Midtown St. Joseph Neighborhood Revitalization Analysis
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8/13/2019 Midtown St. Joseph Neighborhood Revitalization Analysis
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Buchanan 1
Matt Buchanan
UBPL 715
November 7, 2012
Neighborhood Analysis: Midtown St. Joseph, MO
1) Primary and Secondary Source Photographs: Normative Values and Judgments
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Richardsonian Romanesque style. I chose to highlight this illustration because the architect is clearly
emphasizing the McAlisterswealth and class. Rather than feature the houses front entrance, the
architect chose to showcase the back entrance on Felix Street where apparent servants are tending to
multiple horses and carry hay. Additionally, the architect may be trying to emphasize the McAlisters
wealth and status by emphasizing the homes size. Due to the shape of the lot, the house appears much
larger on Felix Street than it does from the front entrance on 19th
Street. Although the home was built
on a smaller scale one year before this sketch was published, one might postulate that the larger, more
elaborate sketch was published deliberately to portray St. Joseph as highly affluent to a national
audience. Another thought is that they are trying to shed St. Joseph of its cowboy and Indian frontier
image by demonstrating that the community is home to a well-to-do civilized society with servants. This
is also a major message in the image below.
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and upper-income homebuyers. Although the Gateway plan has been long-gone dead and buried, the
photograph represents the communitys organized and passionate character which remains today.
Additionally, the photo captures the social struggles and gentrification concerns that are still being
contended with currently.
Rather than choose to photograph one or two picketers for an up-close shot, the photographer opted
for a wider shot and included about a dozen picketers. This decision resulted in an image that stresses
the community backlash. The image also captures what many of the signs read, allowing the reader to
ascertain a fuller understanding of the communitys struggle. Such decisions reveal that the
photographer sympathizes, if not fully supports the picketers and strives to spread their message across
the city.
2) Field GuideWhen studying an aerial map of the Midtown neighborhood, the most apparent characteristic is the pre-
World War II neighborhood design, with small lots, densely laid out on a grid of square blocks. There is
one major deviation from this design, where it appears obvious that a set of four blocks have been
reconfigured to accommodate a relatively newer apartment complex. From my own experience living in
Midtown, I am aware that this complex is a Section-8 multi-family housing complex named the Oakridge
Apartments. The clear distinction from the rest of the neighborhood in structural layout as well as
aesthetic appearance leads me to wonder if the residents of that complex experience the same issues
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lived in a socio-economically homogeneous environment, Midtown seemed completely foreign. Over
the following two and a half years I became more acquainted with the residents of Midtown and
observed a major divide in the two dominant groups of people that live therethe preservationists and
the low-income renters. Nowhere else is this divide more apparent than on the landscape. The level of
home maintenance/upkeep and other clues that reveal pride in home/community are the most
apparent indicators to determining who lives where. These diverging influences that form the landscape
personify the clashing cultures and agendas that exist within the neighborhood and give it its unique
(and arguably schizophrenic) identity.
Someone who walks through Midtown for the first time will be overwhelmed with an array of emotions
ranging from astonishment, concern, anger, confusion, and heartbreak all within the range of a few
short blocks. The abandonment and decay of dozens of architecturally significant homes creates a
greater sense of understanding and appreciation for the tremendous and intense work the
preservationists have done to revitalize parts of the neighborhood. These properties are scattered
throughout the neighborhood, with perhaps the majority located in the Museum Hill neighborhood near
the Wyeth Tootle Museum. Not only are the homes restored, but they clearly convey a sense of
homeowner and community pride through the maintenance and upkeep of their lawns, decorated front
porches, flowers, ornate fencing and statuary, etc. These front yard outdoor spaces appear more than
just attractive, but they look lived-in and well utilized. Such clues reveal the homeowners are proud,
involved community members who are passionate about their neighborhood
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There are quite some serious eye sores that dot Midtowns landscape that further reveal the issues at
stake. The many old vacant houses (both grand and modest in character) generate a sense of despair or
misfortune. These feelings are partly relieved when you see a restored home a block away, however,
widespread improvement has been slow. To the rest of St. Joe, Midtown is not viewed as an up and
coming neighborhood. Instead it is still seen as that forlorn, crime-ridden neighborhood with the
boarded up houses. This sentiment will likely remain until visual reminders of neglect and despair dont
overshadow the visual cues of neighborhood vitality and pride.
