Standing at the corner of 14th Street and St. Louis Avenue, looking down the renovated buildings that frame Crown Square, you get a great view of The Arch in the near distance—a view that makes you reconsider both the historical landmark and the Old North neighborhood.

Most people in St. Louis associate Old North with Crown Candy Kitchen, the destination restaurant that has anchored the area for 113 years. For many, visiting the restaurant involves getting in and out of the neighborhood as fast as they can.

Since 2007, Rise, a non-profit housing developer, has been investing in Old North, to the tune of 45 million dollars, and while the neighborhood’s reputation lags behind the renovated store fronts and homes, the tide seems to be shifting thanks to Rise’s efforts as well as those of Equifax, Inc., whose philanthropic arm has dedicated $1.5 million dollars to the neighborhood over the last 5 years.

On a recent walk through Crown Square and its adjacent streets, I joined David Stiffler, the Community Affairs Leader for Equifax, who described how the neighborhood has changed over the last few years. The Firecracker Press now has an office there, which houses their non-profit press, Central Print. A number of other non-profits can be found among a smattering of retail stores.

In the adjoining streets, market-rate and affordable housing, including Habitat Homes, stand next to boarded-up vacant buildings. The Haven of Grace, a maternity shelter, is also located in the neighborhood, along with Grace Hill, a community service that helps prepare people for home ownership. The 13th Street Community Garden sits across the street from local artist Juan William Chávez’s residence and studio, which is owned, along with several acres of nearby land, by Ken and Nancy Kranzberg.

In the area, other than Crown Candy, the only place to grab a bite to eat is at La Mancha Coffeehouse, which, by the way, has excellent coffee. A grocery co-op used to be in the neighborhood, but it failed. When a Washington University Sustainable Land Lab winner was going to build a restaurant in a used shipping container in the area, people were excited, not only for the innovative idea but because another restaurant would sustain residents and draw outsiders to the neighborhood. Unfortunately, that concept did not come to fruition, but the four other winners’ projects can be seen in and around the square.

Excitement is building again as another competition—this one solely for restaurateurs—is about to debut. The Fantasy Food Fare Business Competition will begin accepting applications this fall for the old Parks Space, the building catty-corner to Crown Candy, which is already outfitted, thanks to Rise, for a restaurant. (Applications are not yet open; we will update this article with more information when it becomes available.)

After our tour, Stiffler and I met up with Stephen Acree, Executive Director and President of Rise, and Lynette Sledge Watson, Business Development Specialist at the University of Missouri Extension’s Small Business Technology and Development Center, to discuss the competition (Equifax, Rise, and the SBDC are partnering to run the competition). While we waited for someone to open the building, a man walked by and, upon learning about the upcoming contest, said that what the neighborhood really needs is a pizza joint or burger place (prospective applicants, take note).

Once inside the space, which is currently being used as an art gallery for neighborhood artists, Watson explained more about the competition and its timetable. September sees the debut of the idea; in October, a series of informational sessions will be held along with workshops for how to submit successful proposals; November marks the deadline for proposals, and judges will ideally narrow down the pool to 10-15 of the best. In December, everyone will come together and discuss the finalists, and Watson imagines some kind of tasting will be held. In the new year, the winner will be chosen by the judges, who will be joined by an Old North resident, a successful restaurant owner, an Old North business owner, an investor, and a representative from the neighborhood. All of the judging will be blind so that no one judge’s decision will influence others.

The total award is estimated by Watson to be between $75,000-100,000, which includes a space that’s completely built out—the walk-in freezers, hoods, and kitchen are ready to go. The winner will receive a two-year commitment to the rental space, marketing support from Firecracker Press, free publicity from the North City Business Development Center, mentoring by an area restaurateur, back office support, and advice from an advisory board.

Stiffler, Acree, and Watson mentioned several times that the successful winner will need to understand and fit into the Old North community. Rise conducted data analysis on the area and concluded that money was leaving the neighborhood because there are no grocery stores and few restaurants. Both Rise and Equifax were drawn to the area because of its diversity, racial and socioeconomic. Noting that maintaining diversity has been a priority during the revitalization, Acree explained that “it’s one of the few places in the city where you can break across that north-south divide.”

“I want a community business and a community person,” Watson said. Part of fitting into the community will be hiring from the surrounding neighborhoods; another important characteristic of the winning concept will be offering healthy food and the option for catering. The restaurant, then, will help to solve two problems in the neighborhood: one, the dearth of available employment within walking distance of homes and apartments, and, two, the food desert, where the local liquor store is the closest thing to a grocery residents have.

According to Stiffler, one of the largest “challenges in North City,” is the “lack of foot traffic.” The new restaurant will ideally offer one more reason for people to visit the neighborhood and stay to enjoy the town square, the farmers’ market, the community garden, and retail stores. If the restaurant succeeds, Stiffler imagines “looking to the future to see what else is missing, how we can come together and serve the community.”

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s move to nearby North St. Louis bodes well not just for the city in general but for the new restaurant in Old North. The NGA’s employees may very well seek out a nearby lunch destination as may the crews working to build the $1.75 billion facility. Someone submitting a proposal might want to think fast-casual or food truck on the side.

The NGA’s move to North St. Louis is controversial. Racial and socioeconomic disparities in the metro area are controversial. The ongoing development of North St. Louis has been controversial. Opening a new restaurant is difficult—much more so than most people realize. Poised at the center of all of this controversy and these obstacles is an incredible opportunity—an opportunity for a restaurant owner who has a dream and for a historical part of the city often maligned and feared to thrive.

We can’t wait to catch the unique view of The Arch again as we dine at the new restaurant.