Historical March 1985 report or notice. Original dates, prices and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
When I dug into the archives of THE PAPER/THE TIMES of Skinker-DeBaliviere to learn where and when the Skinker DeBaliviere Community Council has previously had its office, I realized that history does repeat itself.
The front page of the October 1970 issue notes that SDCC has moved its office to 6008 Kingsbury and that its executive director has resigned and a new director is being sought, much the same as last month’s TIMES reported Ann FitzGibbons’ resignation and the search for new SDCC office space.
This was the second move that year for SDCC, the first being from 433 DeBaliviere across the street to 404 DeBaliviere when fire destroyed the first building.
From The Paper, April 1970 — Aftermath of the Fire
By Dempster Holland
DeBaliviere area businessmen are hopeful that a new building will be constructed in place of a neighborhood landmark at 433 DeBaliviere destroyed by fire early Sunday morning, March 1.
The general alarm fire spread from two fires apparently set in the basement and quickly covered the entire building.
Many businesses and community organizations, including the Skinker DeBaliviere Community Council, were located in the building. Meyer said that many of the twenty-two businesses and associations located in the building would stay on the street. Three had moved in the day before the fire broke out. “This is an unfortunate incident, which was not in any way involved with racial tensions,” Meyer said, “but was probably caused for other reasons.” The building’s owner, Francis Doll, stated that the fire was “probably an accident”. Doll stated that as soon as a final insurance adjustment is made, the building will probably be demolished. Doll said that hopes for putting a new building on the site would probably hinge on finding a satisfactory long-range tenant James L’Ecuyer, executive secretary of the Skinker-DeBaliviere Community Council, stated that virtually all of the files of the Council were saved from the fire. New furniture for the new office across the street was donated by Washington University and Grace Methodist Church.
From The Paper, April 1970 — Tsk, Tsk
Mr. James O. L’Ecuyer 5777 DeGiverville St. Louis, Missouri Dea’r Jim: I have just received a notice indicating that there will be a meeting of the Skinker- DeBaliviere Community Council on March 9th, 1970, at the Council office, 433 DeBaliviere.
I have stopped by the office a couple of times recently and we are going to have to take some steps to improve the maintenance of the building and of our space. Sunday morning they looked terrible.
There were ashes all over everything, pools of water standing on every flat surface, unbelievable disarray, including filing cabinets thrown into the basement and large hunks of the ceiling all over the floor.
The mimeograph machine has apparently disappeared through the floor and someone has been playing tiddly-winks with desk tops.
Most of the glass in the windows is gone and the lights and telephone don’t seem to work. I think we should reschedule this meeting to some other place until you can get the cleaning woman on the ball or get her replaced. Premises like this must give us a very bad public image. Sincerely yours, Richard C. Hart
From The Paper, October 1970 — Council Office Moves to New Location
By Pat Kohn
The Skinker-DeBalivere Council office has been moved from its De Balivere location to 6008 Kingsbury (at the corner of Kingsbury and DesPeres).
The storefront, formerly a record store, has been temporarily loaned to the Council by West End Townhouse. Council members hope that since the new office will be located in the geographical center of the neighborhood with ample parking, residents will feel more closely associated and aware of its activities. Communication, the Council believes, should improve because the office has been relocated in a convenient location where people may walk in for help or information. Twenty neighborhood women have volunteered to man the telephone from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Monday through Friday.
The phone number will remain the same — 862-5122.
The women will answer the telephone and perform secretarial functions in the absence of a secretary and executive director.
The residential service will also operate out of the Council offices.
The Council plans to hire a new director and secretarial help in the near future.
Originally published in The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, March 1985.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times1985_03.pdf, printed page(s) 7; PDF page(s) 7.
