May is Preservation Month, when we celebrate places that matter to us and what makes them meaningful. Particular attention is paid to preservation of historic architecture, an ongoing endeavor throughout St. Louis and specifically in Dutchtown. Whether you’re just patching the roof of your old two-family, keeping your bungalow looking tidy, or gut-rehabbing a massive old building, your neighbors appreciate your commitment to preserving the built environment that makes Dutchtown special.

In honor of Preservation Month, we’re going to take a look at some previous preservation efforts in Dutchtown. Every year, the Landmarks Association of St. Louis bestows their Most Enhanced Places Awards to outstanding rehabilitation projects, notable additions to historic buildings, and/or new buildings that respect their historic context.

Dutchtown has had several Most Enhanced Award recipients over the years. Let’s take a look back at some of our winners.

5201-5203 Virginia

This mixed-use building with storefronts below and apartments above was a recipient of the Most Enhanced Award in 2017. The rehabbed building features restored pressed metal ceilings and woodwork. Dutchtown’s own Anthony Duncan was the architect on the project. You can get a peek inside this building at DT2’s After Hours with Pop-Up Professionals on June 20th.

2900 Cherokee

This three-story building at Cherokee and Nebraska received the Most Enhanced Award in 2016. The building features a fantastic cast iron store front. Twenty years of vacancy made this one of the more challenging projects on Cherokee Street, but Cherokee Street developer Will Liebermann breathed new life into this important piece of Cherokee’s fabric.

Fox Manor Apartments, 4700 Spring

The Fox Manor Apartments project was an unlikely candidate for an award usually bestowed upon buildings with a bit more storied history behind them. The mid-century low-rise apartments near St. Mary’s High School were long a trouble spot and an eyesore. But in 2014, Landmarks chose Fox Manor due to its benefits to the surrounding historic neighborhoods by improving aesthetics, safety, property values, and functionality.

2608-2610 Cherokee

2608-2610 Cherokee received the Most Enhanced Award in 2011 after surviving over fifteen years of vacancy and unfortunate mid-century alterations to its historic storefronts. Cherokee Street architect Peter Hammond used clues from an old photograph to piece together the brick, stone, and cast iron facade as it originally appeared.

Keep on preserving, Dutchtown! There’s still a project or two around the neighborhood. Maybe you can be the next Most Enhanced Award winner!

The Dutchtown Bike Tour and Blessing of the Bikes returns in 2018! This year the Bike Tour, which starts and ends at Urban Eats Café, will cross paths with the STL Open Streets event on Compton from Meramec to Cherokee.

The Blessing of the Bikes is a yearly tradition at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church. Prior to the blessing at 9:30am, young riders are invited to come by St. Anthony’s for a complimentary helmet adjustment and bike safety check. All are welcome to have their bicycles, skateboards, rollerblades, or other wheeled personal transport blessed.

After the Blessing of the Bikes, head one block down Meramec to Urban Eats to sign waivers and pick up a map (or download a PDF here in advance). The first 25 riders to arrive receive a free water and coupon for an Urban Eats snack or lunch later in the afternoon.

At 10:30am, the Bike Tour heads out from Urban Eats. The guided tour will take you through Dutchtown’s multiple parks and by a few other notable idyllic landmarks. The path is approximately three miles and will take a little over an hour to complete.

The last stop on the Bike Tour route is Marquette Park. Riders will come down Osage and round the corner at the KDHX Live Stage onto Compton with the Open Streets crowd cheering them on. They’ll then head back to the start at Urban Eats, arriving around 11:30am.

Riders looking to get some additional miles in are encouraged to continue on the self-guided tour of South Grand, Carondelet Park, the Christy Greenway, and the River des Peres Trail. The extended route is about a sixteen mile round trip.

The Dutchtown Bike Tour is brought to us by Trailnet, the Downtown Dutchtown Business Association, and Urban Eats Café.

As reported by NextSTL, STL Open Streets is relaunching in Dutchtown this year! On Saturday, June 2nd, Compton Avenue will be closed to cars from Cherokee to Meramec. Neighbors will be encouraged to walk, bike, and play in the open street.

