University City, MO

Mid Century Contemporary in University City with a strong walkability factor

7925 Glenside Place, University City, MO 63130 Basically no steps in this Mid Century Modern Ranch. It is within a short walk of Ruth Park Golf Course, Brittany Middle School, The Green Center, Kaufman Park Tennis Courts and about a quarter mile from the bike trail. Grocery stores, shops, restaurants and public transportation is also nearby.

The current owner has added a patio off the family room and has made the fenced backyard easy to maintain with a perennial garden. There are newer thermal windows throughout the house. If having only one bathroom is an issue, we have a bid to install another. A one car attached garage makes this home even more convenient.

This home has a design that really feels bigger than it is with its cathedral ceilings and room flow. It has skylights in the dining room which cast natural light throughout and it has incredible wall space for artistic displays. Very manageable and affordable for downsizers or first time buyers. Contact Barb Heise for details and a private showing.

Link to additional information on 7925 Glenside Place, St. Louis, MO 63130

Link to other Mid Century Modern examples in the St. Louis area.

A Trendy Commodity - Owner Occupied Multi Families for the Financially Savvy

One Owner Occupants Artistic Solutions to Making it work

The current trend in housing is smaller. A return to investing in multi families to accommodate multi-generational living is also becoming more in demand to fill the needs of the "sandwich generation" (families caught between aging parents and young children). Robert Fishel wrote in is latest newsletter: The ideal home is shrinking. Out of five categories of home sizes, more respondents preferred homes in the 1,401 to 2,000 sq. ft. range, a category which increased 17% in popularity from a year earlier. For more on this subject go to: Robert Fishel at Paramount Mortgage

This example of a four family in the northeast quadrant of University City Mo makes the prospect of becoming an owner occupant very appealing. The property was purchased about 16 years ago. Kathy Straatmann, the owner occupant, chose this property which is in a neighborhood of smaller homes because it is located conveniently close to several University City parks, a grocery store, the Delmar Loop, Washington University, public transportation and the Metrolink. She was using public transportation at the time and also wanted to be in a subdivision that graciously dealt with the block busting attempt that took place in the 1960's and has maintained its stable neighborhood to this day.

Kathy has since turned this purchase into a trendy commodity. The size is small and the tenants are paying her mortgage, an ideal situation for the current economy. She is an artist and just loves to entertain. The phrase "less is more" is heresy to her. Her unit is only 850 square feet, it's true, but she has turned it into an efficient piece of art.

She has personalized the common hallways so her tenants feel at home. Vacancies are seldom and they are quickly snatched up by word of mouth when they occur. Each unit has a garage space and use of the yard. The pasture scene under the shade tree is a popular place for "teas". The livestock were added as a result of an inappropriate "farmer" fence installed by her neighbor.

Making the best use of all 850 s.f, the owner's living room dining room is designed to transform on a minute's notice. She has 2 different sitting spaces in her living room. One centers around the fireplace and the other is actually set up as an intimate space for conversation between 2 to 4 people. She has put everything on wheels so that she can change the ambiance with very little effort. All of the chairs pull back and the tables move and walla you have room for a large dinner party or committee meeting.

Her dining room doubles as her office. Her desk is her dining room table. She has the dining room table on a rug which makes it easy to turn the position of the table. The closet houses a Murphy bed for overnight guests and extra folding chairs for her dinner parties. The chairs that are lined up in front of the Murphy bed were a vision of hers when she spotted them as normal chairs and pictured turning them into people. The backs are just as much fun as the fronts.

She LOVES stuff and doesn't feel like a small place means you can't have it displayed. Her hallway is another one of her artistic statements. She has painted/collaged the tops of the walls as the theme "Happiness is a journey not a destination. One section is "show up", another is "hold hands", another is "always go to the fair". Above her bedroom door she has "The Wizard of Oz".

Her kitchen is somewhat of a blank slate right now. It is going to be anchored around the Bette Midler picture she just purchased. She has already placed some shoes and martini glasses on the shelves above her "Desi-Lucy" table.

