Compton Heights Historic Neighborhood

City of Saint Louis, Missouri
Neighborhood Newsletter - May/June 1998

Fun-Filled Summer Ahead for Compton Heights Residents

The kids are out of school, the days are getting longer, (and hotter), and all signs that summer is here. CHA social chairperson, Alyson Robinson, has planned a number of events for residents to come on out, enjoy the weather and good neighbors.

June Neighborhood Meeting - Thursday, June 4th

All Compton Heights residents should have received a flyer for the Compton Heights Association dinner and meeting the week of May 11th. Just in case you missed it, there is a registration form attached in this edition of the newsletter. Please send it back (along with your payment if you are attending the dinner) by May 26th. PLEASE - NO EXCEPTIONS!!

"A Night Under the Stars" - Monday June 29th

To help "kick off" the summer Compton Heights Band series at Tower Grove Park, Compton Heights residents are invited to enjoy wine and cheese prior to the concert at the Carriage Shelter (located across from the bandstand) on Monday, June 29th at 6:30 PM. The Compton Heights Band will start playing at 7:30 PM. You do not need to register. And there is no charge for this event. The concert is FREE too!!!! What a deal!

Super Summer Fest - August 22nd

What fun for everyone! The Compton Heights Super Summer Fest (picnic) is scheduled for Saturday, August 22nd! THe picnic will be held at the Stupp Center located in Tower Grove Park. A barbecue, games for all ages, a pie-baking contest and a clown for kids are scheduled for our Compton Heights Super Summer Fest! More details about the picnic (and a registration form) will be included in the next newsletter.

From Jack's Desk . . .

By now, most of you have seen the new Compton Heights address plaques springing up on several houses throughout the neighborhood. An order was placed for 24 of them in February. They arrived four weeks later and were distributed to those that purchased them. As of May 1, 1998, we have orders for five more, and are taking orders from anyone who would like to purchase one for their home.

If you would like an address plaque, please contact me. Please give your address and the year your house was built. Purchase price is reduced for quantity orders, so get your order in to take advantage of this discount. The price should be around $180.00, which is $170.00 for the plaque, and $10.00 for shipping. The next order will be placed after the June Dinner Meeting.

I would like to thank Alyson Robinson for an outstanding job with this year's Easter Parade, and egg hunt. With help from Mother Nature, for the great weather, and Alyson's expert planning, the day was a huge success. Thank you Alyson for a job well done.

On another front, Alyson is going a great job with planing of this fall's house tour. With her leadership, and the commitment of all the volunteers thus far, I think we are assured of a huge success. Keep praying that the weather is as terrific as the day for the Easter parade. We can certainly use more volunteers for the house tour, and if you would like to join in the fun, please contact Alyson.

Submitted by Jack Seyler, President

Welcome to the Neighborhood!

LeRoy and Marsan Stromberg and their family have moved to Compton Heights from just a block away, on Shenandoah where they lived for 14 years. LeRoy is the Senior Vice President at J.S. Alberici Construction Company. Marsan considers herself a "lawyer/stay home mom." She did criminal defense work and general practice before she retired at age 40. The Strombergs have been married for 19 years. They started dating as high school sophomores. Although they dated others while in college, they were married the first year Marsan was in law school. Now they have three wonderful children.

Both LeRoy and Marsan are very supportive of their children's activities. Their oldest son, LeRoy III, is currently a freshmen at John Burroughs. He enjoys football, basketball, and computer games. Their daughter Megan is an eighth grader at Villa Duschesne. Megan plans basketball all year and is on the select team for Matthews-Dickey. Their youngest son, Nickis is in fifth grade at New City School. He also likes basketball and is an Nintendo expert. So, the Stromberg children keep their parents on the move!

Their house is a magnificent structure. The Strombergs have sanded and sealed the floors on the first and second stories. They plan some basic decorating in the bedrooms. Asbestos has been removed and the basement is freshly painted. New tile in the kitchen is also being planned. The children and eagerly anticipating a basketball court to eb added on the grounds. Share their excitement as a beautiful home gets a welcome uplift. We welcome them!

Bob and Barb Herries. Please welcome newlyweds, Bob and Barb, our new neighbors on Allen. Bob, a native St. Louisian, is a self-employed MBA. Barb is part owner and CFO at Steelcote Manufacturing Company. Although Barb has been "in and out' of the St. Louis area, this is her first time as a city resident. The Herries previously lived in Eureka and North County. They fell in love with the older homes when they visited friends in Lafayette Square.

