4991 Odell Street, St Louis, MO 63139
2 bedroom, 1 bath, 1 car garage, Offered at $200000
A nostalgic St Louis brick bungalow built in 1926. According to the next door neighbor, 4991 and 4989 Odell were built by a father for his two daughters when they got married. In keeping with the 1920’s this urban bungalow has a front and back porch.
The living room is 22×12 which accommodates 2 different seating areas. There are hardwood floors throughout. The windows have been replaced with thermal, tilt-in windows throughout the main floor. The light fixtures and ceiling fans have been updated.
The kitchen has been updated with white cabinets, newer flooring, and lots of counter space. The refrigerator is included. There is a deep porcelain sink and two windows. The back door leads to a porch and the one car garage. The garage is oversized and has plenty of room for storage. It is also great for potting and gardening preparations.
There are two bedrooms and a bath. The full basement includes a washer/dryer. It is a walkout.
The yard is a gardener’s paradise. MSD installed a rain garden in the front. It is filled with native plants which makes it easy to maintain. It is designed to thrive on St Louis weather. Currently the peonies and irises are showing their “stuff” but the current owner says that there is something blooming throughout the St Louis blooming season. Also popping up right now are wild and tame strawberries. For more information on rainscaping and rain gardens, click here and here.
There are two rain barrels on the back side of the garage that provide water for the vegetable garden throughout the growing season. Rain barrels capture and store rainwater for later use. It is the same principle as a cistern. The rain barrel does require a manual turning on and off. The vegetable bed has tomatoes and greens among other edibles.
Location
4991 Odell Street is located in St Louis City in the neighborhood of Southwest Garden. The Southwest Garden District is a horse head-shaped neighborhood with a population of 7677 between The Hill and Tower Grove Park. It is bordered by Southwest, I-44 and Columbia Ave. to the North, Tower Grove Avenue and Kingshighway to the East, Hampton Avenue to the West, and Magnolia, Connecticut and Scanlan Avenue to the South.
4991 Odell Street is only a short block from the Kingshighway entrance to Tower Grove Park. Tower Grove Park is very much a bonus to the residents of the area. It is a 289 acre park that was designed in the gardenesque style (I’ve heard it referred to as a walking park) and was opened in 1872. It is designated a National Historic Landmark as one of the nation’s finest examples of a late 19th century public park. The park has 32 pavillions, most dated from the Victorian era, providing shady rests and tables and benches for picnics. The landscape includes a lily pond and formal plantings; the Piper Palm House, a bandstand, the site of music and other special events; as well as tennis courts; a wading pool for small children; open expanses of green; softball diamonds and soccer fields; paths for walkers, joggers, and cyclists, and tall specimen trees and a great variety of bushes.
Sublette Park is located in the neighborhood at the top of St. Louis Hill and has a playground, a pavilion built by the Boy Scouts of America, tennis courts and soccer field.
This property is also near the award winning Missouri Botanical Garden.
Another bonus to this location is being within walking distance (a couple of blocks) of The Hill. It goes without saying, however, that this may not be the best thing for your waist line (you’ll need a walk in the park after hitting too many restaurants). The Hill is known to many locals as the birthplace of Yogi Berra and Joe Garagiola. It maintains a traditional collection of authentic Italian bakeries, grocery stores and restaurants. The checker at my favorite grocery store does not speak English. The fire hydrants are painted red, white and green. Twenty-first century additions include coffee houses, studios, retail and small businesses that create additional energy. St. Ambrose Catholic Church is still at the center of the residents of this community. Bocce ball is the favorite activity at one of the taverns.
At the entrance to the Southwest Garden neighborhood at Vandeventer Avenue and Shaw are some very fun small shops. These shops include Gringo Jones Imports, The Bug Store, and The Do-nut Shop. I have several unique items in my yard and home from Gringo Jones. Another landmark of the area is the old Southwest Bank, now under a different name, with a gold, rotating eagle on top of a time and temperature monitor at the peak of the corner facade of the building.
The walkscore for 4991 Odell is 75 out of 100. It is very walkable so most errands can be accomplished on foot.
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Schools
Each neighborhood in the city is serviced by one or more traditional public schools covering Kindergarten to 12th grade, operated by the St. Louis Public Schools (SLPS) district, supported by local, state and national tax dollars. Your child is assigned a school based on your address. Like all public schools, these are tuition-free and follow curriculum and evaluation guidelines established by the state of Missouri. 4991 Odell Street is assigned to the Mann Elementary School, Long Middle Community Ed Center and Roosevelt High School.
Mann Elementary School is PK-6, 314-772-4545. Long Middle Community Ed Center is for grades 6-8, (314) 481-3440, Roosevelt High School is grades 9-12, 314-776-6040.
Parents and students in SLPS have options. One of the options is a magnet school. Click here for a list St Louis magnet elementary schools, magnet middle schools and magnet high schools. They are tuition free with a couple key differences:
- Magnet schools don’t have boundaries, and can attract students from any neighborhood in the city (hence the name). This generally results in a more diverse mix of social, economic, ethnic, and racial backgrounds.
- Each magnet offers something different than a traditional public school, be it emphasis on certain subjects, a particular educational approach, or theme.
- Some magnets require students to meet certain academic, skill, behavior and/or attendance requirements.
- Advanced application is required and because of their popularity, spots are allocated by lottery.
There are charter school options in St Louis which are also tuition-free schools but not a part of the SLPS. To learn more about charter schools go to: Charter School 101: The Basics. The 2021 best Charter Schools in St Louis according to Niche.com.
This guide from SLPS is also helpful in making the all important decision of schools and neighborhoods.
