The seeds of a changing St. Louis were sprouting last May in the cafeteria of a Catholic grade school in one of the city’s most historic neighborhoods.
At St. Ambrose on the Hill, more than 100 neighbors were gathered to listen to a proposal by developer Doug Sansone and his Chicago partners to tear down a long vacant warehouse and manufacturing building that had long been an eyesore in this Italian-American residential neighborhood known for its great restaurants, shotgun houses and tight-knit community.
There was an undercurrent of tension at the meeting between some of the older residents of the Hill, who had urged their alderman, Joe Vollmer, to block previous development proposals at the site, and the next generation of younger families, who want to see growth and a new era of vibrancy.
Last Monday, the day before a city primary election, Sansone announced he had closed on the deal.