Landmarks' Eleven Most Enhanced Awards were inaugurated in 1996
as a way to recognize at least a few of the thousands of rehabbers
whose labors make St. Louis a better place to live and work every year.

Eleven key projects and their developers were recognized at a reception
held in the ArtLoft in May 1997.  Above are two snapshots of the event.
In the photo on the left, Alderwoman Sharon Tyus, a Lexington School teacher, and a proud parent watch as Executive Director Carolyn Toft congratulates a student at the Lexington School. The photo on the right shows Tim Boyle, developer of the ArtLoft, describing some of the trials
and triumphs (100% occupancy rate!) of rehabbing the Washington
Avenue building in which the reception was held.

The projects honored reflect the range of efforts being undertaken to revitalize our city -- from publicly financed park works to home rehabs representing hard work and private neighborhood re-investment. Many
of the awardees used creative combinations of public incentives, grant
and loan money, and private money to make their projects work.

Doorways first studied the possiblity of reusing the orphanage in 1993. By 1995, the boards had come off and rehabilitation was underway. The completed Doorways Supportive Housing Facility, opened in February 1997, provides housing, food, health care, and a variety of other services to people in the last stage of AIDS who can no longer care for themselves. Architect Jeff Brambila designed the conversion, which was carried out by BSI Constructors.

The Carondelet Historic Center is honored for its model efforts to restore a landmark through hard work, volunteerism, private funding - and no public money at all. The Center's most recent triumph, the rehabilitated meeting rooms, were dedicated on April 27, 1997 in honor of the Bouchein, Schroeder, and Wagner families. The rooms were adapted to their new use with the help of $11,000 in donations and almost all volunteer labor.

This early brick school building, designed by Frederick W. Raeder in 1873, became significant as the site of the nation's first public kindergarten. Pioneer educator Susan Blow, supported by Superintendent William T. Harris, implemented the kindergarten model of Friedrich Froebel (1782-1852) with an experimental class of 42 students the year the school opened. Within a decade, the program was offered to all public schools in the city of St. Louis, white and black. A variety of uses after the Des Peres School closed in 1935 included tenure as a community center, restaurant and warehouse.

The Carondelet Historical Society purchased the landmark in 1981 and began the hard work of installing a museum, archives, and offices. The original kindergarten room was painstakingly restored in the 1980s; other alterations have included restoring original window openings, upgrading the restrooms and other facilities, replacing the roof, and bringing back approximations of the original front doors.

Designed by Harvey Ellis in 1897, this was the last of the three monumental water towers built in St. Louis and one of only a handful remaining throughout the nation. Recognized as one of the first City Landmarks in 1966, followed by placement on the National Register of Historic Places six years later, the picturesque tower has long been a beacon for travelers to the near south side.

Now the landmark is brightening the horizon both day and night thanks to a glorious lighting scheme by HOK's Tom Kaczkowski. The lighting design was financed by a $12,000 grant from the Gateway Foundation. Other needed repairs are being paid for by the City of St. Louis in this joint public-private effort.

Funding for this development was provided by YEHS, the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Design, YouthBuild USA, Multi-State AmeriCorps Initiative, and the Lemay Center for Composite Technology (for the new garages being built at the alley). Additional YouthBuild funding or in-kind assistance is provided by Monsanto, the Missouri Department of Conservation, the Missouri Futures Program, the St. Louis Board of Education ABE program, Mission Free Schools, the United Way, and others.

O'Fallon Park was created in 1876 as a major north side recreation center. Scenic views and pleasant drives were early features of the park; the picturesque lake was added in the 1890s. In 1912, the Parks Department embarked on a series of improvements, including a wading pool attached to this combination boathouse/comfort station.

Initiated by Alderman Freeman Bosley, Sr., the boathouse's restoration is just part of a half-million dollar construction program made possible by the city's 1994 1/2 cent sales tax. The Missouri Department of Conservation has dredged the lake; when it is refilled, the neighborhood hopes that the once-popular pastime of boating will flourish in O'Fallon Park again. The O'Fallon Park Neighborhood Association has been given the contract to operate the boating concession on the first floor; the second level of the boathouse is reserved for a food concession. The Parks Department served as architect on the project; construction was undertaken by Kajeaux Contractors.

