Old Tower Grove apt an option...or not worth it? (St. Louis: apartments, rentals)

[havecamerawilltravel]

Hope this question isn't too specific for this forum (I won't post a question about every apartment I visit!). This one has me in a bit of a quandary, though. It's a great size, especially for the price, great location right near the park...so I thought I had to take a look.

The layout of the rooms is really nice...I'd have almost more space than I'd know what to do with. Very quiet, too. Well, all good things except a few concerns: apparently the building was built back in the 1920s, and the landlord wouldn't really give a direct answer as to when the plumbing/electric had been redone.

Also, they were repainting all the walls and some other areas...but around the windows, doors, and some cabinets, there was definitely some peeling paint that I doubt was going to get covered up. I asked about this, and the landlord (to his credit) said that if the paint was old, it probably had lead in it, but it "should be" OK as long as I don't have a kid eating it or something.

Well, I have a cat who licks things...and I touch things, which seems disturbing enough when you're touching lead all the time.

Still, I'm used to living in a nice rehab, and I know most of the apartments around there are closer to the original...so I was wondering if my expectations are off, and I should take this for what it is (a great space in an excellent location...but, nothing is new by any means!).

My other main idea is to look for a rehab on or near Cherokee street, since those can come at decent prices, and at least I might avoid plumbing or electrical problems. But the general location might not be as great.

Thanks for any input!

[zach_33]

What park is it next to? How many floors and units per floor? I kind of like pre-war apartment buildings-- they often have details that are ignored in newer construction, so I'd take it for what it is. I'd agree with the landlord re: lead paint. Don't tackle any DIY projects that involve sanding or demo work on cabinets, door frames, or window frames, but otherwise should not pose a problem. If the plumbing or electric becomes a problem, the landlord should pick up the tab to have it fixed. Awesome space, cool location, older details-- I'd probably be inclined to go with it.

[havecamerawilltravel]

Originally Posted by zach_33

What park is it next to? How many floors and units per floor? I kind of like pre-war apartment buildings-- they often have details that are ignored in newer construction, so I'd take it for what it is. I'd agree with the landlord re: lead paint. Don't tackle any DIY projects that involve sanding or demo work on cabinets, door frames, or window frames, but otherwise should not pose a problem. If the plumbing or electric becomes a problem, the landlord should pick up the tab to have it fixed. Awesome space, cool location, older details-- I'd probably be inclined to go with it.

Thanks for the reply. It's right across from Tower Grove park. I'm renting (by myself), so I really only need a one-bedroom, but this is a 2-bedroom, about 1100 sq ft, well within my price range! It's (if I can remember correctly...I've seen a few lately) a four-family building, two units on top and two on bottom...unusual on that side of the street.

My cat is really a "licker," though, so I do worry a bit about that...if paint falls off, she'll probably try to taste it!

In a totally different direction (literally and figuratively), I am still really tempted to consider a move to Albuquerque despite my health problems which were exacerbated there. Some of these apartments look really good, but I'm trying to imagine the outsides covered in snow...and it's not quite as appealing. But I know I'd better decide on that part soon!

[storey13]

I saw this on craigslist today and wondered if anyone could tell me about how safe and family friendly it is or isn't:

HUGE 1400 SQFT!!! 3 Bedroom, Renovated, OVER LOOKING TOWER GROVE!!!

I am looking for healthcare IT work (specifically Epic software) hard core in St. Louis and thought this place looked like a nice place for the price.

[Old Trafford]

Originally Posted by storey13

I saw this on craigslist today and wondered if anyone could tell me about how safe and family friendly it is or isn't:

HUGE 1400 SQFT!!! 3 Bedroom, Renovated, OVER LOOKING TOWER GROVE!!!

I am looking for healthcare IT work (specifically Epic software) hard core in St. Louis and thought this place looked like a nice place for the price.

That area should be lower crime, do you have kids? education would be an issue - close to The Hill neighborhood (to the west) and Morgan Ford (to the east) which are 2 nice neighborhoods with their own retail districts - Tower Grove park is across the street and is awesome

[storey13]

Originally Posted by Old Trafford

That area should be lower crime, do you have kids? education would be an issue - close to The Hill neighborhood (to the west) and Morgan Ford (to the east) which are 2 nice neighborhoods with their own retail districts - Tower Grove park is across the street and is awesome

We do have kids, one will start K this Fall and the other will be in 10th grade. I understand the st louis public schools are not great. I am hoping to get my 10th grader in a charter school that will hopefully be better than SLPS public. From what I have found, the neighborhood elementary school should be Mann elementary, which is supposed to be a pretty decent SLPS neighborhood school. We've also considered trying to get my K in one of the charter schools like Citygarden, but we would have to wait until 1st grade since we don't live in the STL yet. Looks like most of the charter schools require you to apply fairly early (February/March) before the next school year.

