All Entries Tagged With: "agriburbia"
Photo Essay: Dave Naumann’s Native NoCo
An adventurer at heart, local attorney Dave Naumann likes going off the beaten path to explore the hidden natural areas of North County.
As the year closes out and I look back at all the reasons I’ve had to be grateful in 2011, I can’t help but think of you, dear NOCO readers. Since I launched this blog two years ago, I’ve gotten to meet so many amazing people, both here in North County and throughout St. Louis. Hundreds of you have emailed with story ideas or insightful comments, and quite a few have even offered to help. Thank you!
One of those generous “helpers” is David Naumann, a Florissant attorney and lifelong NoCo resident whose passion is hiking and biking North County’s many unspoiled pockets of wilderness. Dave knows the area’s trails and hidden pathways probably better than anyone, and lucky for us, he always brings a camera along.
He has been offering to share his images for months now, and I finally got a chance to pull them all together. I have to admit, some of them are so gorgeous, they even made me wonder if they’re really in North County. But of course they are!
Many thanks to Dave Naumann for these beautiful photos, and to everyone who read NOCO and supported North County this year! You are truly appreciated!! Enjoy…
1480 Alicia: your own private NoCo wonderland
Just a few years ago, this wonderfully unique Ferguson estate was listed for nearly $700,000. Today, it can be yours for a small fraction of that...
If you’re a regular NOCO reader, you know that I love to highlight North County’s many hidden gems. Well, this one is certainly very well hidden, and there’s absolutely no doubt that it’s a diamond in the rough. In fact, this sprawling house at 1480 Alicia Avenue may be one of the coolest places I’ve ever come across in NoCo.
For one, it sits on ten acres! And that’s ten lush, wooded acres with a natural creek and a horse pasture, all tucked away on a private road in the heart of Ferguson. As if that’s not awesome enough, the property also has a horse stable, a huge workshop building and a massive, one-of-a-kind house……a 4,700-square-foot executive home that offers all kinds of great possibilities.
Back in 2006, when the city of Ferguson considered developing this land into a new subdivision, the asking price was a whopping $695,000. But now, thanks to our lackluster economy, you can snag this incredible suburban wonderland for just $199,900!
So what’s the catch? I have to be honest, it’s a pretty big one.
Cosmetically, this place is a mess. Seriously. There isn’t a single room that doesn’t need work, and there are many, many rooms to deal with. But, if you’re willing to get your hands dirty and spend a decent chunk of change on renovations, you just might wind up with one of the sweetest private retreats in all of St. Louis.
And did I mention that 1480 Alicia is historical as well? Click on pic #1 for the full story….
OK, so now that you’ve seen the property, you’re probably thinking, “Holy cow, that place is huge!” And I agree. It is a little too much for most families. But here are some out-of-the-box ideas to consider…
Given the size and nature of the lot and the duplex-like layout of the house, 1480 Alicia could be uniquely suited for a number of uses. In my mind, I totally see it as a bed & breakfast, a mini farm, a corporate retreat center, even a spiritual/wellness/yoga destination. It could also make an ideal site for a work-at-home artist, a homeschooling family, or even two families seeking self-sufficiency and a co-housing arrangement, though a zoning variance might be necessary.
Whichever way you look at it, this property is bursting with potential. And I really want to find someone who will appreciate and love this place and make it the very best it can be. So if you’re interested in taking a closer look, give me a call at (314) 359-5927. My broker, Pearce Neikirk, has the official listing on this property, and I would be happy to show it to you…
That’s right. In case you missed my big announcement, I recently became a licensed real estate agent, specializing in vintage, historical and unique homes just like this!
1865 S. New Florissant: a fixer-upper Spanish gem
Built in 1932, this adorable Spanish Revival house sits in a private corner of Florissant on nearly an acre. It's also priced crazy cheap...
Whenever I drive past this classic 1932 bungalow perched high atop a shady hill on Florissant Road, I can’t help but think of Los Angeles. The home’s Spanish Revival style, so popular during Hollywood’s golden era, is a common sight in southern California, gracing everything from sprawling mansions to old movie theaters. But here in the Midwest, well….these babies are pretty rare.
Even more unusual is the fact that this house sits on close to an acre – a peaceful, private oasis you would never expect. Also surprising (or maybe not, considering the economy): it’s listed for just $25,500!
From what I can tell, the property was once part of the Andrew Harper estate – a totally cool story on its own. If you’re ever driving south on Florissant Road (just south of Highway 270), turn right on a street called Bascom and be prepared to have your jaw drop. You’ll pass one modest cracker box after another, nothing special. Then all of a sudden, you’ll see a big ol’ Federal-style house halfway down the street, almost like it’s out of a time warp. It was built around 1840, prior to the Civil War, and it remains one of the oldest houses in St. Louis County.
Businessman Andrew Harper lived here from roughly 1845 to 1878, but by 1925 a subsequent owner began selling off the land for development. The charming brick bungalows along Jean Drive were part of that initial building phase, back when Florissant Road was still a rural route and 270 didn’t even exist. Our sweet little Spanish house at #1865 came just a bit later.
