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Andoe’s Society Page: Dramatic Settings During the Greater Alton Garden Tour | St. Louis Metro News | St. Louis

Published

2 years ago

July 15, 2023

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click to enlarge COURTESY PHOTO Writer Chris Andoe (far right) on the Alton Garden tour with friends and his husband Kage Black (second from left).
I’ve long been passionate about the Greater Alton area, feeling it’s grossly underrated considering its striking topography, scenic river vistas, interesting characters and historic architecture. The Melvin Price Lock and Dam on the Mississippi makes the river more like a lake up there, dotted with recreational boats from the popular Alton, West Alton and Grafton Marinas and filled with numerous wooded islands with sandy beaches.

When friend and media personality Steve Potter told me about a Pride Garden Tour happening this past Sunday, I rounded up friends and made a day of it. We began with one of my favorite drives in the world, along the Great River Road, which runs right by the water alongside miles of limestone bluffs rising 150 feet. West of Grafton, we took the Brussels Ferry to Calhoun County, where we lunched at the historic Wittmond Hotel, which serves excellent family-style meals that wow any guest.

Some of the most stunning sites on the garden tour were in the Fairmount Neighborhood, a private, hidden enclave nestled high upon a blufftop on Alton’s western boundary. While I pride myself on my knowledge of the area, I hadn’t spent any time in the mysterious and monied Fairmount, aside once circling through its winding, narrow streets.

Our first stop was the 15,000 square foot circa 1927 Olin Mansion, one of the Midwest’s finest estates. It is situated on 32 acres with unrivaled river views from several directions. United States presidents have visited the mansion throughout its nearly 100-year history, and the palatial compound, which has undergone a total renovation, is currently on the market for $8,450,000.

Frisella Nursery won a 2019 Bronze Award from the National Association of Landscape Professionals for its work on the grounds, work which included restoring the original reflecting pool that’s the focal point in the landscape. The stone pool features metal cranes and is filled with water lilies.

One of my guests was visiting from Philadelphia, and earlier that day she told me she had moved to the U.S. from Trinidad in the 1980s because she thought the whole nation was like the TV show Dynasty. One of the most iconic scenes from that soap opera was a lily pond fight between the two main divas on the grounds of a mansion, and I mentioned this was her big opportunity to recreate the signature scene.

A few doors down was the low-slung midcentury home of Ben and Trudi Allen. The unique riverview residence has an abundance of outdoor entertaining space including a pool, outdoor kitchen, fireplace and an overlook offering 20-mile views of the Mississippi and of the St. Louis skyline. Ben Allen is a beloved legend in the Riverbend area, having practiced law for over 50 years, and being a major player in Grafton’s redevelopment — from developing the Grafton Hills Subdivision to being the visionary behind the bustling Loading Dock.

At most sites, the tour was limited to gardens, but the warm affable Ben Allen appeared on the terrace and graceously invited the dozen visitors to tour his impressive home, which is filled with priceless artifacts and family heirlooms. I introduced myself and stayed behind with him after the tour. We bonded over our time at the University of Oklahoma, and our shared love of the Riverbend area.

After three stops in Fairmount, we drove to Alton’s Middletown Historic District to visit the home of Steve Potter. His garden is the scene of a story in my book, House of Villadiva, titled, “First Lady of Alton Embroiled in International Scandal.”

During the COVID-19 lockdowns, Shannon Walker, wife of then-Mayor Brant Walker, was caught up in a raid at a pub-turned-speakeasy after a friend spotted her car and tipped off authorities. The story exploded, becoming international news. At the height of controversy, Shannon Walker was often holed up with friends in Potter’s cloistered garden.

“I’d known her socially through mutual friends, and she had visited when I was entertaining,” Potter, known for his legendary parties, told me in 2020. “She loved my garden and found it to be a safe haven when everyone was attacking her. Of course, she was glued to her phone, and I was sitting right beside her when the story broke on the BBC.”

Potter, who was serving wine on his bamboo-screened patio, said 250 people visited on Sunday during the garden tour. His lush urban oasis features meandering stone walkways leading to hidden seating areas and surprises around every bend. The ground plantings, including a variety of lilies, accompanied potted plants of cacti and succulents. Mixed in were concrete statues, art pieces, peaceful chimes and bird baths.

It was only when I sat down to write this piece that I realized this was not an Alton Pride event as I had thought, but one put on by a society organization called Pride, Inc. Founded in 1966, three years before the Stonewall Riots and four years before the word “Pride” became synonymous with the Stonewall anniversary, the mainstream organization sponsors area parks and city beautification efforts. Because of the warm and welcoming way our diverse group was treated, we felt right at home. Not so at home that we recreated Dynasty’s lily pond scene at the Olin Mansion, fortunately. The only place we might have gotten by with a stunt like that would have been the Potter Palace.

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Fenton Man Charged in Sword Attack on Roommate

Published

12 months ago

May 22, 2024

Natural Bridge

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A warrant is out for a Fenton man’s arrest after he allegedly attacked his roommate with a sword.

Police say that on Sunday, Angelus Scott spoke openly about “slicing his roommate’s head” before he grabbed a sword, raised it up and then swung it down at the roommate.

The roommate grabbed Scott’s hand in time to prevent injury. When police arrived at the scene, they found the weapon used in the assault.