Streets make up a large portion of and are the most visible public spaces within our urban environment. These spaces (streets) have largely come to be viewed as places for moving cars. They should be seen as the connective tissue of our communities, where people can move freely, connecting with other people, and to necessary goods, services, and amenities. When we dedicate these spaces only to cars, we miss out on the beautiful opportunities for chance interactions residents may have while walking, biking, or out enjoying their community…

By opening our local streets to better connect parks, business districts, neighborhoods, educational centers and other community resources, residents get the opportunity to experience an enhanced quality of life and promote a vision for the future of their neighborhood that fosters stronger use of public space, resources and amenities. Additionally, Open Streets events demonstrate the ease by which you can get to so many great resources while walking or biking and encourage a stronger street life for these experiences… By reclaiming our street space with these events, we have the chance to transform neighborhoods into well connected and sustainable places.

The Open Streets event on Compton coincides with the reopening of the Marquette Park Pool, the South Side’s only free public pool. The PIER (Prevention, Intervention, Enforcement, and Reentry) Public Health Resource Fair will also be taking place in Marquette Park. And KDHX will be presenting live music on the stage at Compton and Osage.

The Open Streets activities run from 11am to 2pm. Activities include sports and games, food and cooking demonstrations, art projects, public transportation presentations, and more. The Metro Mobile Market pop-up farmers market will be on hand.

Participating organizations include Trailnet, KDHX, Thomas Dunn Learning Center, Metro, Downtown Dutchtown Business Association, and Revitalize St. Louis. DutchtownSTL.org will also be there handing out free stickers and making postcards. Come get your gear and represent Dutchtown!

Dutchtown Bike Tour

Open Streets dovetails perfectly with the annual Blessing of the Bikes and Dutchtown Bike Tour! After a trip around the neighborhood beginning at Urban Eats Café, the tour will head down Compton through Marquette Park before wrapping up. Hop on the Bike Tour then join in at Open Streets! Read our post about the Dutchtown Bike Tour to find out more.

STL Open Streets Support Night

On Thursday, May 17th, two Cherokee Street businesses will be raising funds for STL Open Streets. Earthbound Beer and Yaqui’s Pizza will both be donating 10% of their proceeds for the evening. Both establishments open for business at 4pm. Come down and have a drink to help support this exciting event!

Whether you’re new to the neighborhood, considering buying instead of renting, or just looking for a change of scenery, there’s always something for you in Dutchtown!

They say good things come in small packages. In this post we’ll be taking a look at some of the cozier offerings in Dutchtown. These smaller houses are great for renters who are tired of close quarters with the neighbors, folks looking to simplify and downsize, or singles and couples who want a backyard for their fur babies or summer cookouts.

Please note, we are not real estate professionals, we just have the strong opinion that you should consider our neighborhood. This post is not sponsored. The information presented below is accurate according to Zillow at the time of publishing.

4348 Compton

3 bedroom • 1 bath • 848 square feet • $104,900

This little castle on Compton can architecturally hold its own among anything St. Louis has to offer. Gorgeous details truly set this home apart. View on Zillow.

5531 Louisiana

2 bedroom • 1 bath • 971 square feet • $89,900

An open concept floor plan makes the most of the square footage in this baby bungalow. And everything has been redone, top to bottom. View on Zillow.

2207 Alberta

2 bedroom • 1 bath • 954 square feet • $59,900

You won’t find many freshly rehabbed homes at any size for this price. And look at that kitchen! View on Zillow.

2857 Osceola

3 bedroom • 2 bath • 1700 square feet • $120,000

At 1700 square feet, this isn’t quite “small,” but it’s definitely more than meets the eye. An impressive but diminutive facade gives way to three levels of living. This mini-palace in Mount Pleasant also offers lots of exposed brick and a huge deck in the back. View on Zillow.

5020 Alabama

2 bedroom • 1 bath • 1058 square feet • $75,000

This home makes the most of the shotgun cottages common to this part of Dutchtown with an open floor plan. The big, level back yard is a blank canvas for your gardening dreams. View on Zillow.

May starts off big with the Cherokee Street Cinco de Mayo Festival and the People’s Joy Parade. There’s also plenty going on throughout the rest of the month. Don’t forget to check our calendar regularly, sign up for our mailing list, and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for all the latest events.

Cherokee Street Cinco de Mayo

Saturday, May 5th, is the annual Cinco de Mayo Festival on Cherokee Street from Nebraska to Jefferson. Enjoy food and drink, live music on three stages, dance, children’s activities, Lucha Libre Wrestling, and more. The People’s Joy Parade, featuring homemade costumes and floats, begins at 1:11pm at Cherokee and Minnesota and winds its way through the neighborhood to Cherokee and Texas.

