Reading a blog about preservation may not seem, at first blush, as an exercise in studying politics. But to read St. Louis’ frequently-updated Ecology of Absence blog, you understand that politics and civics are absolutely, intrinsically linked to the idea of keeping an aging built environment thriving.

Developers, after all, look to city and state entities for tax credits, for rehab projects and new-builds alike. Neighborhood organizations call on city agencies for enforcement of codes. Politicians can gauge the desires of voters, at least in part, on the passion and energy brought to online debates. A properly-stoked blog detailing the built environment can generate both heat and light around development practices.

Michael Allen has been brining these issues to life through the Eco-Absence blog, which is part of his larger Ecology of Absence, which highlights and documents both abandoned and threatened buildings, employing photo spreads, lengthy essays and occasional guest commentaries. After working with a co-editor, Claire Nowak-Boyd, for a pair of years, the blog is now his place to inform the St. Louis area public about development, preservation and the role of architecture in our daily lives.

Though this resident of Old North St. Louis is frequently found discussing the City of St. Louis, he’s also fond of wandering nearby communities in southwestern Illinois and even touches on regional topics, from mid-Missouri on the west to southern Indiana on the east. Sometimes controversial and shoot-from-the-hip, usually well-researched and solidly-argued, the blog has gotten major play over the past year, for breaking news of a huge land assembly in North City, dubbed “Blairmont”  and followed tirelessly by Allen.   

We interviewed him this week about the past, present and immediate future of the blog, which has turned Allen from a simple commentator on the built environment of the St. Louis region into one of the folks dictating the argument of old vs. new, of demolition vs. rehabilitation. Even when city fathers get annoyed by his strident opinions, they read. The always read.

MTV: What types of blog entries, in particular, register with your readership? How would you, in fact, define that readership?

Allen: The blog entries that have attracted the most attention are the ones about Paul McKee, of course.  In general, entries that somehow touch upon a political situation where there is a chance for action in real life generate the most hits.  If I write a eulogy about a demolished building, the post gets read.  If I write about the same building three weeks before demolition and mention the chance to lobby an alderman or the Preservation Board in the city, the post will get widely read and will generate comments. The readership consists of a mix of preservationists, academic historians and teachers, design professionals (architects, planners, development professionals), government officials and curious people.  There is a also
a wide segment of out-of-towners who use the blog to monitor St. Louis preservation and urban development issues.  And many readers (maybe as much as 10%) find the blog through a search engine seeking information about a specific place.

MTV: In what ways do you feel that the blog is motivating change in the area? And do you feel as if it's adding to the community dialogue about preservation?

Allen: I think that Ecology of Absence has helped preservationists get more politically organized, not in isolation but as a group.  It helps to have a place where current events are consistently brought to people's attention.  Sometimes people wouldn't know about a demolition threat if I didn’t write about it.  Other times, people might hear a rumor but when they see a photo or read the history of a building they decide it’s time to take action. The blog has also put pressure on city government and some developers to be more transparent about decision-making, and to understand that there is a constituency for historic preservation that they need to keep in dialogue. One other good thing is that my coverage has filtered “up” to more prominent media sources.  Seeing what I do encourages them to cover preservation and architectural issues.  They see there’s an audience. The blog also gives neighborhood groups or lonely soldiers tactical support.  They can point to publicity in my blog to show their cause is getting attention.  Sometimes a blog entry will open a door or get a meeting for an activist. The blog has created a space for community dialog specifically about preservation.  That space did not exist before the blog, but now it’s grown as other blogs and forums have emerged.

MTV: Do you ever worry that the blog is taking up too much of your time? Does it ever feel like “work”?

Allen: I do feel like it is work, but I like work!  I don't worry about the blog taking up too much time because I usually don’t spend time on it when I can’t.  I pursue a lot of research, outreach and education. Opportunities based on the issues I cover in my blog, and much of that work never make sit into the blog.  The blog is the most visible part of my work, and integral.  Sometimes I need to shout something to the masses, but other times I need to take a state senator on a driving tour privately.

MTV: Was there a template for the blog originally? And how has the blog changed and grown since inception?

Allen: At first, the blog was quickly thrown together as an easy way of publicizing events and highlighting other people’s work.  It was never supposed to be anything but a supplement to the website.  Gradually, though, as my other work grew and I moved to a full-time professional preservation job, I needed to spend less time on layot and publication. I moved to posting more commentary to the blog.  Then I moved to posting more images.  Then I just started doing everything in the blog.  Now I’m actually in the midst of updating and moving all of the old Ecology of Absence material to the blog, and moving the blog to the domain. Everything will become part of one blog that will also be indexed by place and building type like the original site.

MTV: Would there be any elements that you’d like to add? Perhaps new-media elements like video or audio?

Allen: I am working on a monthly video series for the blog.

MTV: What stories are next? And how much Blairmont reporting do you see coming?

Allen: I forsee a lot of reporting on mid-century modern preservation issues, growing coverage of north city outside of the near north side that I currently cover and much more “still life” pieces in which I take a building or place or piece of infrastructure and simply explain its history and use.   In this last area, I am recruiting other contributors. Blairmont will be a huge issue later this year.  Inevitably, McKee will make a move to apply for the tax credits, so we are in a quiet period before a storm.