GRIFFIN March 2025

VOLUME V | ISSUE 1 MARCH 2025 CWEA SINCE 1958 By Jeff Fister Marionnettes fire survivor offers a vision to inspire young artists Two years have passed since the deadly fire on Jan. 20, 2023 that burned the beloved CWE puppet theater Kramer’s Marionnettes on 4143 Laclede Ave. This neighbor- hood treasure and internationally known cultural institution, owned by partners Dug Feltch and Bob Kramer, was the oldest running on- site puppetry theater in the country. Tragically, Bob Kramer, 77, died in the fire. Feltch was rescued by firefighters and taken to the hospi- tal where he was unconscious for five days. After losing everything, Feltch is moving forward in life with the help, support and love of those around him who encourage him to keep going. By Abby Wojcik “So, I’m working on that in my ‘new life,’” Feltch said. “You know, I haven’t lived alone in 50 years, so that’s an experience. It’s been two years of wonderful healing with friends around me.” Feltch and his loved ones know the magic of Kramer’s Marion- nettes and all that was lost can never truly be replaced; nonethe- less, there is continuing effort to preserve the memory of Kramer and the rich history of the Marion- nettes, as well as a strong hope for the future ahead. The cause of the fire remains un- determined. There were theories of electric issues or possible random arson that started in the back coach house. Because the building was deemed unsafe, it was demolished before anything that possibly have survived the fire could be retrieved. A collection of over a thousand handcrafted master puppets — adored, irreplaceable works of art that were brought to life on stage — are also being grieved. “The thing is, it’s silly to say they’re like our children, but they are. You create them,” Feltch said. Feltch’s good friends, the Kes- sler family, helped rescue about 120 puppets and marionnettes, and there are more damaged ones in storage. Natalie Kessler personally dug through the rubble in the win- ter looking for anything to recover after the demolition, and she’s doing what she can to repair the puppets by hand. “It’s going to take a long time, but as I restore, they get to perform with them again,” Kessler said. One of Dug Feltch’s favorite photos of him with his late partner Bob Kramer (right). Photos courtesy of Natalie Kessler Contiued on Page 12 The $95 million renovation of the Goodwill Building at 4140 Forest Park Parkway received a boost last month when Mayor Tishaura Jones signed a bill providing incentives for the project. Washington Univer- sity plans to transform it into office and lab space in the Cortex innova- tion district. These incentives include up to $4 million in tax increment financ- RenovationofGoodwill building is underway ing and a sales and use tax exemp- tion on construction materials, as well as a 10-year, 70% personal property tax abatement on project equipment. Washington University bought the property in 2019 from MERS Goodwill Industries for $5.6 mil- lion. Plans include renovation of the seven-story structure and a new 54,000-square-foot addition for a total of 175,000 square feet. Cortex has said the incentives are impor- tant to landing a commitment from an anchor tenant, St. Louis-based C2N Diagnostics, that could occupy nearly half of the building and add 170 jobs. C2N Diagnostics needs to expand and currently has a smaller space at another Cortex location. C2N provides blood tests that can detect how well a drug for Alzheimers dis- ease is working. The company was started by two Washington Univer- sity doctors. Continued on Page 8 The Albion West End, a 30-story luxury residential tower planned by Koplar Properties and Albion Residential at the corner of Lindell and Kingshighway, is finally mov- ing forward. Initially announced in February 2022, the City’s Land Clearance for Redevelopment Au- thority officially designated the Koplar-Albion development team as the developer of the property on Jan 28, 2025. By Abby Wojcik Albion West End still on track Continued on Page 15 “Albion Residential, alongside our partner Koplar Properties, has worked diligently on advancing our Albion West End project over the past several years,” said Andrew Yule, Albion’s vice president of de- velopment, in a statement. “As with the whole of the real estate industry, we have navigated headwinds that include increasing costs and high interest rates. In partnership with Mailing Label Page 6 Locust District’s Ann Kittlaus Page 3 9th Ward Aldermanic repor t Page 5 Bob Duffy