Impatient St. Louis Building Waiting on Demo Permit Begins Demolishing Itself

Owners of a building in the Near North Riverfront neighborhood that partially collapsed this morning had been waiting since December for a demolition permit to get approved.

Individuals on the scene at the intersection of Tyler and North 10th streets this morning said that high winds likely caused the cave-in on the west side of the abandoned building that faces Interstate 70.

An individual familiar with the building's ownership said that last year he came into the building and found "the roof was on the floor."

After that discovery, he says, the owners applied for a demolition permit with the city. But since the building is over 100 years old, the city's Cultural Resources Office had to review the structure's history to determine if it should be demolished.

City data shows that a demolition permit for the four-story, 5,600 square-foot building was applied for on December 9.

The individual on the scene familiar with the building's ownership said that he had just heard from someone working on the historical review that very morning.

"Coincidentally she just called me this morning saying, 'We'd really like you to keep the front doors,'" he says. "About an hour later, she called me back and said, 'Did you watch the news? There's a live feed. Your building just collapsed.'"

The individual familiar with the ownership of the building said that keeping people out of the building has been a challenge, and over the past year roughly $10,000 worth of tools have been stolen from an adjoining building that is still in use.

He says it's "very fortunate" no one was breaking into the building when its side collapsed.

As of this afternoon, the demolition of of the building was underway.


Phone calls from the RFT to multiple St. Louis City building inspectors were not returned.

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