3635 Hydraulic Ave
While Austin and Charlotte are examples of cities expanding now, let’s not forget STL City ran out of space to grow in the 1950’s! We had our growth spurt, and while more is needed, not many cities can compare to STL CITY. Our housing boom started in the 1870’s through the 1940s, which means our solid red brick building stock is old and frequently needs attention. TGNCDC bought 3635 Hydraulic Ave. as a vacant property in 2015, then made improvements to keep the units occupied as affordable homes.
We noticed some cracking along the front façade and hired a structural engineer to take a look. The structure was built in 1913, and over the years the front façade started pulling away and failing. Our board was faced with a very familiar decision: save the property and keep the block intact, or demo the structure and create a vacant lot. They chose the former, and work began.
The result was over $70,000 of additional investment to create TWO newly updated and affordable two-bedroom units rented at $775-$850 per unit. The building is now stable and positioned to last for decades to come! Attached are some photos of the before (when we purchased) and after.
Before
After