Neighborhood Meetings

Gravois Park and Dutchtown West both hold their regular meetings on Tuesday, May 8th. Gravois Park meets at 6pm at 3353 California (just north of Cherokee in the old Jefferson Bank building). Dutchtown West meets at 7pm at the banquet hall at Grbic Restaurant.

The Cherokee Street Business Association meets Thursday, May 17th, 5:30pm at Nebula. Business owners, property owners, and residents are all encouraged to attend.

Mount Pleasant has their quarterly meeting this month. They will meet on Wednesday, May 30th at 7pm at the Gretchen Inn at the Feasting Fox.

Thomas Dunn Learning Center

Come to Thomas Dunn Learning Center on Thursday morning, May 3rd for What’s Brewing? Arts and Culture in Dutchtown Neighborhood Revitalization, a conversation exploring arts and culture in community development. The event is free but registration is required.

On Thursday, May 10th, Thomas Dunn will host a reception and exhibition for Artists First STL, an open studio that fosters independence through self-expression for artists of all abilities.

Also, now is the time to sign up for free summer day camps for youths at Thomas Dunn. Camps include ceramics, cooking, leadership, and coding. The City of St. Louis also offers additional free camps at Thomas Dunn and other locations in the neighborhood and across the city.

As always, Thomas Dunn Learning Center offers open art and computer labs, HiSET GED classes, parenting education, and other services. Check out their calendar for dates and times.

Dutchtown South Community Corporation

DSCC begins their series of landlord workshops on Wednesday, May 9th, 6pm at Thomas Dunn Learning Center. This first meeting focuses on basic financial management. Meetings in June and July will cover fair housing issues, tenants’ rights, and energy efficient and eco-friendly rehab construction.

So Fresh, So Clean, So Creative, DSCC’s initiative to address waste issues in the neighborhood, will be hosting a cleanup on Sunday, May 27th, starting at 11am at Love Bank Park at Cherokee and Nebraska. (Other cleanups around the neighborhood can be found on our site at dutchtownstl.org/cleanup.)

The Community Empowerment Committee meets on Wednesday, May 30th, 6pm at Thomas Dunn Learning Center. Dinner and childcare are provided.

Elsewhere in Dutchtown

Habitat for Humanity St. Louis opens their new headquarters and ReStore on Tuesday, May 1st at Grand and Chippewa in the former National building. The ReStore is open to the public and features nearly 20,000 square feet of new or reusable construction and remodeling materials.

The Gravois-Jefferson Historic Neighborhoods Plan will be considered for adoption by the St. Louis Planning Commission on May 2nd. Find out more about the plan and how to submit feedback at this link.

Flow Yoga and Art at 3137 Meramec is hosting their first Yoga and Salad Session on Wednesday, May 2nd at 6:30pm. Start with an hour long yoga class for all levels, then enjoy vegan salads and other healthy refreshments.

The Downtown Dutchtown Marketplace continues every Saturday, from 9am to 3pm. The Marketplace starts at the Feasting Fox and continues down Meramec. Find antiques, art, collectibles, a farmers market, and more.

The Dutchtown Community Improvement District hold their regular committee and board meetings throughout the month. Committees include Beautification and Maintenance, Marketing and Development, and Safety and Security. Meet with the committee that suits your interests or attend a board meeting to see how it all comes together.

The Feasting Fox celebrates Gin Week May 7th through May 12th with tastings and discussions with distillers. The South City Sipsters will meet during Gin Week on Thursday, May 10th, and will get to sample and learn about gin in addition to the usual beer and wine. The Feasting Fox will also be offering a special Mother’s Day Brunch including an all-you-can-eat buffet (reservations are required).

The Cherokee Street Community Market at Love Bank Park begins Wednesday, May 9th at 4:30pm and will pop up once a month through October. The market features fresh produce, hot food, art, and entertainment.

The Downtown Dutchtown Business Association‘s monthly DT2 After Hours will be hosted by Queen’s Nail Salon at 3315 Meramec. Come by to meet the new neighbors, enjoy some refreshments, and get a quick mani/pedi.

The first annual Cherokee Caravan Antiques and Art Bazaar is on Memorial Day along Cherokee Antique Row. The Bazaar will feature local and out-of-town antique vendors and makers as well as food trucks and live entertainment.

As always, make sure to check our calendar regularly, sign up for our mailing list, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. If you have an event in Dutchtown, Gravois Park, Mount Pleasant, Marine Villa, or Cherokee Street that you’d like us to share, please contact us or email info@dtstl.org.

Top photo courtesy of Paul Sableman.