news and updates

For the first time, the City of St. Louis has funds available through its economic development sales tax to implement neighborhood plans. Creating neighborhood plans to guide future change and development within communities is a best practice. Knowing this, API’s community engagement partner, Dutchtown South Community Corporation (DSCC), along with Rise Community Development, UrbanWerks Architecture and Design, and Development Strategies created the Gravois-Jefferson Historic Neighborhoods Plan (GJHNP) from 2016-2018.

API partnered with Dutchtown South Community Corporation on the recent Neighborhood Implementation application released by the Community Development Administration and received funding for its ART CO (Arts-Based Regeneration Through Community Ownership) project. Over the next two years, ART CO will do the following:

• Create a community art space and garden in Gravois Park
• Create public art, including art benches, with local artists and neighbors
• Contribute funds towards incorporating art in the upgrade of the Marquette Park pool fence
• Support community engagement in the creation of a community land trust and Mixed-Income Neighborhood Trust–two tools that will prevent displacement and preserve affordability within the plan area
• Cover archeological survey costs to determine the presence of any items of tribal significance prior to future development within API’s footprint
• Deploy a GJHNP Plan Implementation Committee to assure strong plan implementation into the future

This is an important win for API’s work! We look forward to working with all DSCC staff and all Dutchtown partners. Look for project activities to commence in 2025.

API has launched a new planning process to gather residents’ dreams for how some of its remaining parcels can be used for green and art spaces. The Block Dreams conceptual plan will draft high-level concepts for such spaces and create architectural guidelines that API can give to its architects in the future as a way of streamlining approvals.

Residents’ dreams are many and fit into the following categories:

• Spaces for play
• Spaces to gather
• Spaces for quiet
• Spaces to create
• Spaces to meet basic needs
• General amenities

Stay tuned for information about the next community meeting!

Block Dreams is funded by a Neighborhood Transformation Grant from the City of St. Louis Community Development Administration.

With funding from a Neighborhood Transformation Grant award from the City of St. Louis – Community Development Administration (CDA), API is building a neighborhood-embedded artist residency. It will be housed in an accessory dwelling unit adjacent to one of API’s rehab homes. The residency will focus on both local and international talent, producing both personal works and public projects in Gravois Park alongside residents and neighbors. Look for its completion in fall 2024.

Thanks to CDA for making this opportunity possible and to our partner and general contractor Habitat for Humanity St. Louis.

As part of an innovative New Market Tax Credit program issued through ARPA funds, and in collaboration with Habitat for Humanity St. Louis, API has commenced three more rehab projects in Gravois Park.  All three of these projects are under construction and will be complete by fall 2024. 

While we did not complete any houses in 2023, it was a huge year for API, as we began various stages of pre-construction, design and stabilization on our next 9 properties!

Three rehab projects are under construction

As part of an innovative New Market Tax Credit program issued through ARPA funds, and in collaboration with Habitat for Humanity St. Louis, API has commenced three more rehab projects in Gravois Park. The first and second of these rehabs had artists awarded in late 2022, and the third was just awarded to an artist applicant this past September! All three of these projects are under construction and will be complete by Q3 of 2024. 

Triplex I is moving forward as API’s first new build construction project

After undergoing numerous design and budget revisions this year, API is ready to start construction on our conjoined triplex project. This project takes advantage of economies of scale by developing 3 townhouse-style units, each with 2 bedrooms and bathrooms, and an artist flex space. The artist awardees have been selected, and will take possession of their new homes once construction is complete in Q3 of 2024. 

Triplex II approved!

Thanks to the generous support of the CDA’s Neighborhood Transformation Grant (NTG), API was awarded a housing production subsidy to kickstart the second iteration of our conjoined triplex project. The first of these was approved in early 2022. This project will break ground in mid-2024 and should be completed in early 2025.

The artist residency is fully funded!

Another amazing outcome of the NTG is that API received 100% of necessary funding to build a neighborhood-embedded artist residency program, This residency will be housed in an ADU adjacent to one of API’s rehabs, and will focus on both local and international talent to produce both personal works and public projects in Gravois Park alongside residents and neighbors. Construction on this residency will be complete at the end of 2024, with programming proposed to commence in mid-2025.

We just launched our next home application! If you have a friend or family member that has a low or moderate-income, let them know.

This application is for a 1-story, brick, new-construction home built with a vaulted ceiling. It is adjoined to two other homes in a town-house style. It will have 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and is approximately 1,400 sq ft. It will include a waterproofed, finished basement where one of the bedrooms, one of the bathrooms, and the artist flex-space will be. It will be finished in late summer 2024.

