I don’t understand why this building is being torn down. It sits right on the western edge of Chouteau’s Landing, in the shadow of the approaches to the MacArthur Bridge. One more building gone. The mural, commissioned from Peat Wollaeger, was supposed to be saved, but it was seriously damaged anyway this week. No word if it has been rescued.
According to comments on Peat’s FB page, part of Beardy was saved… but not all of it. It was initially knocked down, but someone rescued the pieces.
Sad that it’s gone… I’m glad I got a photo of it before it got destroyed.
Some insight here:
http://vanishingstl.blogspot.com/2013/12/chipping-away-at-chouteaus-landing.html
Read the comments for even more infuriating info.
I love it…a “clerical” error. The level of accountability employees – mostly “lifers” – of the STL Planning & Urban Design Agency are held to is a joke.
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/nick-pistor/clerical-error-leads-to-easy-demolition-of-historic-district-building/article_24564b0a-49be-5633-97b5-cfd0f97732f2.html
Yeah, I saw that this morning; my favorite comment from the comments section was that “those types of buildings are functionally obsolete.” Huh? Since when are buildings with four walls and a roof functionally obsolete?
“Functionally obsolete” is a term I dislike almost as much as “new urbanism”. I think most people figure “functionally obsolete” is a fancy way of saying “not new, so therefore it must suck”.