The Fleur de Lys Inn Mansion at the Park in the Compton Heights Historic District was designed by William A. Lucas in 1913. This $15,000 double mansion was shared by two related families, the Beckmanns and the Alewels, of the W. E. Beckmann Bakers & Confectioners' Supply Company. Over the course of more than seven decades the building was allowed to decay, and many of its original features were stripped by vandals. Its turnaround began in the late 1980s, when the house was purchased and rehabilitated as a private home.

In 1996, the house was purchased by husband and wife Kathryn Leep and Daniel Sills. Project architect Jeff Brambila guided G and L, Inc.'s conversion to a luxury bed and breakfast inn, with 1700 square feet of living space for the family on the third floor. Interior design was by Dana Winter. The Inn now serves as a comfortable and efficient refuge for business travelers and a popular weekend getaway for locals.

The Francis Building, designed by well-known local architect Preston J. Bradshaw in 1920, has found new life as ArtLoft, one of the city's most exciting new residential developments. The sixty-three units, designed by Klitzing Welsch Associates, have been developed using a variety of financing tools. Developer Tim Boyle of City Property Co. teamed with the non-profit Technical Assistance Corp. and assembled a team of investors including Boatmen's Bank, East Coast Capital, and General American Life Insurance (using $1.4 million in Carpenters' Union pension funds). Low-income housing and historic rehabilitation tax credits made the $6 million project affordable, and grants from numerous local agencies, including A. G. Edwards and the Regional Arts Commission, finished out the picture.

The popularity of Art Loft and integrated downtown living is attested to by the 100% occupancy rate and growing waiting list for space.

The only new building on this year's list, the Lexington School is honored for its blend of contemporary design and attention to historic context. The building opened in 1996 to replace a temporary building near Kingshighway and Natural Bridge. As the St. Louis Public School District's first new neighborhood elementary school in 28 years, Lexington has been designed to accommodate the latest technology and ideas in teaching. A state-of-the-art computer laboratory and an Emphasis Laboratory (teaching the school's emphasis, Leadership Through Discipline) are among its amenities. Trivers Associates and Grice Group Architects designed the brick building to complement the neighborhood's historic architecture; the $5.6 million project was overseen by McCarthy/Fleming.

The Sons of Rest Shelter at Tower Grove Park, designed by architect William Greenleaf in 1872, is being restored in a model public/private effort by Tower Grove Park and the non-profit Friends of Tower Grove Park. The $73,000 repair and rehabilitation project began in fall 1995, financed by the city's 1/2 cent sales tax. Park officials, architect Philip Cotton and the contracting firm Transcon worked together to repair structural damage and recreate the shelter's original paint colors.

A long-term goal of the park and Friends group had been to recreate the decorative iron work cresting that historically provided the finishing touch to the shelter's design. To enhance the taxpayer-financed structural work, the Friends of Tower Grove Park embarked on a private fundraising campaign. With help from two annual appeals and support from the Clifford Willard Gaylord Foundation, the Friends were able to raise an additional $20,000 to fabricate replicas of the long-missing ironwork.

The Benton Park Historic District is home to this innovative restaurant, honored for its striking interior design stretching across three historically very different buildings. From a small storefront restaurant opened in 1992, Frazer's has expanded down a full block of Pestalozzi Street. The design of Mehmet Tacer was completed in fall 1996. The result is a thriving neighborhood restaurant with a concern for interior design and integrity of the exterior streetscape, an anchor and an example for this section of Benton Park.

This one-story brick house, located in the Kingsway neighborhood, is one of two recently rehabilitated projects made possible by a public-private partnership designed to encourage neighborhood stability and home ownership. The Kingsway Neighborhood Housing Association worked closely with developer Operation Impact and Alderwoman Sharon Tyus. Almost $40,000 of funding from a HOPE 3 grant is matched by a slightly larger loan from Mercantile Bank. Romik Contracting carried out the work from plans by architect Barbara Uthe.

Originally built for $2,300 in 1909 as a simple single-family home, the rehabbed house is now listed for $53,000. It features two bedrooms, full insulation, a new roof, new finishes and new appliances. This modest yet important project is just part of a neighborhood redevelopment which calls for creative rehabilitation mixed with appropriate infill on vacant lots.