Annual Old North House Tour & Home Grown Festival

Every year on the second Saturday of May, the Old North St. Louis Restoration Group hosts a neighborhood-wide house & community tour to show off the warmth of the community, the richness and character of the architecture, the beauty of the community gardens and greenspaces, and the dynamic revitalization in progress For photos from the 2010 tour, click HERE to see the post on our blog about the tour.  For scenes from our 2009 tour, click HERE.

This year's tour is scheduled for Saturday, May 14, 2011. Come see why Kaid Benfield of the Natural Resources Defense Council referred to Old North as "one of the country's best revitalization stories," why Focus St. Louis declared Old North St. Louis "What's Right with the Region," and why St. Louis Magazine says Old North St. Louis is "one of St. Louis' most exciting up-and-coming neighborhoods."

This year’s Old North St. Louis House & Community Tour is expanding beyond the traditional format to incorporate a street festival that will celebrate and put the spotlight on locally produced foods, goods, and services. The first ever Home Grown Street Festival and our usual Old North House & Community Tour will take place on Saturday, May 14th from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.

The tour will feature the great diversity of housing styles that make Old North a community where almost everyone can find a place that suits their budget and lifestyle. Stops on the tour will include historically rehabbed houses that once were abandoned shells, two LEED-certified homes built by Habitat for Humanity last year, community gardens (including the 13th Street Garden, which grows food for the North City Farmers’ Market and is home to the Old North Chicken Coop), the Old North Grocery Co-op, and new businesses at Crown Square. The HomeGrown Street Festival will show off the cool, public space at Crown Square, along the redeveloped former 14th Street Mall, and will feature a variety of locally produced arts, crafts, and other goods.

The 2011 Old North Home Grown Festival & House Tour is made possible due to the generous sponsorship of PNC Bank, Missouri Department of Agriculture, Bank of America, Commerce Bank, Duffe Nuernberger Realty, E. M. Harris Construction Co., Kohner Properties, Mackey Mitchell Architects, and USBank. 

Tour tickets are available in advance for $10 and will be available on the day of the tour for $12 per person. You can purchase tickets in advance one of the following two ways:

1. With a credit card using PayPal. Click here to order tickets online.
   After clicking on the "add to cart" button below you will be prompted to enter in the number of tickets you would like and then purchase them through the PayPal service. Note: We will not be shipping out tickets. Instead, they will be waiting for you at the registration tent, at St. Louis Avenue & N. 14th Street, on the day of the house tour.
2. Come by the Old North St. Louis Restoration Group office with cash/check or send a check to:* 

Old North St. Louis Restoration Group
2700 N. 14th. Street
St. Louis, MO 63106

If you are interested in helping with the tour, or for more information, please call (314) 241-5031 or e-mail the office at info@onsl.org.

*Be sure to indicate the number of tickets you would like.