Photograph by Josh Monken
In 1983, Lafayette Square was marked more by graffiti and boarded-up windows than the ornate curlicues and colorful exteriors of today. Tim Tucker, grandson of late Mayor Raymond Tucker, had studied the neighborhood at Washington University. Always one to live a bit on the edge, he bought in.
While neck-deep in debris gutting his town house, he heard a knock on the door. “A neighbor and four guys with a case of beer showed up and asked if I wanted some help,” he recalls. The neighbors banded together as the Lafayette Square Restoration Committee, and with Tucker as the head of its Development Committee for 10 years, the group worked on historic-building codes and argued against intrusive roadways and for historic tax credits.
The area once shunned for its decay became a tight-knit enclave with a beautiful park packed for summer concerts, plus flourishing shops, art studios, and restaurants. It was featured on national cable renovation shows and home tours. Eventually, Lafayette Square started attracting high-end buyers who’d shell out a cool million for renovated town houses that once sold for $2,000.
In 1993, Tucker moved out of the neighborhood, but decided to go urban pioneering again with a rehab in Benton Park.
Reflecting on Lafayette Square’s progress, Tucker notes, “I am surprised. I never thought we would see a Walgreens in the neighborhood. All in all, it’s really wonderful to see.”
