There was always something special about Winnie?’s house. I did not know it as Winnie?’s house then, I just found myself drawn to it. It was on the west end of Belgravia Court, part of a
development begun in the 1890?’s. The main part was St. James Court, its centerpiece a grand fountain imported from England. It stands in the center of a mall with the Victorian mansions
lined up on either side. Belgravia is more intimate, no street runs down its center, just a long narrow common green. . The original architect designed the two courts to resemble the residential parks of London, hence the names.
By the 1960?’s they hardly resembled anyone?’s idea of London townhomes. Cars were parked in the Court, most of the once grand houses had been chopped up into flats. A handful of private individuals purchased four houses and renovated them and then sold them to adventurous urban pioneers- in the 1960s mind you. Winnie, an architect, did one of them for herself. A narrow 3 story Dutch Colonial, it looked like it belonged on a canal in Amsterdam.
The city did little to help. Not to be thwarted, the early preservationists stared an art show. The first few years, few took notice. By the time I first lived there in the mid 1970s, the art show had grown to a 2 day affair. The proceeds to St James neighborhood association were enough to pay
to have the fountain recast ($70,000) and to replace the poured concrete sidewalks with hexblocks. Belgravia, which is much smaller, still made enough to pay for its upkeep including
the gas lights with illuminate both Courts rather than electric. The grounds were irrigated and landscaped. All paid for by the art show. I rented a small 3rd floor walk up during law school. After I graduated I left the area, but I often would drive down on summer days to walk the Courts and watch the fountain.
On one of those walks I noticed a for sale sign in front of Winnies house. I spent a month negotiating the price. During that period I attended the association meetings and met those who
would be my new neighbors. I was invited into homes. I was told of another that would soon be on the market in case I could not reach agreement with the sellers. I did, and soon found myself involved in a very close group who took great pride in having saved an area and having done it
on their own without government assistance. In fact, the developer had never dedicated the common ground to the city ,so everything, sidewalks, trees, landscaping the gas streetlights, irrigation system, etc. was paid for by the association. The association has no dues! The art show
had grown to a 3 day affair grossing over $200,000 per year to the 4 neighborhood associations involved. We all did our part, I have changed many a burned out gas mantle in a street light and spent hours planning and working on the art show. But we always made it fun and we always welcomed new members and quickly involved them and made them feel that their ideas were just a valuable as those who had lived there since the 1960s. It is because of new people and newideas that the neighborhood has continued to be restored despite the neglect of the city.
The key to the success of this area was the use of social events to build the relationships needed to save and restore a neighborhood whose history and architecture is truly unique. To do this the associations never became static, but remain open to new people and ideas. The past was not static, but something to be built upon. No one was ever so presumptuous to believe that he had the answers or knew what was best for all. And it was done without public funds. Shortly before I moved to Florida, St. James and Belgravia were feature in the Historic Preservation section of Southern Accents Magazine. It had been nearly 40 years since the first steps towards preservation had
begun. In those 40 years the importance of having fun was never forgotten. It is the key ingredient in any volunteer organization.
