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You should receive a confirmation email after successfully signing up. Telling the Vacancy Story
Mrs. Tonnie Smith has been a resident in the West End-City of St. Louis for the last 13 years. Although she is an active member in her community, her humbled beginnings began in Centralia, Illinois just east of Missouri. Tonnie grew up in the small town with a population of 12,000; it was the type of community where residents would leave the front doors open. Tonnie’s mother was 17 years old when she gave birth to her and was a brilliant woman who had already graduated high school by the time Tonnie was born and was looking to pursue a career in Nursing. Tonnie’s Grandmother stepped in to help raise her brother and her in Centralia while her mom went to school to become a nurse in Peoria, Illinois. After nursing school, Tonnie and her brother moved to Peoria where she got her first taste of living in a big city, and she loved it. She remembers back in the 70’s communities being safe havens where one could ride bikes up and down the streets and catch the city bus to the library and come back home late at night with no worries.
In 1985, when Tonnie turned 16 years old her mom passed away, and she and her siblings had to move back to Centralia with her Grandparents. It was at this moment that Tonnie got a taste at having her first job. Her 2 uncles worked a paper route and every afternoon they all would pitch in by placing rubber bands around the newspapers. When Tonnie turned 16, she landed her first telemarketing job where she sold tickets to a magic show. Some of Tonnie's fondest memories were attending the Heart of Illinois Fair which isn’t as big as a state fair, but they would always have concerts with upcoming music artist, and her first concert was The Sylvers and she couldn’t wait til they sung Boogie Fever which was one of their biggest hits. After high school Tonnie attended Lincoln University located in Jefferson City, Missouri where she received a B.S. Degree in Fashion Merchandising and Marketing. While attending Lincoln University Tonnie pledge Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Joining the sorority introduced Tonnie to community service and working collaboratively to achieve goals
After college, Tonnie relocated to St. Louis and got settled into adult life. She worked in retail management for 13 years and then Branch Banking management for 8 years while getting married and giving birth to her daughter. Moving forward, Tonnie stated about 6 years ago she started looking into how her neighborhood could become vibrant and resilient for all. So, she set out on a journey to get educated and involved in making things happen. Tonnie began by listening to many webinars, attended many seminars and meetings on neighborhood revitalization, and rose to become a Lead Neighborhood Advocate of the West End Neighborhood. Some of her collaborative efforts and community training include participating in the Neighborhood Leadership Academy through UMSL/Mizzou Extension - Spring 2017. She went through a Certificate Program through UMSL in Spring 2019 and completed the 2019 Cohort of the Neighborhood Leadership Fellows which is a 10-month program that focuses on Policy Initiatives and how residents can be involved and informed. Tonnie is an active Board Member of Cornerstone/ member of the Community Development Committee and a planning team member of InvestSTL West End Plan to develop a comprehensive neighborhood plan. She is also working with Peter Hoffman and LaTasha Barnes of Legal Services of Eastern Missouri and a group of residents to reduce vacancy in the West End. These many endeavors keep Tonnie very busy, and she continues to be a beacon of light for her community.
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Photo of Tonnie Smith presenting at the 2019 Vacancy Collaborative Summit. Photo Courtesy of Chuck Ramsey of Legal Services of Eastern Missouri
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Photo of Vacant Parcels included in the West End Community Plan Footprint. Published on: West Plan
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A Voice From The Ville- Julia Allen
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Mrs. Julia is a 70-year-old resident of The Ville. The Ville was the cornerstone of the Black community and boasts an assortment of historical buildings and who’s who in the Black community. Growing up, Mrs. Julia attended Marshall Elementary, Turner Middle, and Sumner High School, respectively. She was raised with 4 siblings, a brother and sister, and she herself was a twin. Ms. Julia gave birth to two children, a son and a daughter who passed on.
Photo of Julia Allen and Family. Photo Courtesy of: Julia Allen.
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Photo Collage of The Ville Neighborhood History. Photos Published on Wikipedia Creative Commons
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Growing up in The Ville, the older residents pushed the youth to strive for excellence. Ms. Julia remembers one of her first jobs was working downtown for a company called Graymont selling dry goods. She also worked at Homer G. Phillips as a mail clerk and as a clerk in the radiology dept as a film librarian before they closed. She shared a story about the closing of Homer G. Phillips and how the community was outraged over the decision.
