San Luis demolition plans move forward
Plans to demolish the vacant San Luis apartments moved ahead after the Archdiocese of St. Louis overcame objections to replacement of the 11-story Central West End structure with a parking lot.
Dan Jay, managing partner of Christner, the architecture firm that designed the lot, said demolition could be ready to begin in about two weeks, after a contractor is hired and utilities are cut.
Razing the building became more likely Monday night, when the St. Louis Preservation Board voted 3-2 to pre-approve a demolition proposal and the conversion to a parking lot on the building’s site at 4483 Lindell Boulevard.
Jay told the board the archdiocese needs more parking for the Cathedral Basilica and Rosati-Kain High School.
Jeff Mansell, executive director of the Landmarks Association of St. Louis, said the board’s vote "obviously wasn’t a good sign for the future of the San Luis." He said the building-preservation group had not decided whether to contest the board’s decision health insurance for self employed.
Mansell was among 20 people who had urged the board during a four-hour hearing to deny any request to demolish the building. Fans said the San Luis, opened in 1963 as the De-Ville Hotel, is an excellent example of mid-century modern architecture. Replacing it with a parking lot would wreck the Lindell streetscape, they said.
The archdiocese bought the San Luis in 1973 and operated it as low-income senior housing before closing it in 2007.
Jay told the board the building is in poor shape and unsuitable for renovation. Among its many problems are rusted hangers that hold exterior concrete panels to the structure’s frame, he said.
Alderwoman Lyda Krewson, whose ward includes the site, told the board she reluctantly supports the parking lot plan.
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