4) Neighborhood as a Distinct Place and CommunityPhotos of Midtown as a distinct place:
Slide 1: All photos
Slide 2: Museum Hill MansionSlide 3: Harris Kemper Mansion
Slide 4: Derelict structure
Photos of Midtown as a community:
Slide 1: None
Slide 2: All photos except Museum Hill mansion
Slide 3: All photos except Harris Kemper mansionSlide 4:All photos except derelict structure
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energy into home maintenance or yard clean up. This is the same story with the photo of the multi-
family dwelling on the same slide. The building is architecturally significant, but its owners and/or
tenants do not show the same appreciation for the building as their preservationist neighbors. With
these photos, my personal dissatisfaction residents poor treatment of the neighborhood may be
apparent.
In Slide 3, Im trying to portray the vast distinctions that exist in the built environment. The grand Wyeth
Tootle Mansion (now a museum), is only a few short blocks away from boarded-up shack-like structures
that most wouldnt believe are in the same neighborhood. Also, the Oakridge Apartments, a Section 8
multi-family housing complex, has been constructed to accommodate low-income families. This complex
appears to have been constructed in the 1970s or 1980s, and is therefore vastly different in appearance
than the rest of the neighborhood. Even the configuration of the complex breaks away from the pre-
World War II neighborhood grid structure, to further differentiate the area from the rest of the
community. I borrowed an image from Google Maps in order to show an image of a chained gate in
front of the complex, which illustrates the physical barriers that separate the housing complex from the
neighborhood.
Finally, I included Slide 4 to share images of important landmarks in the neighborhood, as well as the
existence of another Section 8 housing complex. Midtown is home to some of the most magnificent
churches in the region. Like Midtowns mansions, these churches both help and hurt the neighborhoods
image due to the same issues of abandonment and decay. The derelict structure photographed on this
slide was included because it has been identified by the St Joseph Landmark Commission as one of the
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Works Cited
Bothwell, S.E., Gindroz, R., and Lang, R.E.. "Restoring Community through Traditional Neighborhood
Design: A Case Study of Diggs Town Public Housing." Housing Policy Debate 9, 1 (1998)
City of St. Joseph, Missouri. 2008. 2008 St. Josephs Most Endangered Properties List. Accessed
November 4, 2012.http://www.ci.st-joseph.mo.us/planning/Endangered-2008.pdf
St. Joseph Museums, Inc. 2009. Wyeth Tootle Mansion. Accessed November 3, 2012.
http://www.stjosephmuseum.org/wyeth_tootle.htm
St. Joseph News-Press. Hackley, C. June 12, 1987. St. Joseph, MO.
Sketch for Residence of J.W. McAlister. July, 1890.American Architecture and Building News, Volume
759. Saint Joseph, Missouri. St Jo Mo Museum Hill Bed & Breakfast Historical Archives-Pictures from the
Past of St. Joseph MO. Accessed November 3, 2012.
https://picasaweb.google.com/106806075418621570232/StJoMoMuseumHillBedAndBreakfastHistorica
lArchivesPicturesFromThePastOfStJosephMO#5357073576816171186.
Wyeth-Tootle Mansion. Unkown year. St Jo Mo Museum Hill Bed & Breakfast Historical Archives-Pictures
from the past of St. Joseph. St. Joseph, MO. Accessed November 3, 2012.https://picasaweb.google.com/106806075418621570232/StJoMoMuseumHillBedAndBreakfastHistorica
lArchivesPicturesFromThePastOfStJosephMO#5357073680244565906.
