Skip Gatermann, who moved to Soulard in August, 1975 with wife Darlene and year old son Tom, points out that the early arrivals in Soulard were risk takers. "We were also determined," he remarks. "We had a plan, a procedure, that involved selling the community. We were right on target. We put our best foot forward, showed off our accomplishments and we pulled Soulard out of the hole," he explains.

Bernard Haggerty, the piano tuner of Soulard, concentrates on tuning a baby grand prior to a recital at The Sheldon Concert Hall.

Skip and Darlene's house in the 2300 block of South 12th Street was one of the sources of housing information for over a decade. Skip is a teacher in the St. Louis Public School system. Darlene is a registered nurse. Tom was joined by Christine, their second child. Skip regularly attended meetings of the Heritage and Urban Design Commission for many years, speaking for neighborhood interests before the commission.

Mary Sheridan, who moved to Soulard in l982 from a condo in Maryland Heights, believes that "people have an image of Soulard that is different from the image they have of some other parts of the City of St. Louis." She is not exactly sure why this gap in perception exists, but she does recognize that Soulard's growth was the result of hard work by a number of people. It was not just an accident. "We worked on it. It may have been luck, but we had the right combination of people here in the beginning to encourage development. Also, they promoted the neighborhood, not themselves."

She adds that "there were a variety of background factors which led to our success. Useful tools and ideas were picked up by people in Soulard, while people in other neighborhoods ignored such technologies," she points out.

Mary is retired after a career at Ralston Purina Co. She has served the Soulard community in a number of capacities since moving to the neighborhood. At this time her volunteer efforts consist of holding a board position with the St. Louis Housing Authority.

Vendors at Soulard Farmers' Market offer an array of goods, ranging from simple to sophisticated. Seafood enthusiasts are served by Carlos Lam at 2 Big Fish. He stands in back of a display of striped bass and rainbow trout on ice.

Eric Kraenzle, a homeowner in the 2400 block if South 13th since October, l993, agrees with Mary Sheridan regarding the progress of Soulard. "I appreciate where Soulard has come from, and I think it is still going places, too. I see people getting more aggressive with work on their homes," he points out.

When Eric first started looking for a home, he focused on Kirkwood and Webster. He quickly determined he "could not afford a house in those areas, not even a fixer-upper," he notes. Soulard was a different story, so he purchased in the neighborhood. He is the third owner of his l880's home. When he purchased it, the building was inhabitable but unrestored. He moved to the neighborhood from a north county apartment. His Soulard purchase "gave me an opportunity to fix up a house, and, after I started that, I grew to appreciate the architecture." Eric has worked for Boeing for l5 years. He is a group manager, procurement.

"One of the most interesting signs of the progress of Soulard is the diversity of people down here," Eric observes. "Old, young, all walks of life, long-time residents, new people coming in - Soulard has a more diverse group of people than any county neighborhood," Eric explains.

Larry Giles explains that "today's diverse occupants mirror the population that originally built Soulard in the 1800's. Working class folks, sprinkled with a few upper middle-class people, are represented," he notes. "Soulard has lost its status as a slum, an unpleasant 20th century phenomenon, and today's population reflects the original populace very nicely," Larry points out.

Currently viewing page 3 of 4 pages.

Previous page. | Next page.