I’ve officially lost count of the number of times this remaining warehouse from the St. Louis Refrigeration and Cold Storage Company complex has caught fire. I think it’s at three.

Here’s from the last time I documented a fire from January of 2017. As you can see, some nice new plywood, that has probably already been kicked since I took these photographs, was placed to seal up the doors where I assume the people who started the fire entered the warehouse.

I was also surprised at just how much graffiti covers the building now.

I have to admit to being a little impressed at whomever painted the green graffiti below; did they rappel down, or use some sort of extension? Who knows.

Call me cynical, but when I saw this pile of discarded, creosote-soaked railroad ties, all I could think is how big of a fire it would make.

I also was deeply concerned at how much it looked like people were breaking into the Laclede Power Station, which is owned by Great Rivers Greenway. They’ve been trying to raise money to renovate it into a trailhead. I hope it doesn’t get vandalized any more.

When I was driving away, I was struck at how many vacant lots there were. It really feels like a prairie and rural nowadays due to so many lost buildings, particularly since the loss of Norvell Shapleigh. It doesn’t seem like any redevelopment can come now.