Gothic revival

I feel like a realtor, but really what I am is just selfish and would really like someone who appreciates historic architecture to buy and restore the beautiful homes in my neighborhood.

Take for example, 306 N. Jackson St - going on the market this month.This house is also on the National Historic Register, and was built in the late 1800's. Gothic in style, this bungalow has amazing millwork, and some of the original slate roof. There was an addition to the back of the house sometime in the early 1900's which has allowed for a very large kitchen and 2 extra bedrooms on the 2nd floor - which gives the house around 2400 sqft. The house features a VERY large master suite with full bath, 2 other baths, a garage and a bocce court!

Above is the bocce court in the back yard.

(since it's not on the market yet, you can email me I and can get you in touch w/ the owner if you are interested!)

Despite a renewal of urban living, many cities still show signs of previous flight from the city center to the suburbs. Belleville is no different.

Thirty or so years ago when people were moving away from the downtown area, many of the beautiful mini-mansions were left behind - only to be bought up by slum lords and turned into multi-family housing. Luckily, with the establishment of the historic districts people can no longer convert single family homes to multi-family units. However, many of these converted buildings still exist just begging for someone to return them to their original grandeur.

These are some that are within one or two blocks of N. Jackson.

I'm not sure which, but one of the buildings below was the homestead of Pierre Laclede's niece. Sadly, the legacy is lost.



I love this building. With it's shutters it reminds me of New Orleans or Charleston. Too bad the landlord (yes, people live in this ruin) doesn't keep up with repairs.




These buildings below probably were built as multi-family units, but have seen tremendous neglect. There has been quite a lot of renovation on this street, and the first two buildings are for sale by owner.