Soulard Farmers' Market: Comments from Insiders and Guide for Beginners
Good Neighbors Create Better Neighborhoods
Soulard in Literature: Stephen E. Ambrose, Tim Fox and Eric Sandweiss, Betty Pavlige, Arthur Proetz and Adolf Schultz
The People of Soulard, Page Two
Growing from
the Ground Up
Bob Williams, a 16-year Soulard tenant, likes Soulard because "it is close to work and downtown. I like the older buildings and the architecture, of course, but it is a really convenient place to live if you work downtown."
 Soulard resident Sylvia Steiner tends to rice plants in the greenhouses at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis County. Scientists from over 20 countries are involved in a variety of plant research projects at the facility. (People Productions photo by Clark Rowley) |
Bob, a director of financial planning with a CPA and an MBA, gives back to the neighborhood by actively tending a small public park, located on the southeast corner of Lami and South 13th streets.
"I don't have a lot of time to serve on neighborhood committees, so I tend this garden. It is less than half a block from my house, so I cut the grass, plant shrubs and flowers, weed, pick up litter and water," Bob explains. Bob is one of a number of people who live in Soulard who tend gardens they do not own.
Dave and Marjory Wozniak, empty nesters who live in the 1200 block of Victor, purchased their home in l973. The owner, a long-time acquaintance, made them an offer: $6800 for their home with the next door corner store front thrown into the deal. "He was really interested in selling the buildings," Marjory relates. The couple recently sold the store front.
 Bob Williams handles most of the gardening in one Soulard pocket park. (People Productions photo by Clark Rowley) |
"Across the street there was a roofing company in a residential property and a shell with water running in the basement," Marjory relates. "But I just loved my home and the neighborhood. I still do. Every day I walk out my door, I am just thrilled," she says.
"It's amazing the progress we have made. Now every house on the block is owner-occupied and renovated. It's a miracle," she adds.
Mary Ann Keitel, who moved into her South 11th Street home in February, l975, comments that "Soulard was a war zone when I moved here." She points out that "the improvement of Soulard over the years has been incredible. In fact, Soulard has evolved into a better, more stable neighborhood than some other, nearby neighborhoods which never fell as low as Soulard."
This progress resulted because people who came to Soulard "cared about their neighborhood and about their homes," she explains. "I am not surprised that Soulard has come as far as it has, because I know the determination of some of the people who are here," she comments.