BEFORE/AFTER I: The City Bakery

OK, so 12 years ago, Daniel and I began our first major rehab project.
Turn back the clock to 2000, and straight out of art school we purchased a 5400sf former Bakery/4-family in the Carondelet neighborhood.  It was a sturdy building- not much character left on the inside, just your basic box structure of a 4-family, with 4 shotgun sections, stacked and divided by a 2' thick brick firewall dividing the building in 1/2.  It was a mess- had been rented out as apartments since the 60's, and was filled with the glorious smells of former pets, and tons of tenants.  One cool part- the old 'bakery' was attached, and would make a fabulous studio.  This portion of the building still had the great glazed white bakery brick, and the pad of the oven was even still there.  Wowza!

But we weren't deterred by this monster of a place, oh no.  The price was right at 69K, and we could clearly see its potential for greatness.  Our plan- clear it all out- all the little divided up rooms, open it up, make it more loft-ish, update all the systems, mend some plaster, expose some brick, some ceiings, put in a new kitchen (we didn't need 4 kitchens, thank you!), and turn this whopper into a great place to live and make art.

Back when the building was first built (1912 if I recall correctly) it was Pfeifauf Bakery.  We would later meet some of the grandchildren who remembered coming there as kids.

It didn't come without its challenges- neighbors who were sick of it being a problem property, watched us like hawks for the first year, calling city inspectors to make sure we had permits, and liscensed workers.  2 weeks after we purchased it, it was robbed (the only architectural elements left worth stealing were 2 mantles), and the biggest challenge of all- TIME.  Tearing stuff out was the easy part- 7 huge dumpsters filled with carpet, drop ceilings, wall debris- nasty fake wood cabinets, all gone in the first month or two.

Now the job of turning it into something wonderful would begin- and take years to complete.  But in the end, it was an incredible journey- we stayed for 8 years, learned so much, got to know our neighbors - who in the end, hated to see us go- and started a family. We stayed for 3 years after our son was born, and then felt the urge to do something completely different.  That will be the next blog post (BEFORE/AFTER II- Mid-Century Ranch in the Burbs)!!

OK- here are some pics for your perusal- I came into this post thinking I could easily assemble before/after shots of this project- but it wasn't quite that cut and dry- so after perusing hundreds of images, here are some of our best before and after moments.... warning- this is a long post- and the photos are SORT OF in order, but not always.  I hope it tells a good story.

The building (we painted the doors orange right away)- the bakery section is the single level in the rear:

First Day Tear out:

we decided to get our first real dumpster instead of using the breezeway!

    

Each section of the house was divided up into small rooms- this is LOWER LEVEL/RIGHT SIDE.

 early view of the  courtyard

early views of part of the back bakery portion

   

more tear outs (nasty bathrooms and kitchens UPPER LEVEL/LEFT SIDE)

      

UPPER LEVEL/RIGHT SIDE- we kept and used the metal sink cabinet for 4 years!)

As we would remove paneling, the plaster behind it would just crumble- hello lathe!  We ended up using this room as our 'temporary kitchen for the next 4 years (below) This room would later become our tv room, and have a balcony where you see the doorway.

      

Opened up LOWER LEVEL/RIGHT SIDE- we still used the back stairs to get to the 2nd FL.

   

Rendered images showing how this section would look with a metal fire-escape staircase added to the LOWER LEVEL/RIGHT SIDE.  Tearing out the back steps, adding a glass patio door to the courtyard, and creating a balcony on the 2nd floor that overlooks the kitchen.

The addition of a sturdy platform for the stairs to land on (heavily braced underneath to hold the weight of the stairs).  All of this with the expertise of an architect, proper permits, etc....

 

at the top of the stairs- there would soon be a bookcase railing

         

A new floor (vertical grain bamboo)- LOWER LEVEL/RIGHT SIDE!!

and a new front staircase!

Masons creating an opening for the sliding glass door leading out of our kitchen.

                             A completely gutted kitchen and the beginnings of a new one:

Breaking through the other to the other side on the UPPER LEVEL/2nd FL:

   

Upstairs balcony looking down into the new kitchen RIGHT SIDE:

Rebuilding of the front brick wall- mucho money spent to fix a bad bulge in the wall- UGH!!!

OK.....I'm exhausted- let's start to see some of the final results:

    

Open Living and Dining Room- LOWER LEVEL- RIGHT SIDE

LOOKING EAST

   

    NEW KITCHEN 

BALCONY

LIBRARY & DOOR TO BEDROOM (UPPER LEVEL/LEFT SIDE)

KITCHEN TURNED LAUNDRY/PROJECT ROOM (UPPER LEVEL/LEFT SIDE)

OFFICE & MASTER BEDROOM (UPPER/RIGHT)

OLD UPPER LEVEL KITCHEN turned TV ROOM w/BALCONY 

Going through hundreds of photos, at all stages through the 8 years of our time in this building- I'm TIIIIIRED.  It shows me how much we accomplished, and reminds me that we weren't able to complete all the items we first dreamed of- we always thought we would open up the corner store front that was bricked over in the 60's, and the LOWER LEFT SIDE clean studios we always thought we would removed all the walls and turn into a gallery.  Exterior landscaping was always on the list, too.

But I can wrap this up by stating I have enormous gratitude for my husband, my father in law, and all the tireless hours other friends/family/contractors put into helping us make this place into something beyond what it was when we first found it.  It was a great place to begin our St. Louis adventure, start our little family, and learn how houses work from the inside out!!!  

If you are facing a rehab, large or small, I hope you enjoy seeing bits of our process.  Old buildings and homes are always a work in progress, that I know for sure.