Wow, the time flies by; it seems like just yesterday I was posting pictures of abandoned buildings on Grand just north of Powell Hall. There have been some developments; the abandoned funeral home is being demolished. At whose behest, I do not know. I would bet there is nothing planned to replace the building.
Update: The City Museum was able to acquire much of the material from the mansion, and incorporated it into new portions of outside display.
The Charles Duncker Mansion’s demolition is just awful. Sturdily built, it surely could have been moth balled for years. Instead, it is sent to the trashbin of history. At this point I would be happy even if the columns were stolen; at least someone would enjoy them instead of ending up as landfill.
This is heartbreaking. After looking at vanishingstl.blogspot.com ‘s pictures of this gorgeous mansion, it is clear that rehabilitation could/should have been the choice versus demolition. The house was just forgotten and then thoughtlessly demolished. Get it together STL we’re destroying some of our most beautiful architectural history.
I’m pretty sure that the columns will be going to the City Museum. All of the stone was carefully removed for them according to a couple of guys working on site this weekend.
Most of the lumber is also being salvaged (not that it justifies this atrocious demolition).