About the Project
South Side Spaces acquired 2831 Chippewa in 2017. Its most immediate stabilization needs were addressed, including a new roof, gutters, broken windows boarded up, and spot tuckpointing. Over the next few years, neighboring buildings were renovated, and predevelopment work began. Construction started in late 2024 and was completed in June 2025. The second and third floors were converted into eight residential spaces, and the first floor now consists of two retail storefronts that can also function as live/work spaces. The project utilized historic tax credits and complies with the National Park Service standards for history buildings.
View the finished spaces
Residential – 2831 2N, 2S, 3N, and 3S; 2833 2N, 2S, 3N, and 3S
Commercial – 2831, 2833
History
Every building has a story, and 2831 Chippewa is no exception. Passersby during construction would tell stories of the building’s long-time occupants, Slim and Zella Mae Cox, and the fame they achieved as gospel singers. But we’ll get to that in a bit.
First, let’s rewind – 2831 Chippewa was constructed in 1893 by architect Frederick Meyer. While the building permit did not specify the structure’s original use, we know that it has housed a variety of businesses over the decades, including “moving pictures” (see Sanborn map below), a notions shop, a photography studio, and a grocery store.
From its three-story vantage point, it has a view of neighboring properties 2807 Chippewa and 2755 Chippewa, which were renovated a few years prior to 2831 Chippewa. When South Side Spaces acquired the building, the first floor had been occupied recently enough by Cox Furniture that it still had power (a rarity and a luxury for us) but the second and third floors were in sadder shape. Home to some bad drywall work and far too many pigeons, the upper levels were suffering. But in late 2024, the great pigeon eviction began and this building’s story took a turn for the better once again.
Image below: Page 93 of the Sanborn Fire Insurance Map for St. Louis, Volume 4 (1909).
Slim & Zella Mae Cox
If you hadn’t heard of Slim and Zella Mae Cox, a quick drive down Chippewa would tell you that they owned a furniture store. But their true claim-to-fame was as radio and gospel legends; for a time, they even performed live radio broadcasts from a small room in the back of 2831 Chippewa. Slim began his musical career in 1948, two years before he married Zella Mae, with his band Slim Cox and the Foggy Mountain Boys. In the 1960s and 1970s, they performed together as Slim and Zella Mae Cox and the Sunshine Gospel Singers, traveling the country in their GMC 4101 Greyhound bus. When they weren’t traveling, you could often find them at the furniture store – Slim playing the piano and Zella Mae singing alongside him.
In an RFT article by Thomas Crone in 1999, he wrote “If you need a dose of city confidence, go talk to Slim Cox. If you want to hear some foot-stompin’ gospel, tune in to Slim Cox. If you need a queen-sized bed, talk prices with Slim Cox. And say hello to Zella Mae! They’re quite a team.”
Slim passed away in 2012, and Zella Mae in 2014. While you can no longer visit the duo in person, you can still listen to their music and read about their legacy. And we hope to honor their memory by restoring the building that they were stewards of for nearly half a century.
Photo at right: Page 67 of Finally, a Locally Produced Guidebook to St. Louis by and for St. Louisans, by Amanda E. Doyle.
STL Mag Feature on Slim & Zella MaeChip-chip-chip-chip-chippewa
If you’ve ever heard someone on the South Side Spaces team refer to Chippewa as Chip-chip-chip-chip-chippewa, our pal Slim is why. In a 2011 video promoting Cox Furniture, the pair sings a jingle about the store.
Can’t go wrong if you go right with Slim & Zella Mae,
That little dollar that you got is gonna stretch a long long way,
With values high and prices low, now’s the time to save,
Can’t go wrong if you go right with Slim & Zella Mae-ae-ae-ae-ae.
