 from 12-4 pm. Please feel free to stop by even if you are just a curiosity seeker. I will be on hand to answer any questions that you may have about the property and house. Please park on the side of the road opposite from the house if at all possible. Hopefully, it will be a lovely day and we will have tons of fun.
The house is located at 4420 Ohio St. Saint Louis, MO 63111 near highway 55 and Broadway. Please feel free to post questions here!
The house is located at 4420 Ohio St. Saint Louis, MO 63111 near highway 55 and Broadway. Please feel free to post questions here!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Sugar Loaf Mound:A brief history
The house on Sugar Loaf Mound has been the Strosnider family home for nearly half a century. Walter Strosnider and his wife Eileen waited nearly 10 years for the home on the river that they had always admired to become available. The Strosniders purchased the house in 1962.Since the houses construction in 1928 it has had 3 owners. The first owner was a river boat captain who had the house built into the side of the mound.
Sugar Loaf Mound is the last surviving prehistoric Native American mound in Saint Louis. Saint Louis used to have lots of mounds. In fact, it had so many mounds that it used to be called "Mound City". One by one the mounds were brought down in the interest of expansion and development. Surprisingly, the very thing that saved this mound was the very thing that brought all the others down. When Captain Adams built his house into the side of the mound so he could enjoy the best views of the river he prevented it's likely demolition.
The mound is probably 1,000 or more years old. There is much speculation about what the mound was used for. Some say it was a signal mound, while others say it was used for a temple or burial. Whatever the original use was it is beautiful and so are the views.
I encourage people to come view this property while it is on the market. This may be the only time for another 50 years that you will be able to take in the scenery from the top of this mound. The first open house open to the public will be November 9, 2008 from 12-4 pm.
This blog will be updated with more rich stories and history about the mound, its owners, and Saint Louis history. Please keep checking back!
Sugar Loaf Mound in the Suburban Journal
Sugar loaf mound was mentioned in the Suburban Journal this week.
http://suburbanjournals.stltoday.com/articles/2008/10/28/south/life/1029ssj-mound0.txt
Click the link to see what they are saying!
http://suburbanjournals.stltoday.com/articles/2008/10/28/south/life/1029ssj-mound0.txt
Click the link to see what they are saying!
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