The sword in question was a katana, which is a Japanese sword recognizable for its curved blade.

This isn’t the first time a samurai-style sword has been used to violent effect in St. Louis. In 2018, a man hearing voices slaughtered his ex-boyfriend with a samurai sword. His mother said he suffered from schizoaffective disorder.

As for Scott, 35, the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office was charged yesterday with two felonies, assault first degree and armed criminal action. The warrant for his arrest says he is to be held on $200,000 bond.

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Caught on Video, Sheriff Says He’s Ready to ‘Turn It All Over’ to Deputy

Published

12 months ago

May 22, 2024

Natural Bridge

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Video of St. Louis Sheriff Vernon Betts taken by a former deputy suggests that the sheriff has a successor in mind to hand the reins of the department over to, even as Betts is in an increasingly heated campaign for reelection.

“I ain’t here for all this rigmarole,” Betts says in the video while seated behind his desk at the Carnahan Courthouse. “The Lord sent me here to turn this department around and I’m doing the best I can and I think I’ve done a good job. I’ve got about eight months and I’m going to qualify for my fourth pension.”

He goes on, “Right now I can walk up out of here and live happily ever after and forget about all this…and live like a king.”

The sheriff then says his wife has been in Atlanta looking at houses and that the other deputy in the room, Donald Hawkins, is someone Betts has been training “to turn it all over to him.”

Asked about the video, Betts tells the RFT, “My future plans are to win reelection on August 6th by a wide margin and to continue my mission as the top elected law enforcement official to make St. Louis safer and stronger. Serving the people of St. Louis with integrity, honor and professional law enforcement qualifications is a sacred responsibility, and I intend to complete that mission.”

The video of Betts was taken by Barbara Chavers, who retired from the sheriff’s office in 2016 after 24 years of service. Chavers now works security at Schnucks at Grand and Gravois. Betts’ brother Howard works security there, too.

Chavers tells the RFT that she was summoned to Betts’ office last week after Betts’ brother made the sheriff aware that she was supporting Montgomery. It was no secret: Chavers had filmed a Facebook live video in which she said she was supporting Betts’ opponent Alfred Montgomery in the election this fall. “Make the judges safe,” she says in the video, standing in front of a large Montgomery sign on Gravois Avenue. “They need a sheriff who is going to make their courtrooms safe.”

In his office, even as Chavers made clear she was filming him, Betts told Chavers he was “flabbergasted” and “stunned” she was supporting Montgomery.

“I don’t know what I did that would make you go against the preacher man,” he says, referring to himself. He then refers to Montgomery as “ungodly.”

Betts goes on to say that not long ago, he was walking in his neighborhood on St. Louis Avenue near 20th Street when suddenly Montgomery pulled up in his car and, according to Betts, shouted, “You motherfucker, you this, you that. You’re taking my signs down.”

Montgomery tells the RFT that he’s never interacted with Betts outside of candidate forums and neighborhood meetings.

“I don’t think anyone with good sense would do something like that to a sitting sheriff,” Montgomery says.

Montgomery has had campaign signs missing and on at least two occasions has obtained video of people tearing them down. (Chavers notes that the sign that she filmed her original Facebook video in front of is itself now missing.)

One man who lives near Columbus Square says that he recently put out two Montgomery signs, which later went missing. “If they keep taking them, I’ll keep putting them up,” he said.

Betts says he has nothing to do with the missing signs. In the video Chavers filmed in Betts’ office, Betts says that his campaign isn’t in a spot where it needs to resort to tearing down opponents’ signs.

“If you sit here long enough, a man is getting ready to come across the street from City Hall bringing me $500, today,” Betts says. “I’m getting that kind of support. I don’t need to tear down signs.”

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St. Louis to Develop First Citywide Transportation Plan in Decades

Published

12 months ago

May 21, 2024

Natural Bridge

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The City of St. Louis is working to develop its first citywide mobility plan in decades, Mayor Tishaura Jones’ office announced Tuesday. This plan seeks to make it easier for everyone — drivers, pedestrians, bikers and public transit users — to safely commute within the city.

The plan will bring together other city projects like the Brickline Greenway, Future64, the MetroLink Green Line, and more, “while establishing new priorities for a safer, more efficient and better-maintained transportation network across the City,” according to the release.

The key elements in the plan will be public engagement, the development of a safety action plan, future infrastructure priorities and transportation network mapping, according to Jones’ office.

The overarching goals are to create a vision for citywide mobility, plan a mixture of short and long-term mobility projects and to develop improved communication tools with the public to receive transportation updates. In recent years, both people who use public transit and cyclists have been outspoken about the difficulties — and dangers — of navigating St. Louis streets, citing both cuts to public transit and traffic violence.

To garner public input and participation for the plan, Jones’ office said there will be community meetings, focus groups and a survey for residents to share their concerns. The city will also be establishing a Community Advisory Committee. Those interested in learning more should check out at tmp-stl.com/

“Everyone deserves to feel safe when getting around St. Louis, whether they’re driving, biking, walking or taking public transit,” Jones said in a news release. “Creating a comprehensive transportation and mobility plan allows us to make intentional and strategic investments so that moving around St. Louis for jobs, education, and entertainment becomes easier, safer and more enjoyable.”

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