We think we have most of your questions answered so check out our FAQs for all of the details and apply by December 10, 11:59pm here. Also, sign up for our FAQ workshop the week after Thanksgiving. Send any further questions to [email protected]. 

Thanks for sharing!

On September 22, we hosted our first annual Color Block Party. We had a full house of old and new friends, showing incredible support for our mission. 

We couldn’t have done it without the help of so many.

Thanks to our sponsors: Block Level – Kranzberg Arts Foundation, Laz Jazz Fest and the Brothers Lazaroff; Intersection Level – Incarnate Word Foundation; Sidewalk Level – U.S. Bank and The Unico System; Porch Level – Capes Sokol, Development Strategies, Sterling Bank, Valeria Creative, Chris Hansen, Phil Minden, John Pitman; Ticket Donors – Smith NMTC Associates LLC and Eric Gilbert.

Chris Hansen and Becky Hale of Kranzberg Arts Foundation really shepherded the vision of the event and made it so easy for us. Thank you!

Thanks to Turn and Blvck Spvde and The Cosmos for bringing their respective food and music flavor to the event. (In the video below, you are hearing The Cosmos’ single “Doom”.)

So many other artists also brought so much beauty to the event. Valeria Creative’s program, Jenny Murphy’s banner, Sarah Paulsen’s live animation, Martell Stephney’s photography, and JM3 DJ’s & Productions’ photo booth really made the event come alive. Thanks!

Finally, thanks also to Wild Ginger Weddings for the vase donation, our MC and Board member Pacia Elaine Anderson and our volunteers making for the night go so smoothly.

See you next year!

We have received three Neighborhood Transformation Grant awards from the City of St. Louis – Community Development Administration (CDA). Funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), over the next three years we will build the following:

• Three more homes! Our goal is to build at least 18 homes for low to moderate-income artists in Gravois Park, and this ensures our next three developments are fully subsidized.
• An artist residency! We will create an artist residency which will be housed in an accessory dwelling unit adjacent to one of API’s rehabs. The residency will focus on both local and international talent, producing both personal works and public projects in Gravois Park alongside residents and neighbors.
• More capacity to complete our mission! The grant will cover a portion of our two-full time staff’s salaries and some consultant time, which will enable us to work with residents to create a community land trust that will steward and preserve public arts infrastructure and green spaces created over time.

The grant will also help us pave the way for future projects by funding:

• Site clearance. Grant funding will cover costs to maintain and clear remaining API parcels and prep them for construction.
• A conceptual plan. We will gather residents to coalesce ideas around the green space and public arts infrastructure that should be built, as well as  form-based design guidelines for home construction. 

Thanks to the St. Louis Community Development Administration for making this opportunity possible. It was a highly competitive application so we want to give special thanks to our partners Habitat for Humanity St. Louis, Dutchtown South Community Corporation, St. Louis Volunteer Accountants and Lawyers for the Arts, Alderwomen Cara Spencer and Alisha Sonnier, and Alderman Shane Cohan who have been such great supporters of API’s work in Gravois Park. API also thanks Gateway CDFI for providing construction financing and Sterling Bank for providing mortgage financing.

Find out more about the City’s Neighborhood Transformation Grant Housing awards here.

Join us to get all of your questions answered about our 2023 Homeownership Pre-Screening Application. Register here and we’ll send you the link for the workshop on Wednesday. Don’t forget your application must be received by 11:59 pm, August 18.

St. Louis Art Place Initiative (API) is excited to announce its next Pre-screen Application for Homeownership round. One artist will be awarded the opportunity to purchase a home slated for completion in spring 2024. API’s pre-screen application period will open on July 15 at 6pm at LazJazz Fest and close on August 18. Artists of all disciplines are eligible to apply, and artists living in or around Gravois Park are especially encouraged to apply. 

The application process includes three phases, beginning with API’s pre-screening application that opens July 15th. During this phase, artists will fill out and submit API’s pre-screening application. Then, top scorers will become finalists, and one awardee will be chosen via a lottery. Anyone not selected in this pre-screening application round will be welcome to apply again in the future. The awardee will progress to phases two and three with our partner Habitat for Humanity St. Louis; the awardee will work with them to fill out pre-screen and full mortgage applications. 

The online application form and FAQs will be available on our website on July 15, but in the meantime, be sure to spread the word to your artist friends and tell them to follow us on Facebook and Instagram: @stlartplace.

API Co-Director Kaveh Razani and Cultural Resources Office Director, Meg Lousteau, visit one of API’s sites.