On a lighter note, growing up in The Ville was a close-knit community where everyone knew each other and looked out for one another. When the streetlights came on, all the kids had to be in the house and if a neighbor caught you doing wrong that neighbor had the right to discipline you. Ms. Julia stated that bad things happened in The Ville from time to time, but people still had moral character. Some of the events that were most memorable in The Ville was the annual Annie Malone Day Parade. Annie Malone was one of the first Black Female Millionaires and philanthropists who trained Madame C.J. Walker who also became world- renowned. She owned the Poro Building which housed the Poro College which was a school and manufacturing building to train young ladies in the cosmetology business. The building also housed black owned businesses, a branch of The Lincoln University Law School, an ice cream parlor, sewing rooms, auditorium, movie theatre, and neighborhood post office
On a lighter note, growing up in The Ville was a close-knit community where everyone knew each other and looked out for one another. When the streetlights came on, all the kids had to be in the house and if a neighbor caught you doing wrong that neighbor had the right to discipline you. Ms. Julia stated that bad things happened in The Ville from time to time, but people still had moral character. Some of the events that were most memorable in The Ville was the annual Annie Malone Day Parade. Annie Malone was one of the first Black Female Millionaires and philanthropists who trained Madame C.J. Walker who also became world- renowned. She owned the Poro Building which housed the Poro College which was a school and manufacturing building to train young ladies in the cosmetology business. The building also housed black owned businesses, a branch of The Lincoln University Law School, an ice cream parlor, sewing rooms, auditorium, movie theatre, and neighborhood post office
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Photos of the Annie Malone May Day Parade. Published on: Flickr under Creative Common License
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Photo of Annie Malone Children's Home. Published on Flickr under Creative Common License
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Photo of Graduation Day at Poro College. Published on: Wikipedia Creative Commons
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Ms. Julia stated she noticed the community started to decline after desegregation in the mid 70’s. She noticed one by one all the Black professionals started to move out to the suburbs. Looking back, Ms. Julia stated that she cannot remember one Alderperson who tried to stop the crumbling of The Ville; it was as if everyone was looking for an excuse to leave not knowing everything they needed was right under their nose. A Pastor by the name of James E. Cook was a very prominent leader and very active in the community. He kept the light of hope burning in the heart of The Ville and there is even a statue of him in the Bayer YMCA. Ms. Julia stated that some of the many misconceptions about The Ville is that it is crime ridden and, full of poor people with no education who do not care about their community.
Photo of Bayer YMCA Lobby. Published by: Gateway Region YMCA
Ms. Julia hopes that she can bring more recognition to The Ville, so that it can become a beacon of light and return to its former glory to bring awareness and money to the community. She wants politicians to stop making decisions for our communities without our input and start listening to us.
There is a new hospital being built on Jefferson that will be named the Homer G. Phillips Hospital which Ms. Julia says does not sit right with The Ville residents since the original building still sits in the historic The Ville. When asked what should the new hospital be named? The suggestion was Captain Wendell-Pruitt Hospital after the famous Tuskegee Airman whose name was included on the original buildings that used to sit in the very spot. The famous Pruitt-Igoe.
There is a new hospital being built on Jefferson that will be named the Homer G. Phillips Hospital which Ms. Julia says does not sit right with The Ville residents since the original building still sits in the historic The Ville. When asked what should the new hospital be named? The suggestion was Captain Wendell-Pruitt Hospital after the famous Tuskegee Airman whose name was included on the original buildings that used to sit in the very spot. The famous Pruitt-Igoe.
