Showing posts sorted by relevance for query oak tree. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query oak tree. Sort by date Show all posts

7/15/09

The Oak Tree across the Alley

The massive Oak tree across the alley lost a branch yesterday.
See all that greenery that looks like its on top of the fence? That's part of the branch.

It's a startling sight because of the length of the branch which I estimate at 50 feet. It took out two fences, some power lines, and is resting on top of two cars.

I love this tree and have had a long relationship with it. Years ago crows (remember crows?) would gather at the very top of the branches to roost at sunset and it has housed dozens of nests. The canopy spans three lots and it dwarfs the three story houses. It has to be over 100 years old and existed before the house was built.

I admire it from my back porch daily and have photographed it over the years.
When I was in cancer treatment I had a fey relationship with the tree, making a point to pause and gaze at it before I left every morning. Being an atheist I just couldn't get behind the whole pray your way out of cancer notion so I developed a superstitious relationship with the tree.*

I called Paul Klauber who owns Round Oak Woodworking thinking he may want some of the branch. He didn't (the expense of kiln drying) but we did discuss the tree and his analysis is that the tree is 'over mature' and the weight of the healthy branch is what took it down.

The branch is about 2.5 feet in diameter while the trunk is almost four feet. I'm worried about the fate of the tree since that bottom branch was well integrated into the trunk. I don't want it to die while I'm alive because I've made it a part of my family.

Sidebar: There are many quarter sawn oak front doors in TGS (I've see them mostly in TGH) and I covet them. Quarter sawn oak is of the Arts/Crafts era and rarely used today because of the cost and waste. Clicking on the title of this post will jettison you to the best QS article on the web.

Pop Quiz: There's hundreds and hundred of Oak Trees. Which is this? See the photo below for one of the smaller leaves next to my foot which is The Clue.
The prize is a rare copy of Ways of the Woods: A Guide to the Skills and Spirit of the Woodland Experience


* Please curb your god and don't send me comments about my disinterest. Thanks.

8/22/07

ONCE AGAIN, 3460 OAK HILL - RESPONSE FROM THE MAYOR'S OFFICE

I recently wrote an open letter to Mayor Slay about one of my favorite buildings, 3460 Oak Hill http://stlouisbricks.blogspot.com/2007/07/3460-oak-hill-redux.htm

I sent the above link via email and received a letter dated August 4 from Barbara Geisman:

Dear Ms. Herman:

Thank you for your email of August 1, 2007, advising Mayor Slay that you had posted a letter to him on your blog. The Mayor asked me to respond to your email in my capacity as his Executive Director of Development. I have accessed your blog and read your letter, and have printed it out as an attachment to this letter...In the future, if you have questions or comments that you wish to direct to Mayor Slay and his staff, it would be helpful if you could send them directly to the Mayor - there are a lot of wonderful communications on the Internet that concern issues in the City but unfortunately we do not have the time to search the web and find them all.

By copy of this letter, I am asking LRA and CDA staff to take the following actions in response to the concerns raised in the letter that was posted on your blog.

Marian, I would appreciate it if you could provide me with a narrative on the actions CDA has taken to date to find a qualified developer for the property.

Laura, I would appreciate it if you could take a close look at this property and arrange for LRA's maintenance staff to secure it to the maximum extent possible, recognizing that we want this building to be saved and restored. I would also appreciate it if you can give me a report on the condition of this property and what LRA has done to restore it.

Ms Herman, once I receive the above-requested responses from Marian and Laura I will share them with you. I believe CDA has been attempting to find a qualified developer for this property for some time. I hope Marian's response will shed some light on why this has been so difficult.

Thank you for taking the time to write and thank you, most of all, for choosing to be a city resident. You and other like you are Mayor Slay's very important partners in his drive to make St. Louis City a great place to work and play once again.

Sincerely yours,

Barbara A. Greisman

Copies: Mayor Francis G. Slay; Honorable Jennifer Florida, Alderwoman 15th ward; Jeff Rainford, Chief of Staff; Jill Claybour and Marian Miller, CDA administration; Rodney Crim, Otis Williams, and Laura Costello, SLDC



It was great to have a quick response from the Mayor's office although I'm puzzled by 'Make St. Louis City a great place to work and play once again.' Yikes! What am I missing?

I do understand that Mayor Slay can't be expected to read every blog. The reason I had emailed him a link to my blog article was to provide text and photo illustrations.

I waited two weeks and stopped by 3460 Oak Hill on Sunday.

The shrubs along the side of the building have been removed! Please go after that tree also, the roots could be infiltrating the building foundation.



Rows of mortar popping out and a section where a group of bricks is about to jettison. I didn't notice this a few months ago....new? Life safety issue?



Holy stinkola! Missing bricks in the parapet, rows of disappearing mortar and new graffiti on the inside of the windows.



Many more broken windows on the second and third floors. I didn't check the back door to see if it was secured since I was off to meet Bad Tim for dinner. The back door board up was hanging open last fall (which was how I took those interior photos and photos from the roof)



One remaining intact window. Will the others be secured from winter storm damage?



The neglected shrubs that have previously obscured the front of the building have been removed, thanks! I've been wanting a photo of the doorway for years.



As of today, I haven't heard back from LRA or CDA. I have heard a rumor that Sam Mellen had submitted a plan to redevelop the building.

Further reading on this building: http://www.15thwardstl.org/taxonomy/term/31

6/29/11

Devastation on 4000 Utah Street

4000 Utah is one of my favorite blocks in TGS and is populated with perfect Craftsman Bungalows. Note that all the trees along the south side of the street have been removed.


The post below was written by Marsha who lives on 4100 Utah.

MSD work on Utah to replace aged storm sewers from Roger to Bent began about two
months ago. Homeowners on the 4000-4100 blocks were notified by a brief letter
that the work was to take place, which included only the name of the contractor
(Gershenson Inc.) and that the work could take up to a year to complete and
would impact Utah, Roger, Oak Hill and Bent.

After the work began at the corner of Utah and Roger, it was determined that
Laclede Gas should initiate work on gas supply lines on the same two blocks of
Utah, ahead of the sewer line replacement work. Since April or early May,
Laclede has been working their way up the two blocks, while MSD remained in the
area of the Utah/Roger intersection.

About 10 days ago I heard via rumor that MSD would be destorying all street
trees on the south side of 40-41 Utah (about 20) while trenching the entire tree
lawn on the two blocks to a depth of 9 ft.

The scope of the sewer replacement project was not shared in any detail at all
with homeowners, or apparently with officials of the City. (Is it true that
there is some kind of covenant that MSD has no obligation to obtain approval
from the City for the scope and method used to make repairs?)

Last night several large sections of new sewer pipe were laid out on top of the
tree lawn heading west from Roger on the south side of Utah. At the end of the
day today, all but one of the street trees on 4000 Utah had vanished, cut to
almost grass level by chain saws.

Is there no other way to accomplish sewer line replacement than to devastate a
neighborhood, destroying decades old trees that provide shade, noise and toxic
pollution reduction, habitat for wildlife and great character and charm to the
homes on the block? The fact that the tree lawn would be trenched and trees
destroyed was never communicated in any way to property owners.

Surely this can't be the only two blocks in the City to require sewer line
replacement -- does the same devastation occur on every block where MSD does
replacement work?