The Cabrini-Green Comment and the Ramsey Hill Association Testimony at the Heritage Preservation Commission

[The rejected proposal that reminded a Commissioner of Cabrini-Green in Chicago.]

Intrigued by the reporting in the Villager of the March 9th Heritage Preservation Commission meeting, the one where a demolition request for a 1920s auto garage -- a.k.a., according to the Commission, "an elegant rectangle with a lot of potential, a “nondescript building, [that] has historic merit [and] its own style without being overly stylish", and one that is "simple [and] utilitarian but [that] has some elegant brick detailing to it that goes beyond ordinary" -- was denied.

[The "elegant rectangle" garage in question.]

Intrigued, I requested the recording of the March 9th meeting and listened to it. I was particularly interested in the Cabrini-Green remark, which seemed at the time, and still today, absurd.

When I listened to the actual comment, it seems fairly innocent, if deeply out-of-touch. Here is the remark, made by Commissioner Barbara Bezat:

“The massing seems much bigger than surrounding structures, standard Saint Paul streetcorner stores. What seems glaring from the renderings are the top hat. It really reminds me of Cabrini-Green, only shorter. I don’t know if you… but its quite visible even from your own drawings and particularly given you’ve clad it in the light-colored siding, the fiber cement. It stands out as, a not fitting sort of thing. And if i would get to play with the design, I would set the thing back, and turn it in the other direction, so it doesn’t it isn’t such an overbearing thing at the top.”

At the very least, invoking a famous, now-demolished Chicago public housing project, even for architectural purposes, is tone-deaf given the history of race and public housing in America. It's also worth pointing out that this project is right on the edge of historic Rondo, where the Selby Avenue racial sundown line existed in Saint Paul.

The other thing mentioned in the Villager article was how, at the end of the meeting, there was some unsolicited testimony by Mason Riddle, Heritage Preservation Chair of the Ramsey Hill Association. According to the Villager anyway, this testimony was out of place given that the public hearing had already been closed by this point in the meeting.

HPC Chair: Any old business? New business? 

Mason Riddle: Can I say something? 

HPC: Sure 

Riddle: Hi I’m Mason Riddle. I’ve spoken to you before. I’m the heritage preservation chair for Ramsey Hill Association.

Until just a very few years ago, I used to drive a 1993 Mercedes, and on perhaps… it was an E320…  and on perhaps the worst day in January, in terms of temperature and ice and blizzards and da da da da, I’m at Mississippi Market thinking I’m going to park my car, and the axle breaks. And so my car completely dominated one whole aisle of the Mississippi Market, so nobody could get in or out. And this lasted for about four hours. 

My point is that I went across the street to the garage. It was January of 2015. They had tow trucks and things, and I said “can you come over here and just get my car across the street so other people can drive? And they said “no.” So they were open til at least then. 

I agree with your decision as [to the garage] not being demolished. I just respected all the comments here, and I’ll pass that on at our next board meeting. 

With the other development at Selby Avenue, I agreed with most of your comments. I’m not, I don’t have that packet. I’m less familiar with some of those details. But I would like to reinforce the point that there is that, let’s say, a massing height drift that goes on. Because every new building is just 8 feet taller than the one before it. 

And if you drive… if you’re very familiar with Lyndale Avenue between Franklin and Lake Street? What has happened there with all of these 6-, 8-, 10-story apartments that are… 

I used to once upon a time patron The CC Club…  

HPC member: Probably the CC Tap! 

[The Aberdeen, at Western and Marshall.]

Riddle: [laughs] … and the wonderful hardware store that used to be across the street from it is now 8-story building. These buildings are all so generic, they look so much alike. I’m just saying I really think this height issue needs to be looked at very seriously. And I am for large windows because of daylight, and i’m very conscious of this. I live on Holly Avenue, 3-4 blocks from all of this activity. And I know how horrible it is to drive down Selby in the wintertime, not that the height of the building is going to to improve driving down Selby.  

I just think [of] everything closing in, if the building is too tall. And lastly, there’s one other building that is on my little device here. I'm trying to find the name of it, at Western and Marshall. Condos that were built. People started moving in 2004, 2005. They are horseshoe shaped. it starts with a C. It’s all brick and the 5th floor of it is stepped back a bit. That’s the other building in the hood that is slightly higher.  

HPC: The Aberdeen.  

Riddle: Yes. [laughs] As I said, it starts with a C. 

I think that’s all I have to say. I think we should wait a little bit longer on the demolition of the garage, and a point which didn’t come up here at all, as one of the most environmentally lousy things is the demolition of buildings, that and just flying and airplanes. They are the two bad things.

Again, nothing really damning here, except for the factual errors [see below] and a healthy dose of melodrama. 

I'm sure the folks involved in this discussion members are nice and care, as I do, about Saint Paul history. But the way the conversation proceeded here captures a general disregard for facts and a general dislike of new housing that, during a prolonged harmful housing shortage, seems misguided.

[All the new apartment buildings on Lyndale, between Franklin Avenue and Lake Street; aesthetics aside, they are four, five, and six stories tall.]