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A Spotlight on Walnut Park- Eltoreon Hawkins
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Eltoreon Hawkins is 26 years old and was born and raised in the small community of Walnut Park, located on the Northside of Saint Louis. In the early ‘90’s, Eltoreon and his three siblings, two sisters and one brother, were raised by a very overprotective mother, Mrs. Tryanna Pippen’s, who didn’t allow them to go outside and play in the community, so they spent a lot of time in the house being creative and entertaining themselves. Many times, Eltoreon found himself looking outside his window and seeing kids riding their bikes up and down the street and wondered what that would be like. Over many seasons of constantly begging his mother if he could ride his bike outside, she finally gave in, but only if he wore protective gear which consisted of a bike helmet and pads. He would ride up and down the sidewalk, but as soon as he was out of his mother’s sight, he would take off the gear and hide it in the bushes and ride in the street with the kids in the neighborhood. Eltoreon attended Herzog Elementary and later attended Northwest High School, briefly. It was at this critical point in life were Eltoreon started going down the wrong path, so his mom sent him to live with his aunt and uncle for the summer.
Photo of Eltoreon Hawkins (right) and Angela Drake (left) presenting to the Reclaiming Vacant Properties Center for Community Progress Conference.
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Photo of Walnut Park Neighborhood Welcome Sign. Published On: Walnut Park East Neighborhood Association
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Photo of Herzog Elementary School. Published On: St. Louis Public Schools
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His uncle Joe drove for Allen Cab, and he noticed that his uncle would come home every night with a lot of money from work which he used to take care of his family. Eltoreon noticed that with the earnings his uncle made from driving a cab, he was able to purchase a home, a car, and take care of his family all while being a middle school dropout. Over the summer, Eltoreon and his uncle would have many conversations which gave him the foundation to get focused, because one day he would have his own family to raise.
He returned to Roosevelt Highschool in the fall with a drive to succeed. One of the classes he took a liking to was shop class which was taught by Mr. Bart who allowed him to stay after school and build bookshelves and dog houses. When the students would come back to shop class the next day, they would notice these projects over to the side and ask who built them. The shop teacher would say, “those are Eltoreon’s projects.” Shortly after, other students started staying after school in the shop class. Eltoreon was instrumental in helping to create the after-school shop program, and he stays in contact with Mr. Bart until this day.
Photo of Roosevelt High School. Published on Wikipedia Creative Commons.
Eltoreon’s first job was working for Operation Brightside where he and other young men helped clean up the community. He also worked for Millennium Restoration rehabbing houses in South City. Some of Eltoreon’s fondest memories growing up in Walnut Park were at the annual neighborhood block party on Schulte and when his neighborhood Block Captain would gather the youth in the community for a trip to Six Flags.
In 2017, Eltoreon helped create the Finest 15, a program which highlights 15 of the best vacant properties in different neighborhoods in the City. He was motivated by his mentor, past Aldermen Chris Carter, who would take him to community meetings in Walnut Park. When Eltoreon purchased his first house from the Land Reutilization Authority (LRA), the City’s landbank, and started rehabbing it, Chris Carter took notice and started bringing Eltoreon to a lot of community meetings. At these early meetings he started building relationships in the political arena that he still maintains now. “During the Obama/Trump Administration people outside the community saw the Walnut Park area as a very violent area, and it truly doesn’t have much violence, but it does have a drug problem, but no different than any suburb.” Eltoreon stated that he would love to see the block parties and the block captains getting back involved with the youth. “I want to mix fun and community building together. By doing this it will help to unify the community and get them back involved in being a positive force in the community.”
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Photo of the Before and After of a Rehab Project. Photo Courtesy of Eltoreon Hawkins
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Photo of the Before and After of a Rehab Project. Photo Courtesy of Eltoreon Hawkins
Vacancy in the Media
6 Ways to Prevent Post-COVID Vacancy
July 10th article by Danielle Lewinski and Liz Kozub
July 10th article by Danielle Lewinski and Liz Kozub
Housing effort responds to inequities, grows rapidly
June 18th 2020 article by Joseph Kenny in the St. Louis review
June 18th 2020 article by Joseph Kenny in the St. Louis review
St. Louis vacancy partners release updated 18-month plan, new website
Feb, 24 2020 article by Janelle O'Dea in the St. Louis Post Dispatch
Feb, 24 2020 article by Janelle O'Dea in the St. Louis Post Dispatch
St. Louis Begins Taking Apart Buildings To Salvage Valuable Brick And Lumber
Jan, 21 2020 article by Eli Chen in KBIA
Jan, 21 2020 article by Eli Chen in KBIA
Want To Take a Look At Some Past Articles?
