Egad! It just keeps getting worse.

Sometimes pictures just have to speak for themselves. There's not a single example of original construction using this limestone venier that I can point to. Why do builders insist on using styles that just don't fit an area when doing infill housing. (prior construction pictures on Aug 6 post)





In the middle picuture is a man who identified himself as John Edwards. His aggressive tone and demeanor displayed to me are not likely to win friends or help the neighbors accept the new owners.

Another home falls to developers

Rumor has it that this home was acquired by a developer. A charming home with great landscaping. It would be a shame to see it fall to the bulldozer.

Edwards' construction team a neighborhood nuisance

The narrow neighborhood streets require that one side be posted as No Parking. This maintains adequate driving room for two cars to adequately pass and ensures that emergency vehicles can navigate the streets.

It seems that contractors, delivery drivers, cable guys, and anyone else from outside the neighborhood assumes those No Parking signs to apply to someone else.

Edwards' various construction personnel have been frequent abusers by parking on both sides of the street. This is no way for this builder to maintain good relations with the neighborhood. It is also one more sticking point that will inevitably be projected on the new neighbors who have contracted for these homes but are not taking an active role in ensuring that their future neighbors do not feel abused by the building process. Being neighborly begins when there is a direct impact upon the existing neighbors, not just when the work is done and the newcomers arrive. No doubt when they do, their moving van will park all day on the No Parking side of the street without obtaining proper permits from the city. If they do that then they will have announced their personal sense of entitlement to special treatment beyond the laws and ordinances that apply only to the lesser rabble.

Edwards property flipped

That I understand is jargon for rapidly reselling realestate in a speculative transaction; no 'ownership', habitation, or maintenance ever occurs. 544 E. Jefferson, one of 4 on that block owned by Edwards as knockdown houses was recently resold.

Edwards bought the property in March 06 for $185,000 and sold it to Monte and Shannon Herring June 16, 06 for $265,000. Considering that since the place has been stripped and allowed to run down it must be only considered as a knockdown by its new owners. That's a hell of a proffit to pay. The Herrings must be smarting some right now. They presently own a house at 316 McCullough, on the west side of Kirkwood. It is one of the two car garage in front beasts on which the garage constitutes 45% (20 of 44 feet) of the frontage and projects 18 feet in front of the porch and 24 feet beyond the front door.



An alternative viewpoint of the 544 sale is that the market price is determined by the actual price someone will pay, and therefore it is worth exactly $265,000 for a 64 by 120 foot lot that requires $20,000 of demolition yet to clear it of the old house. The real person smarting in this transaction is the former owner who sold the place to Edwards in March. Apparently they left $80,000 on the table, having failed to obtain the best price the market would willingly pay.

More Edwards projects

Edwards Development has acquired these homes, adjacent to the home previously posted, and apparently plans a knockdown of these. Though now appearing somewhat run down, they were not that way just a few months ago. Since then they have been stripped, the yards neglected and the houses have been used as storage and parking for the Edwards construction going on next door. Considering the abuse they have suffered they still look pretty good. To be honest, these houses were no gems, but they did represent the heart and soul of this neighborhood in Kirkwood.

Infill controversy

Edwards Development has created quite a stir by trashing several small but functional houses on East Jefferson. The replacement home lacks much architectural appeal and is a real eyesore for the immediate neighbors who must now see nothing but a huge blank wall for their entire east view.
The original house was bought by Edwards in March 06 for $218,000. It is listed at the St. Louis county real estate web site as having been built in 1942, had 1029 sq ft of space and had 2 bedrooms and 5 total rooms. The lot was reasonably generously sized for the neighborhood at 59' frontage, and a very deep 231' to the back line (0.31 acres). In many respects it was quite typical of the homes on the block where the median age was 60 years (range 51 to 156 years) and the average lot size is 0.22 acre (range 0.17 to 0.36 acres). [data again from the county web site revenue.stlouisco.com]
Edwards has also bought three other homes immediately adjacent to this home, addresses 544, 548 and 529 E. Jefferson.

Yet another builder's mistake.