During the demolition of the antebellum St. Bridget of Erin Roman Catholic Church (1859) on Jefferson Avenue near the former Pruitt-Igoe site, preservationists raised the cry of lament. Many observers decried the destruction of a beautiful red brick church where men may well have prayed before heading into Civil War combat, and whose role in North Side Irish-American history is undisputed.
The silver lining is that the church falls to expand LaSalle Middle School, not for another vacant lot. Still, vacant lots surround the site.
After demolition, the often-sagacious Alderman Terry Kennedy (D-18th) offered a different – but not necessarily incompatible – view. Kennedy made a good case why architectural preservation does not resonate always with black St. Louisans. He said people whose relatives may have been denied access to endangered old buildings could have a less than sanguine view of their retention.
Alderwoman Tammika Hubbard pointed out that North City’s deepest problems may not be threats to old buildings – at least as far as residents were concerned. Hubbard reminded those of us who work to conserve architectural heritage that it may not be a priority in many communities in need of hope.
Kennedy and Hubbard offer stark truth, as do the preservationists who were appalled by St. Bridget’s destruction without a public hearing.
St. Bridget of Erin, like many historic buildings, slipped through the gaps in the city’s demolition review process. The city’s preservation ordinance allows alderpersons to decide whether all or part of their wards have any protection for historic resources. The Fifth Ward, where St. Bridget is located, has no protection beyond officially landmarked structures. St. Bridget had no designation.
Lack of preservation review for much of the North Side may seem freeing for communities lacking the resources or market demand to tackle large, vacant historic buildings, but it also reinforces disparity. The map of city historic districts show blanket coverage for South City and the Central West End, but little designation north of Delmar. Monthly demolition permits record the depletion of buildings across the North Side, while construction permits make clear that capital is flowing into preservation south and central.
We need to reverse a city preservation ordinance that has allowed for the erasure of so much of the North Side. This is needed not because residents should be forced to abide with buildings valuable primarily to professional historians or communities that fled the neighborhoods, but because it would empower residents to defend the buildings that they identify as important.
While St. Bridget of Erin may not seem like part of living heritage in North City, Grace Baptist Church on Cass Avenue – the small church founded by Pruitt-Igoe resident Joel K. Davis in the 1960s – does. But Grace Baptist Church needs the people who admired St. Bridget’s so much to survive – just as the St. Bridget effort could have benefitted from more local support in surrounding neighborhoods.
Historic preservation need not be about buildings. In fact, at its finest, it is all about people – not people who used to inhabit places, but people who do so now. Cultural heritage suffers if people don’t have access to education or employment, so preservationists need to be allies to related causes. We need a collective, inclusive practice of preservation in St. Louis that builds new geographies and empowers new dreams – and transcends old divisions through common cause.
Michael R. Allen is director of the Preservation Research Office and a lecturer at Washington University.