http://www.ci.st-joseph.mo.us/planning/Endangered-2008.pdfhttp://www.ci.st-joseph.mo.us/planning/Endangered-2008.pdfhttp://www.ci.st-joseph.mo.us/planning/Endangered-2008.pdfhttp://www.stjosephmuseum.org/wyeth_tootle.htmhttps://picasaweb.google.com/106806075418621570232/StJoMoMuseumHillBedAndBreakfastHistoricalArchivesPicturesFromThePastOfStJosephMO#5357073576816171186https://picasaweb.google.com/106806075418621570232/StJoMoMuseumHillBedAndBreakfastHistoricalArchivesPicturesFromThePastOfStJosephMO#5357073576816171186https://picasaweb.google.com/106806075418621570232/StJoMoMuseumHillBedAndBreakfastHistoricalArchivesPicturesFromThePastOfStJosephMO#5357073680244565906https://picasaweb.google.com/106806075418621570232/StJoMoMuseumHillBedAndBreakfastHistoricalArchivesPicturesFromThePastOfStJosephMO#5357073680244565906https://picasaweb.google.com/106806075418621570232/StJoMoMuseumHillBedAndBreakfastHistoricalArchivesPicturesFromThePastOfStJosephMO#5357073680244565906https://picasaweb.google.com/106806075418621570232/StJoMoMuseumHillBedAndBreakfastHistoricalArchivesPicturesFromThePastOfStJosephMO#5357073680244565906https://picasaweb.google.com/106806075418621570232/StJoMoMuseumHillBedAndBreakfastHistoricalArchivesPicturesFromThePastOfStJosephMO#5357073576816171186https://picasaweb.google.com/106806075418621570232/StJoMoMuseumHillBedAndBreakfastHistoricalArchivesPicturesFromThePastOfStJosephMO#5357073576816171186http://www.stjosephmuseum.org/wyeth_tootle.htmhttp://www.ci.st-joseph.mo.us/planning/Endangered-2008.pdf8/13/2019 Midtown St. Joseph Neighborhood Revitalization Analysis
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Legend
Neighborhood
Harris Kemper
Midtown Focus Area
Museum Hill
N0 0.15 0.30.075 Miles
Matt Buchanan UBPL 715
Midtown
Thematic MapSt. Joseph, Missouri
8/13/2019 Midtown St. Joseph Neighborhood Revitalization Analysis
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Legend
Neighborhood
Harris Kemper
Midtown Focus Area
Museum Hill
N0 0.15 0.30.075 Miles
Matt Buchanan UBPL 715
Midtown
Thematic MapSt. Joseph, Missouri
8/13/2019 Midtown St. Joseph Neighborhood Revitalization Analysis
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Legend
Neighborhood
Harris Kemper
Midtown Focus Area
Museum Hill
N0 0.15 0.30.075 Miles
Matt Buchanan UBPL 715
Midtown
Thematic MapSt. Joseph, Missouri
8/13/2019 Midtown St. Joseph Neighborhood Revitalization Analysis
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Legend
Neighborhood
Harris Kemper
Midtown Focus Area
Museum Hill
N0 0.15 0.30.075 Miles
Matt Buchanan UBPL 715
Midtown
Thematic MapSt. Joseph, Missouri
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Photo Sources:
Thematic Map/Slide 1
15thand Charles Before. Museum Hill Historic District National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. January 11, 1991. http://www.dnr.mo.gov/shpo/nps-nr/91000112.pdf. Accessed November 3, 2012.
12thand Sylvanie Before. Museum Hill Historic District National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. January 11, 1991. http://www.dnr.mo.gov/shpo/nps-
nr/91000112.pdf. Accessed November 3, 2012.
12thand Sylvanie Now. St Jo Mo Museum Hill Bed & Breakfast Historical Archives-Pictures from the Past of St. Joseph MO. Accessed November 3, 2012.https://picasaweb.google.com/106806075418621570232/StJoMoMuseumHillNationalHistoricDistrictStJosephMO#5788504478257740354. Accessed November 3,2012.
Thematic Map/Slide 2
11thand Syvlanie Now. St Jo Mo Museum Hill Bed & Breakfast Historical Archives-Pictures from the Past of St. Joseph MO.https://picasaweb.google.com/106806075418621570232/StJoMoMuseumHillNationalHistoricDistrictStJosephMO#5788503942969637490. Accessed November 3,2012.
11thand Syvanie Then. Museum Hill Historic District National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. January 11, 1991. http://www.dnr.mo.gov/shpo/nps-
nr/91000112.pdf. Accessed November 3, 2012.
Thematic Map/Slide 3
Wyeth Tootle Museum. St Jo Mo Museum Hill Bed & Breakfast Historical Archives-Pictures from the Past of St. Joseph MO.https://picasaweb.google.com/106806075418621570232/StJoMoMuseumHillNationalHistoricDistrictStJosephMO#5788504455390561266. Accessed November 3,2012.
Harris Kemper Mansion. St Jo Mo Museum Hill Bed & Breakfast Historical Archives-Pictures from the Past of St. Joseph MO.https://picasaweb.google.com/106806075418621570232/StJoMoMuseumHillNationalHistoricDistrictStJosephMO#5788505058611191138. Accessed November 3,2012.
Oakridge Apartments. Google Maps. April 2008.
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=oakridge%20apartments%20st%20joseph%20mo&hl=en&biw=1280&bih=911&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=il. Accessed November 7,2012.
Sheltering Arms Apartments. Google Maps. April 2008. Accessed November 7, 2012.http://maps.google.com/maps?q=1912%20Mulberry%20Street%2C%20St.%20Joseph%2C%20MO&hl=en&biw=1280&bih=911&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=il
Twin Spires. http://www.visitmo.com/things-to-do/sightseeing-tours.aspx. Accessed November 7, 2012.