In her bedroom she has maximized storage with several unique pieces that she saved from the dumpster and then painted. The one is a crude cabinet fashioned by an itinerant Mexican worker during the late 30's. They are definitely one of a kind.

Click on the picture for a virtual tour

Kathy's work of art isn't on the large scale of Steve Jobs, but it is a testament to investing in your community and neighborhood and living proof that life can be grand in the "The Not So Big House". Also, investing in a multi-family as an owner occupant can be a financially savvy thing to do, especially in the current economy.

Trends for University City MO 63130 January 1, 2011 through August 31, 2011

Statistics based on information from the Greater St. Louis MLS
University City - single family only

Compared to last year January through August 2010

In terms of popularity, University City MO, ranked high (12th) in popularity in St. Louis County for the week ending September 21 on the Trulia website with zip codes 63017, 63122 and 63123 ranking 1,2 & 3 in popularity in St. Louis County for that week.

For more in depth information on these statistics or if you would like statistics specific to your community, contact Barb Heise, KW, 314-677-6046.

Chuck Berry Tribute in the Delmar Loop

In July 2011, the community of University City, MO, started installation of the Chuck Berry statue in University City in the Delmar Loop.

The statue had created some polarization among University City residents. A petition was initiated to stop the installation of the tribute in the Delmar Loop which has garnered our little town some news coverage. Among the reasons for angst among some UCity residents was Mr. Berry's personal life and some brushes with the law in the late fifties and early sixties. This petition angered me and a lot of other UCitians and brought University City national headlines.

The petition caused me to look up the time line of our Civil Rights Movement. Chuck Berry launched his career at the onset of the movement. Going back to this time is an instant memory check of the changes in society that have occurred since Rosa Parks; Montgomery, AL; Dr. Martin Luther King etc. And Mr. Berry started a change in our music during this same time period and is often referred to as the king of rock 'n roll. The petition only got a few signatures in a community of 35,000+ and now everyone who stops by the UCity Loop can see a tribute to the incredible talents of Chuck Berry.

The Chuck Berry tribute is creating renewed interest in the Delmar Loop and Chuck. In early July, I ran into my friend David who was with a group of co-workers from Wash U who had come to the Delmar Loop specifically to see the new statue. In the short time I was in front of the statue, it was not without an audience and it was evident that it was a destination stop for most of the onlookers. There was an exception to this. I questioned one of the picture takers and she said she didn't even know who it was but because everyone else was taking a picture she thought she would too.

Last Sunday while chatting with my friend Ron who is a Vietnam Vet (to give you an idea of our age group) he mentioned that he finally went to see Chuck Berry in the Duck Room of Blueberry Hill in the the Delmar Loop He mentioned how surprised he was to find that Chuck is still performing (in his eighties). He was struck by his charisma and his love of entertaining. He performs every month at Blueberry Hill in the Delmar Loop and the audience spans all age groups above 21. His next performance is September 14 and is SOLD OUT. The Blueberry Hill Calendar doesn't show when he is playing in October yet. For information, check back at the Blueberry Hill events calendar.

There is still a steady stream of fans stopping by and getting their pictures taken at the statue in the Delmar Loop. So Mr. Berry, thanks for your contribution to the music world and our little world of University City.

Free May 17 Screening of PBS film Beyond the Motor City

Date and Time: Monday, May 17, 2010 7:00pm - 10:00pm

Location: The Tivoli Theatre, 6350 Delmar in The Loop, University City, Missouri

Don 't miss this great opportunity to see PBS's new transportation documentary, Beyond the Motor City. This screening is a part of a multi-city screening tour and will be followed by a panel discussin.

The film's issues will be familiar to you: it's an exploration of how America's historic decisions to invest in highways and automotive infrastructure has come, in many cities -- and particularly in Detroit -- at the expense of accessible public transportation, safe biking and walking, urban vitality and socially equitable communities. While focusing on the hard lessons learned in Detroit, the film also offers the hope that America's cities are now uniquely poised to shine a spotlight on -- and to offer sustainable and cutting-edge solutions to -- our nation's transportation obstacles.

Remember you can get there by transit! Some of us ride it, all of us need it!