Update: Demolition of the Clemens Mansion was completed by the spring of 2018.
For the old “it’s just a building” crowd, I offer the following exhibits. First is the “Sherman House,” which was gutted by fire, started by burning embers from the Clemens Mansion on Helen Street. The fire could have easily spread to occupied houses nearby.
While this house was thankfully vacant, it sits among well-maintained, and proud homes, some with owners that go back generations. One house next door (not pictured) did catch on fire, and would have burned if not for the owners extinguishing the flames.
Ash, even after the heavy rains in the evening of Thursday, July 13th, did not wash all of the asbestos (it was tested and came back positive) and other pieces of debris away. How would you feel if you lived here? Humiliated? Victimized?
This house below is also owned by Paul McKee, and it burned years ago. Look at how well the City of St. Louis enforces its laws against slumlords.
“Sure, Paul, no need to clean up that burned-out shell you own,” someone down at City Hall said, “and by the way, thanks for the campaign donation.”
And that says nothing about the lives of the firefighters who could have been injured or killed fighting the fire. They saved countless homes, fighting bravely against the 100-foot-tall flames.
It makes me furious how he has been allowed to destroy these homes, these neighborhoods, and the safety of the neighbors. Thank you for featuring this.
Some buildings *are* just a building. No character, no history to speak of, mass produced maybe. But the grand homes and commercial buildings of St. Louis are not “just buildings.” They have character and class and distinction. What a shame that so many are gone or in the process of being destroyed through neglect and a lack of caring about anything but your self, your needs, your desires….(Not *you* – the people who allow this to happen.) I grew up there, and while it is still a beautiful city, so much of it is gone. C’est la vie.
This whole area is losing its integrity, St. Bridget’s church, the Buster Brown shoe factory, more St of St. Louis Place, now the Clemmens mansion, next St. Augustine’s , nobody seems to care
The buster brown building was torn down by a company with no experience in tearing down old building. Yest they were good and concrete buildings. They wers morons at buster brown
I saw that it is almost completely gone. So little vision. I am not familiar with demolition firms–how do you know they are not qualified? Are you in the industry? I would be interested in learning about lead or asbestos abatement and whether it is occurring safely.