All photos not cited were taken by me on my field visit to the neighborhood-Matt Buchanan, UBPL 715
http://www.dnr.mo.gov/shpo/nps-nr/91000112.pdfhttp://www.dnr.mo.gov/shpo/nps-nr/91000112.pdfhttp://www.dnr.mo.gov/shpo/nps-nr/91000112.pdfhttp://www.dnr.mo.gov/shpo/nps-nr/91000112.pdfhttps://picasaweb.google.com/106806075418621570232/StJoMoMuseumHillNationalHistoricDistrictStJosephMOhttps://picasaweb.google.com/106806075418621570232/StJoMoMuseumHillNationalHistoricDistrictStJosephMOhttp://www.dnr.mo.gov/shpo/nps-nr/91000112.pdfhttp://www.dnr.mo.gov/shpo/nps-nr/91000112.pdfhttps://picasaweb.google.com/106806075418621570232/StJoMoMuseumHillNationalHistoricDistrictStJosephMOhttps://picasaweb.google.com/106806075418621570232/StJoMoMuseumHillNationalHistoricDistrictStJosephMOhttp://maps.google.com/maps?q=oakridge%20apartments%20st%20joseph%20mo&hl=en&biw=1280&bih=911&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=ilhttp://maps.google.com/maps?q=1912%20Mulberry%20Street,%20St.%20Joseph,%20MO&hl=en&biw=1280&bih=911&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=ilhttp://www.visitmo.com/things-to-do/sightseeing-tours.aspxhttp://www.visitmo.com/things-to-do/sightseeing-tours.aspxhttp://www.visitmo.com/things-to-do/sightseeing-tours.aspxhttp://www.visitmo.com/things-to-do/sightseeing-tours.aspxhttp://www.visitmo.com/things-to-do/sightseeing-tours.aspxhttp://www.visitmo.com/things-to-do/sightseeing-tours.aspxhttp://www.visitmo.com/things-to-do/sightseeing-tours.aspxhttp://www.visitmo.com/things-to-do/sightseeing-tours.aspxhttp://maps.google.com/maps?q=1912%20Mulberry%20Street,%20St.%20Joseph,%20MO&hl=en&biw=1280&bih=911&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=ilhttp://maps.google.com/maps?q=1912%20Mulberry%20Street,%20St.%20Joseph,%20MO&hl=en&biw=1280&bih=911&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=ilhttp://maps.google.com/maps?q=1912%20Mulberry%20Street,%20St.%20Joseph,%20MO&hl=en&biw=1280&bih=911&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=ilhttp://maps.google.com/maps?q=1912%20Mulberry%20Street,%20St.%20Joseph,%20MO&hl=en&biw=1280&bih=911&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=ilhttp://maps.google.com/maps?q=oakridge%20apartments%20st%20joseph%20mo&hl=en&biw=1280&bih=911&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=ilhttp://maps.google.com/maps?q=oakridge%20apartments%20st%20joseph%20mo&hl=en&biw=1280&bih=911&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=ilhttp://maps.google.com/maps?q=oakridge%20apartments%20st%20joseph%20mo&hl=en&biw=1280&bih=911&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=ilhttps://picasaweb.google.com/106806075418621570232/StJoMoMuseumHillNationalHistoricDistrictStJosephMOhttps://picasaweb.google.com/106806075418621570232/StJoMoMuseumHillNationalHistoricDistrictStJosephMOhttp://www.dnr.mo.gov/shpo/nps-nr/91000112.pdfhttp://www.dnr.mo.gov/shpo/nps-nr/91000112.pdfhttp://www.dnr.mo.gov/shpo/nps-nr/91000112.pdfhttps://picasaweb.google.com/106806075418621570232/StJoMoMuseumHillNationalHistoricDistrictStJosephMOhttps://picasaweb.google.com/106806075418621570232/StJoMoMuseumHillNationalHistoricDistrictStJosephMOhttp://www.dnr.mo.gov/shpo/nps-nr/91000112.pdfhttp://www.dnr.mo.gov/shpo/nps-nr/91000112.pdfhttp://www.dnr.mo.gov/shpo/nps-nr/91000112.pdfhttp://www.dnr.mo.gov/shpo/nps-nr/91000112.pdfhttp://www.dnr.mo.gov/shpo/nps-nr/91000112.pdfhttp://www.dnr.mo.gov/shpo/nps-nr/91000112.pdf
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