The Herries' blended family includes Bob's daughter who lives in St. Louis city and Barb's two sons and three grandchildren, all in St. Louis. They also have a year old black lab mix and a 20 year old African Gray parrot.

Their hobbies include having company visit them and playing bridge. Also, Bob is an antique dealer, specializing in collecting old glass while Barb is a scuba instructor. She and Bob both scuba dive. They enjoy diving in such areas as Belize and the rain forest.

Thank You!!!!!

The following residents we want to thank for their participation in the Grand South Grand House Tour. Their commitment to improving the neighborhood co-operation is vital to a strong South Saint Louis and Compton Heights Neighborhood. Many, many thanks to each of you:

Nick & Roger - 3013 Hawthorne Blvd.
Bob & Michael - 3408 Longfellow Blvd.
Paul & Patty - 3435 Hawthorne Blvd.

Compton Heights Website

Our Internet address is as follows: http://stlouis.missouri.org/comptonheights
Check out the Compton Heights website for the Compton Heights calendar of events and plenty of information!

 
A Movie in our Neighborhood!!??

For those of you that don't know, and have noticed all the activity at the Donaho residence, you will be pleased to know that the Donaho's have become Hollywood stars. Actually, Warner Brothers Studios has been filming a made for TV movie at 3400 Russell Blvd. The film, "A Will of Their Own," is expected to air this fall sometime. The film starts Ellen Burstyn and Leah Thompson. The story line takes place over a 100 year time span. Is there a more perfect place to film than the Donaho residence? Now that's a way to show case Saint Louis, and especially the Compton Hill and Heights area. Thanks Glynn and Shelley!!!

Compton Connections

A note from Alyson:

Growing up in South St. Louis, I have very fond memories of playing "kick the can" in the alley, riding "free-handed" to Bi-Rite on my bike, the occasional block party, relying on neighbors for a cup of sugar, enjoying a lazy summer afternoon playing with a sprinkler and going to Ted Drewes on Grand with Mom, Dad, Susan (my sister), Heidi (our dog), Scrapper (our cat) and a car load of neighborhood kids.

While it's been a long time since I have played "kick the can" or have ridden "free-handed" on my bicycle, the memories of growing up in South St. Louis are ones I will treasure forever.

I am thrilled to have been elected to serve on the Board as the Social Chairperson for the neighborhood. I look forward to many Compton neighbors participating in the scheduled traditional Compton events and helping start new traditions as well!

It is my hope that Compton residents will enjoy sharing time with friends, old and new. For not only are we helping to build an even stronger neighborhood community, but we are also giving a gift to our Compton children - memories that they will carry with them forever.

Alyson

P.S. You may see my husband, Richard, my daughter Caroline (normally in a backpack) and me frequently walking around the neighborhood. Please introduce yourself . . . You never know when you might need a cup of sugar.

Easter Parade and Egg Hunt Is a Huge Success

Spring sprang in Compton Heights on April 12th! Compton neighbors enjoyed the beautiful weather and the Easter parade and egg hunt! There were 66 children (WOW!) who participated in the egg hunt this year!

Congratulations to the winners of the best "float" contest: 3rd place - Colleen Murphy and Kate Midden (your bikes and helmet were great!) 2nd place - The Bruce Family (the pull-wagon was "egg"celent!) and 1st place - The Bergfeld Family (the covered wagon and costumes were terrific!) And a special thanks to Ted Drewes for donating gift certificates for the winners!

A very special THANK YOU to Sharon Vogelsang who allowed us to use her property for the festivities! Thank you to Jack who persuaded Mr. Bunny to be the Grand Marshall at the parade and Chris Dougher for chaperoning Mr. Bunny - your "Bunny mobile" looked great! Thank you to Mary Schroeder (and her mom) for helping with the refreshments. Thank you also to Bunny helpers Rita Navarro and John Merkle for helping hide the eggs. Thanks also to Patty Midden, Alicia Greene, Helen Halter, Ida Mary Henckler, Barbara Bergfeld, Kitty Swanger, Alyce Brown, Anne Marie Clark and Rochelle Schneider for donating delicious refreshments for the hunt . . . YUMMY! Thank you to all of the Compton Heights residents who participated in the parade and hunt. And another special thank you to Michelle Brown (Compton friend) who helped "stuff" over 700 plastic Easter eggs with candy!

Compton Heights "Annual" Perennial Exchange

The first Compton Heights "Annual" Perennial Exchange was held on Saturday, May 9th. Many of Compton's "green thumbs" enjoyed discussing their gardens with each other and Ann Case from the Missouri Botanical Garden. Ann even made a couple of "house calls" too!

