I agree wholeheartedly.

“Somebody once told me that you can go farther in the world with a library card than with a driver’s license.”

–New Vashon HS Basketball Coach Anthony Bonner,
As quoted by Kristen Hinman in last week’s RFT

Also: Dewey Drinks is having a snow date on Wednesday.

DEWEY DECIMAL DRINKS IS HAVING A SNOW DATE!

We’ll meet at The Royale, 3132 S. Kingshighway, starting at the early hour of 6pm on Wednesday, February 27. Please tell your colleagues to make sure the info gets out in time, and I’ll see you there!

Best,
Claire-ian the Librarian
myspace.com/deweydecimaldrinks

Drinks & Mortar is Thursday (yay!)

Y’all,

Does the concept of Schnucks getting a $1.75 million TIF to put in a new grocery store less than a block from Downtown’s one existing grocery store drive you to drink? Well, kids, y’aint alone, so JOIN US!

DRINKS & MORTAR is a monthly drinks night for anyone interested in architecture, cities, local politics, and the like. All are welcome.

This month, we’re meeting at the Atomic Cowboy, 4140 Manchester in Forest Park Southeast (yknow, The Grove). We’ll gather starting at 7pm on Thursday, February 28.

(And although the flyer is smokin’, the Cowboy is non-smoking.)

We hope you join us for drinks and discussion, even if you want Schnucks to get that silly TIF. Heck, even if you’re Scott Schnuck, we hope you join us (just remember, with that big fat TIF on the books for ya, YOU’RE buying OUR drinks, not vice versa).

Best,
Claire Nowak-Boyd
Hostess & Rabble-Rouser
myspace.com/drinksandmortar

DEWEY DRINKS IS CANCELED FOR TONIGHT!

DEWEY DECIMAL DRINKS IS CANCELED TONIGHT, Thursday February 21, due to the scary icy weather! Please stay home, folks!

If I have a replacement date, I will post the info here. Until then, stay dry!

Yours,
Claire-ian the Librarian
myspace.com/deweydecimaldrinks

Dewey Drinks: It’s Romance Novel Month.

Dewey Decimal Drinks, the monthly happy hour for librarians (and bibliophiles) will be this Thursday, February 21, at 8 (YES EIGHT) pm. We’ll meet at the Sci-Fi Lounge, 6010 Kingsbury, which is home to a rather impressive and eclectic collection of action figures, UFOs, dioramas, and other curious delights.

This is going to be a low key evening, so if PBR and pizza ain’t your thing you may want to eat before joining us. But please do stop on by–I’m making formulaic romance novel mad libs for your entertainment, and there’ll be somethin’ along the lines of Barbarella or Attack of the 50 ft Woman on TV for your enjoyment. Because there is nothing more romantic than gigantic, murderous women and bookish mad libs, if you ask me.

yours,
Claire-ian the Librarian
myspace.com/deweydecimaldrinks

A long-vacant hotel in Detroit slowly returns to life

There’s an interesting little piece at Detroit News Online about the restoration of the Pick-Fort Shelby Hotel in Detroit. The short article paints a pretty good picture of the special challenges of restoring a building that has been abandoned for a very long time. The article also highlights the difficulties of rehabbing a structure that boasts building technologies that have since been all but lost–in this case, a marble shoe shine stand.

Here’s the piece: Artists labor to re-create Pick-Fort Shelby’s grandeur

For more on the history of the Fort Shelby Hotel, hop on over to Forgotten Detroit.

Steve

My thoughts are with fellow blogger and rabble rouser Steve Patterson, who suffered a stroke late last week. (Pub Def got the word out.)

I cannot imagine a spirit like Steve’s staying down for long. I hope I’m right.

Correction: 1324 Niedringhaus is being renovated!

I have a huge correction to make, and it’s great news.

I recently posted that 1324 Niedringhaus in Granite City was going to be demolished. Well, I’m a moron. The opposite is true: It’s being rehabbed!

Granite City Economic Development Director Jon Ferry commented:

“I wanted to inform you that the bank building at 1324 Niedringhaus in downtown Granite City is not going to be demolished. True, it does have a ‘razing permit’ placard on the front door. However, that permit was to demolish only some of the interior drywall in the upper floor. The building itself is actually being redeveloped into lofts on the upper floor, preserving the first floor for commercial space. Also, while I do not want to go into great detail on here, since the plans are not completely set in stone as of right now, I can assure you as a City official for Granite City that we are working on a redevelopment plan of our downtown that includes the preservation of as many historically and architecturally valuable buildings in the downtown area as can possibly be salvaged. At one point a prior administration did want to demolish entire blocks of downtown, but that was over 10 years ago. A new administration has taken over now, and we’re not about to let that happen.”

Furthermore, GC Downtown Development Committee chair Brenda Whitaker adds:

“I’m happy to report that Mayor Hagnauer and the Granite City Council are aware of the treasures that are still in the community and are in full swing of bringing Downtown back to it’s former glory.

The raising permit that you are referring to in the former Guardian Savings Bank is the first phase of a redevelopment project at that loction, the permit is for demo of the enterior only. The second life for this buldings calls for lofts on the second story and retail space on the street level.

This is just one of the many exciting projects in Downtown Granite City.

The City is currently working with Trivers and Associates on several upcoming projects such as the redevelopmet of the former YMCA building (another treasure) into a civic center as well as new construction of a state of the art cinema.

As the city of Granite City takes a bold approach to the redevelopment of its Downtown we invite to come and watch the progress and enjoy all we have now and will soon have it offer in this quaint community. Our community offers the feel of a small town with the convinence of big city living. Most don’t realize that we are only six minutes from Downtown St.Louis.

If you would like more information on the redevelopment of Downtown Granite City feel free to contact our Economic Development Director: Jon Ferry

Come and rediscover Downtown Granite City.”

This is fabulous news! Yay! My apologies that I spoke so hastily—given a few recent demos in Downtown Granite and the sight of the word “RAZING” on the building permit, I got nervous and jumped the gun. I’m sorry about that.

I am very happy to learn that plans to turn the YMCA into a civic center are moving forward, to boot. I’d heard bits and pieces of news about that a while back, but hadn’t heard anything lately. That corner ought to have a lot more vitality in a couple years’ time. Good for GC!

(Now, if only I could get this kind of uplifting news every time I posted about a demo permit….)

To celebrate the good news, here are two more photos:

A view of the cornice of 1324 with the wonderful modern Granite City Steel Building in the background:

And a lousy shot of a great building…. Looking across the street to the terracottalicious Granite City YMCA, future home of a civic center:

Yet another reason to live on the North Side: It’z cheep

Doug, knowing of my bordering-on-unhealthy fascination with the Baden neighborhood, sent me this Craigslist rental ad: Fully Rehabbed Single Family. It’s a duplex that’s been turned into a giant, three bedroom single family house. Okay, some of the rehab touches aren’t what I’d do myself (WTF did they do to that poor mantel?), but renters can’t always be choosers. If I weren’t looking to live roommatelessly next time I move, and if I weren’t so attached to my wonderful neighbors in Old North, and if this place would reconsider the no pets rule, I would SO live there. As it is, oh well.

A newly rehabbed dulpex for $750 a month, replete with a (remixed) mantel, a pocket door, walk-in closets…. If the phrase “move back to Chicago” ever comes out of my mouth when I’m talking to you, please slap me.