Living in a highly walkable neighborhood is very important to us (prefer walkscore to be 75 or above). We got a taste of highly walkable living (Oak Park, IL) for a couple of years, and we really miss it now that we live in the suburbs (Matthews, NC). We only own one vehicle and would like to keep it that way, so where ever I work (options are SLU hospital, Mercy, or SSM Healthcare), I will take bus/metrolink. I know that some of the inner ring suburbs are also walkable, but housing cost seems to come into play when I look at rentals on Craigslist. I also have this *feeling* that the city would be a better fit rather than the suburbs.

Of course all of this is just hypothetical right now. I haven't even got a callback for an interview yet. Since I have a very narrow IT skill, I may have to wait a while before an opening comes up. My mom is celebrating her 70th anniversary and my parents are celebrating their 45th wedding anniversary in March/April, so we may be up there to help them celebrate and see how things have changed over time. We haven't spent more than a couple of days in STL in a few years.

[Old Trafford]

Originally Posted by storey13

We do have kids, one will start K this Fall and the other will be in 10th grade. I understand the st louis public schools are not great. I am hoping to get my 10th grader in a charter school that will hopefully be better than SLPS public. From what I have found, the neighborhood elementary school should be Mann elementary, which is supposed to be a pretty decent SLPS neighborhood school. We've also considered trying to get my K in one of the charter schools like Citygarden, but we would have to wait until 1st grade since we don't live in the STL yet. Looks like most of the charter schools require you to apply fairly early (February/March) before the next school year.

Living in a highly walkable neighborhood is very important to us (prefer walkscore to be 75 or above). We got a taste of highly walkable living (Oak Park, IL) for a couple of years, and we really miss it now that we live in the suburbs (Matthews, NC). We only own one vehicle and would like to keep it that way, so where ever I work (options are SLU hospital, Mercy, or SSM Healthcare), I will take bus/metrolink. I know that some of the inner ring suburbs are also walkable, but housing cost seems to come into play when I look at rentals on Craigslist. I also have this *feeling* that the city would be a better fit rather than the suburbs.

Of course all of this is just hypothetical right now. I haven't even got a callback for an interview yet. Since I have a very narrow IT skill, I may have to wait a while before an opening comes up. My mom is celebrating her 70th anniversary and my parents are celebrating their 45th wedding anniversary in March/April, so we may be up there to help them celebrate and see how things have changed over time. We haven't spent more than a couple of days in STL in a few years.

on schools -

I know some good people involved with Eagle Charter, they are a year old and getting a good start

General Information | EAGLE College Prep Elementary Schools

How do you feel about Catholic education? I have friends in the neighborhood who are not Catholic but send there kids to St. Margret's of Scotland - good school

St. Margaret of Scotland School

Garden City Montessori is real good but hard to get into

Home - City Garden Montessori School

Not sure about high schools for you 10th grader - most of my friends kids are not to high school yet - though my friends daughter is in 7th grade now and is looking at private school in the county when she starts high school (they are not leaving the neighborhood)

the neighborhood never really decayed by St. Louis standards, but things got a bit dicey in the early to mid 90's - right now Tower Grove South is attracting young professionals.

Also look in Shaw on the north side of the park - better building stock then the south side of the park but has been slower to regenerate - lots of good bargains there - and I know a couple of developers with some big plans for the neighborhood

[havecamerawilltravel]

Yes, in the last post you mentioned about the south side of the park...that's where I've been focusing my attention most recently (I decided not to go with that first apartment...just a gut feeling, maybe). In terms of walkability, the area seems great...there are a few places I'm looking into that are in between Local Harvest and Grand, so necessities and also just "interesting" things wouldn't be hard to find, I don't think.

I do wonder about the building quality, though...I'm visiting one tomorrow, and from the photos I've seen, it's been updated by not majorly renovated (which is OK for me, but I just don't want to have any serious problems). The price is also good for the size, as far as I can tell (though I don't think they've put in thermal windows or anything, which would really help!).

Do you think building quality is generally pretty poor on that side of the park? Also, is safety more of an issue there? I've lived in the city for years and have visited that area often without problems, but never lived around there, of course. Thanks very much.