As you can see in this aerial view, the property stretches waaaayyyy back from Florissant Road. Behind it is another very long parcel – the site of another gorgeous private estate, circa 1927. But that one’s not for sale. This one is….
Typical of foreclosures, the condition is definitely rough, but OH, what potential! I might even buy this house myself! It has three bedrooms and 1.5 baths in 1,002 square feet – which is small, yes. But there’s plenty of space to expand.
You get a half story upstairs, a full basement downstairs and a “two-car detached garage” that, quite frankly, should probably be torn down. Just looking around the outside of the house, I see water damage on the front porch, huge original gutters that probably need to be updated/repaired, and original windows that should either be re-glazed or replaced. I also smelled a slightly musty odor, so who knows what the basement has going on. Maybe it just needs fresh air??
On the positive side, the basement does have nice glass block windows. There are also many original details throughout the house, including lovely wood moldings, decorative vent grates, period doors and lighting, hardwood floors (some under carpet) and a fabulous Spanish-style fireplace (painted blue). More good news: the HVAC unit looks newer and a good deal of the back yard is fenced.
All in all, this house is most certainly a project waiting to happen. But for $25,500, you could renovate the whole place and still come out ahead. And just imagine the garden you could grow on your .78 acres! There’s even room for an orchard…
For more information about 1865 S. New Florissant, which is conveniently located mere seconds from Highway 270, check out the official listing or contact realtor Jamie Loftus at (314) 731-0006.
Historic one-room schoolhouse for sale in NoCo
Formerly known as the Hyatt Valley School, this 19th-century schoolhouse-turned-private residence is now on the market for a bargain price.
If you know anyone who grew up around the time of the Great Depression, you’ve probably heard some variation of this story. As my 83-year-old grandpa tells it, he used to walk three miles to his humble one-room schoolhouse, through farm fields, over dirt roads and in every kind of weather, often carrying his lunch in his pocket: one hard-boiled egg.
Of course, every time I hear this story the snow gets deeper and the miles get longer. Sometimes my grandpa even has a hole in his shoe. He loves to tell a good story. But I still understand his point….
Going to school during his era (and earlier) was enormously different from the educational system we know today. Back then, one-room schoolhouses were the norm in many American communities, including the rural townships that now comprise North County. Usually home to one female teacher who instructed 10-30 students of all ages in a single classroom, they numbered 190,000 in 1919. Today, only a few hundred remain in use nationwide.
If you want to learn more about some of our local one-room schoolhouses, most of which are long gone, I highly recommend the book History of the Hazelwood School District, which you can find at the library. But if you really want to explore the past, why not go all in and buy a vintage schoolhouse of your own?
Located at 1920 Shackelford, just beyond the Florissant border near Humes Lane, the former Hyatt Valley School is currently for sale…..and it can be yours for just $39,900.
Built around 1870, when this part of NoCo was still a rural community known as St. Ferdinand, the schoolhouse sits on land that was once part of Florissant’s “common fields.” Starting prior to the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, early settlers used and shared this fertile river valley for their farming, and in 1869, one square acre of it was deeded to the local board of education for use as a school.
Shackelford was just a wide dirt path back then, and this tiny schoolhouse was built to be quite a modest building….just a simple classroom for the local farm kids. Constructed from brick, it measured around 800 square feet and was originally heated by a pot belly stove. Not surprisingly, it also had outdoor toilets for decades and no electricity until 1932.
In 1950, after 70 years of use, Hyatt Valley School was closed after annexation by the new Hazelwood School District. It was auctioned off that same year and has been a private residence ever since. Today, I think it’s fair to say it’s just a neat old building in need of some major TLC.
As you can see from this 1911 photograph, the schoolhouse originally had large, arching windows and a massive front doorway. That has all changed. At one point it also had a small foyer (or anteroom) on the front, but that has since been replaced with a wooden front porch.
Inside….I might as well be blunt. Nothing is original. In fact, this place is definitely a victim of “remuddling,” as the editors of This Old House might put it. Tacky updates, poor maintenance…really, there hasn’t been a lot of love shown to this charming old building and its rich history.
But there is potential! For one, the schoolhouse sits on nearly an acre. And despite having frontage on busy Shackelford, it’s an amazingly private and peaceful lot that’s almost fully fenced. Talk about a perfect place for a garden or small farm! Wow!
Another upside: high ceilings and an open floor plan….or at least the bones for one. In my eyes, the schoolhouse is a big, airy loft/studio space just waiting to happen. OK, maybe not so big but definitely airy. It has a great vibe to it, and loads of natural light. Plus, if you buy it by June 30, you’ll be eligible for 3.5% in closing costs from Fannie Mae, since this is a foreclosure property.
Here’s a quick photo tour of the schoolhouse, now a one-bedroom, one-bathroom cottage… If you want more info, check out the official listing or contact realtor Jamie Loftus at (636) 397-7770.
By the way, thanks to reader Liz for the heads up on this story!
