Diversity was one of the reasons Connie and Lynn Suydam were attracted to Soulard. In addition, there was convenience to city amenities and entertainment, plus their home, located in the 2300 block of South 12th Street, gave the couple a lot more for their housing dollar than county properties. They moved in November, l999 from Swansea, Ill., where they had owned a brand new home.

The impetus for moving from new to old was Lynn, who was named president of the St. Louis Community College at Meramec, located in Kirkwood. Meanwhile, Connie was still involved in her career as a pharmacist at St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Belleville. "Location was a big part of our move to Soulard," Connie explains.

Tourists Rick and Agnes Soulard, residents of Petrolia, Ontario, enjoyed a Soulard walking tour. Their side of the family moved from France to Acadia - the Fundy coast of Nova Scotia - in 1636. Soulard neighborhood namesake Antoine Soulard arrived in St. Louis in 1794 after deserting the French naval service in Martinique to escape social upheaval in his homeland. (People Productions photo by Clark Rowley)

Since their arrival, the couple has been fascinated by the architecture of the neighborhood, and they are slowly exploring the need for additional work on their home. They are empty nesters, although one or another of their three children "seems to be constantly hanging out here," Connie admits.

The re-emergence of Soulard underlines the meaning of the neighborhood. As Marjory Wozniak explains it: "Soulard represents community. Together, we tackled a spectrum of problems, and we resolved many of them, even though we were not experts." She adds that "we were not the kind of people who thought government was going to come in and save the neighborhood. We knew we had to do it ourselves."

Skip Gatermann echoes this viewpoint. "What we did down here was to depend on ourselves. We saw the symptoms and the problem. Instead of just talking about it, a solution was hypothesized. Then, amazingly, we implemented the solution. We assumed responsibility for the welfare of our neighborhood. We put in our blood, sweat and tears and in return we received economic value, along with a neighborhood which is a decent place to live."

Of course, Soulard is far from perfect or complete. Most residents of Soulard have a pet peeve. One problem involves the namesake of the neighborhood, the Soulard Market. Popular perception is that the market is on shaky ground, and the plans for fixing the market are off course. As Dave Lewis explains: "The Soulard Market is a wonderful resource, but there are forces at work trying to get it to compete, not with supermarkets, but with food pantries."

Marjory Wozniak verbalizes similar concerns. "I am not happy with the quality of produce at the Market. If you do not know the quality vendors, then you are going to get bad produce," she says.

"And the vendors are resisting changes. I believe that if something is not done at the Market, then the business is going to fall off, and then vendors are going to end up with nothing. The Farmer's Market should be the biggest attraction of the neighborhood," Marjory believes. "It should be the centerpiece of Soulard," she comments.

Other problems nag at Soulard, just as in any neighborhood. As Soulard fine tunes itself, resolution of these problems requires more and more concentration and focus. Some say that sometimes it is more important that things are well started than that they be quickly finished. A neighborhood is probably in this category. Solve problems, don't just do a patch job. Still, problems must be addressed, sooner or later.

Thus, fresh people resources, which are essential for neighborhood improvement, are sought. We invite you to visit us and to explore the residential potential of Soulard. Consider contributing your abilities and insights to further mend and mold our social fabric. We welcome you, because we believe our neighborhood is best served by contributing, involved residents.

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