Site Selection: Lot 6. 1303 Montgomery Street
Concept & Team Summary:
Refab proposes to use Lot 6 as a multifunctional space that facilitates: the selective deconstruction of nearby dilapidated houses, the repurposing of salvageable materials, the training of a local workforce, and the creation of both permanent and temporary jobs while leaving behind a community-designed-and-built pocket park constructed from salvaged materials. Expanding outward from the site, Refab staff and Old North St. Louis community members will work to deconstruct homes that have crumbled beyond repair, effectively removing neighborhood nuisances while legally making the bricks, lumber, and other materials available for purchase by neighborhood rehabbers and creative-types. After nearly two years of community dialogue as to the future of the lot, Refab will facilitate the collective re-imagining of Lot 6 as a pocket park, using materials from the neighborhood and already on site.
Refab is a new local nonprofit organization committed to promoting the collective and creative re-use of our built environment by deconstructing buildings otherwise slated for demolition, retraining community members for careers in green industry, and refabricating materials for resale. On the Land Lab team are Eric Schwarz, Founder + Executive Director of Refab, and Marty Chorkey, P.E., ENV PV, engineer and sustainability consultant.