The perennials that were left over were donated to the urban redevelopment project at Missouri Botanical Gardens. They were very thankful to receive the perennials for their program. Now there will be a bit of Compton Heights "popping up" all over the city!

Thank you Sharon Vogelsang for allowing us to use your property for the exchange! Thanks to Helen Hilliker for coming up with such a great idea for the exchange in the first place! And thank you to all of the Compton neighbors who participated in the exchange on Saturday as well as those neighbors who couldn't attend the exchange, but dropped off plants anyway.

Most agreed that next year's exchange would be held a bit earlier in the year. SO we will plan for April. Also, it was suggested that we include our neighbors on Compton Hill too -- what a great idea!

----- Summer Block Parties -----

I have received questions from several residents regarding neighborhood block parties. If you would like to schedule a block party for neighbors on your street this summer, you must send a Block Party Application form to the City of Saint Louis Department of Streets for a permit at least 30 days before the event. The permits are $10.00. If you need an application (and a list of requirements), you can get one from the Saint Louis City Department of Streets. They are located at 1009 Hampton Avenue.

Upcoming Events . . .

Compton Heights Historic House Tour Gala

Although you will be hearing much more about this event (and will be receiving your formal invitation) in months to come, this is your first invitation to attend the Compton Heights Historic House Tour Gala on Friday, October 2, 1998.

The Gala is a fund-raising activity that will be held in conjunction with the Compton Heights Historic House Tour on October 3rd and 4th. The Gala will be held at the Stromberg (Griesedieck) mansion at 3250 Hawthorne Boulevard. The Stromberg's home will not be on the tour, but they have most graciously agreed to hosting this pre-tour fund-raiser for the Compton Heights neighborhood!

Tickets will cost $75.00 per person.

Compton Heights Kids

In an effort to provide fun activities for both adults and children, we will be sponsoring several events throughout the year specifically for the children and grandchildren in Compton Heights.

Alyson Robinson will be sending a flyer to each household in the next few weeks so that you can register your children and/or grandchildren as part of "Compton Kids."

By registering, you will have the opportunity to suggest ideas of what events your family would like to participate in and will receive special flyers and updates about what events are scheduled in Compton Heights and in our area specifically for your children and/or grandchildren.

Alert! Dog Owners!

Okay everyone, it's spring again, and many of us are working feverishly to improve our homes and landscaping. Seems incredible that this continues to be a problem, but we have received many complaints about people allowing their dogs to do their business in yards other than their own. Please be considerate to your neighbors! There's nothing like trying to find the source of "doggie smell" after your child has stepped in it before coming in your house or car. Allowing your dogs to do this is not only inconsiderate, but also destructive. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, if you walk your dogs, please keep them from using other people's yards as their toilets. Don't forgot to clean up their mess!

Another Reminder . . .

Please remind all of your guests that Hawthorne and Longfellow Boulevards are one-way streets. Also, a reminder to Compton Heights residents, that this applies to us too. Going the wrong way is a tragedy waiting to hapen. Do not let it happend to you. We want you all alive, and healthy! Thanks.

Thoughts About Compton Heights . . .

A word can have different meanings to each of us. Change can invoke fear, or present an opportunity for growth. In either case, change is something that will happen. It is our responsibility to fine tune change to use it to our best interest. While we all would agree, change for change sake, is a frivolous use of time, on the other hand, some change is necessary.

Many changes have occurred since our neighborhood was established in 1889, some have been positive, others not. Some change is out of our hands, while others can be introduced by our hands. Change is a constant, and it is up to each of us to step up to the challenge, and grow with it. Change, is a challenge to all urban neighborhoods to accept, and grow. Think about it!

Etc., Etc., Etc., Etc., Etc.

Heidi Bishop, Karen Goodhope's niece, will be available for housesitting or pet sitting during the summer. Give Karen a call if you need help.

Videographer needed! We are wanting to collect photographs and video footage of day-to-day living and social events in Compton Heights which we will put on to a videotape (with music and narration) for Compton Heights residents and for local realtors to share with clients. If you are interested in helping with this project, please contact Alyson Robinson.

Are you moving? If you are planning to move from Compton Heights and would like to have your house information listed (we can't list the realtor's name or phone number) on the Compton Heights website, please contact Steve Crouch and he will add your listing.

Air Conditioners needed . . . Churches in the area are collecting air conditioners for families who need them. All donations are tax deductible. If you are interested in contributing, please call Alyson Robinson.

This page was last updated on June 3, 1998.