Photograph by Michael Eastman
This spot on North Market Street is near the heart of the proposed 100-acre NGA site, where more than 75 percent of the land area sits vacant.
On learning that National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency head Robert Cardillo favored the North St. Louis site for the location of the agency’s new $1.75 billion facility, Mayor Francis Slay told the press it was “the best phone call I’ve received in my life.” At a press conference on March 30, the mayor stood with city and state leaders, who all praised the decision. “It’s a proud day for #STL & all of us who worked so hard to keep the #NGA in this great city,” Gov. Jay Nixon tweeted. Many St. Louisans were breathing a sigh of relief on learning that after 72 years, the NGA and its 3,100 employees would likely remain in St. Louis.
At the same time, it was disheartening to St. Louisans who live within the proposed development’s footprint. A historically African-American neighborhood, St. Louis Place is home to families who have lived in the area for generations. Charlesetta Taylor has resided there, in a well-kept Victorian home, for more than 70 years. Sheila Rendon has lived in her house her entire life; her husband, Gustavo, fasted for more than a month in protest of the NGA decision. Also in the footprint of the proposed site is Grace Baptist Church, founded to serve the residents of the Pruitt-Igoe housing project. Several days after the NGA announcement, 101-year-old Pastor Emeritus Joel Davis, who passed away on May 17, 2016, preached about the history of the church and comforted the congregation over its future.
Photographer Michael Eastman set out to document the area, whose buildings will be demolished to make way for the mapping agency when the NGA relocates to North City.
Photo by Michael Eastman
Sheila Rendon’s home has been in the family for three generations, and she promised her mother that she would keep it that way. According to the NGA’s report, as of December, 13 percent of the proposed NGA site’s footprint included owner- or renter-occupied residences.
Photo by Michael Eastman
Located on Cass Avenue, this vacant building was owned by developer Paul McKee’s NorthSide Regeneration for years. As of late March, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported, NorthSide owned about 40 percent of the parcels within the proposed NGA site’s footprint, where there are more than 50 vacant structures.
Photo by Michael Eastman
This six-family rowhouse on North Market Street was built in 1893; it’s now owned by the Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority. According to the NGA’s report, the city had reached sales agreements, including options, on 94 percent of the site’s 551 properties.
Photo by Michael Eastman
The Buster Brown Blue Ribbon Shoe Factory was built in 1901 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Owner Jim Osher hopes to save the building by moving it across the street and transforming it into a shoe-themed hotel.
Photo by Michael Eastman
Grace Baptist Church serves as an anchor for the neighborhood; the Rev. Jonathan Davis provided furniture and food to families in need. The church faces land where the Pruitt-Igoe housing complex once stood, adjacent to the proposed NGA site.
Photo by Michael Eastman
A Romanesque arch greets visitors to this historic brick home, built in 1894.
Photo by Michael Eastman
The late sculptor Bob Cassilly at one time stored his work and materials in this warehouse, located at the northwest corner of the proposed site.
Photo by Michael Eastman
Grace Baptist Church was hoping to restore this two-story brick building, a block east of the historic Buster Brown Blue Ribbon Shoe Factory.
