Abandoned Construction Elevator Platform Blocks Midtown Sidewalk
In November of 2004 the ball started rolling to renovate the Metropolitan building located at Grand & Olive in Midtown St. Louis:
At least six developers are interested in two Grand Center sites up for redevelopment.
A joint pre-bid conference on the properties, which include a vacant site owned by Saint Louis University on the northeast corner of Grand and Lindell and the Metropolitan Building on the northeast corner of Grand and Olive owned by Grand Center Inc., drew several developers or teams of developers. (source)
Pyramid Construction was one of those developers and they succeeded in getting the Metropolitan building by 2006. Today, however, the building remains vacant and the wooden base from the long-removed construction elevator blocks the sidewalk.
Last April I broke the story that Pyramid had collapsed and was in the process of shutting down. By June of 2008 most of their vast real estate holdings were either sold to others or taken back by creditors. Such was the case with the Metropolitan:
Centrue Bank, the first mortgage holder on a loan to Pyramid Cos. for a planned redevelopment of the building, has assumed ownership of the building at 500 N. Grand. Pyramid bought the vacant, seven-story building for $2 million in 2006. The company planned to open a Hyatt Place hotel on the upper floors with retail on the ground floor. The total development cost was estimated at $30 million. (source)
The owner of the construction elevator at the site removed the elevator following Pyramid’s collapse in April. Since then the platform has continued to block the sidewalk and several on-street parking spaces. The city is losing revenue by not having these spaces open for vehicles. Pedestrians walking back and forth from various businesses & restaurants in the area must go into the street or walk over the platform.
Centrue unfortunately got stuck having to foreclose on the property. Based on tax records, they remain the owner. I’m sure all they want is to be the former owner.
I will be sending the bank, 19th Ward Alderwoman Marlene Davis, and the City’s Director of Streets an email asking for this to be removed so the sidewalk is once again open for use.
Hopefully we will once again see construction activity at this location but in the meantime the sidewalk needs to remain free of obstructions. With newly renovated buildings and several new restaurants in the immediate area the last thing we need is an abandoned platform reminding us of Pyramid’s failure.
Better now than it use to be. The “temporary” construction activity formerly blocked half the road too and required it to be one-way for quite some time (one year?).
The responsibility lies with the Director of Streets. Unfortunately, the permit fee is only $50, so there’s no real incentive to address situations like this unless, of course, there’s an obvious and imminent safety hazard . . . and obviously not enforced, but still on the books (http://www.slpl.lib.mo.us/cco/code/data/t2032.htm):
.
Chapter 20.32
CONSTRUCTION OBSTRUCTING STREETS AND SIDEWALKS
.
20.32.060 One-third of sidewalk to be unobstructed–Railings.
.
During the progress of building operations under the provisions of this chapter at least one-third of the sidewalk in front of the premises of the building for which the permit is granted shall be at all times kept free and unobstructed for the purpose of passage and clear of rubbish, dirt and snow. The sidewalks must, if there are excavations on either side of the same, be protected by substantial railings which shall be built and maintained thereon so long as the excavations continue to exist. (1960 C. § 266.060: 1948 C. Ch. 64 § 129.)
I’ve asked about this before. Who is responsible and why is it not removed? If I left something blocking the street, it would be a matter of hours before I was in trouble. Having this as a one-way street makes it impossible to avoid the Fox area traffic when in the neighborhood.
Someone with a bit of authority indicated to me that there is a good amount of structural damage within the building and that the builing will likely be torn down in time. Sad.
I thought I saw in a local business mag that developer Tony Sansone Jr was buying the property with plans for rehab. At least that’s what I thought I saw. Dumb me.
I heard from a credible source that the 10th floor collapsed within the past week. I think ultimately you will see the building torn down.
So, we have now heard from the rumor-mongering SLU contingent, why does the “Reverend” Biondi want this building gone? I doubt the 10th floor “collapse” is anything serious, much like the small hole in one of the Century’s floor plates was not a structural issue. I’m not so naive as to think that a rumored structural problem is cause for demolition. However, this the City of St. Louis, and with our corruption, anything is possible. I’ll wait ’til a qualified engineer makes a determination as to the building’s structural integrity, thank you very much.
The Marina Building (formerly at Grand and Lindell) was deemed to be structurally unsound as well. I didn’t buy that excuse as the reason for that building’s demolition, and I don’t buy it in the case of the Metropolitan either.
I checked it out last night. That platform could be removed in about 30 minutes with a dumpster nearby. Also, the doors open, so if you want to use the sidewalk, you can!
Anytime anyone in St. Louis (and possibly elsewhere) wants to cut to the chase and knock down an architectural gem, they commence by stating that the property in question is “structurally unsound”. That unfailingly distorts further discussion of the matter between camps of the practical realists who sincerely (ahem) regret the irrevocable reality of structural unsoundness, and the exasperating preservationist dunderheads, who love to hug buildings, but sadly, don’t understand bidnis. Works every time. Well, almost. If it doesn’t, work in a threat about someone/something threatening to leave the city if it doesn’t get demo’d, you know, like yesterday. Then the preservationist camp is not only woefully impractical given the indisputable structural unsoundness, but myopic about the city’s welfare. Now we’re talkin’ ingredients for an editorial!
The Metropolitan building only has 8 floors so I’m highly doubtful that a 10th floor collapsed.
*UPDATE*
.
The eyesore has been removed and the sidewalk is back to the way it was. In addition, the one way on the half of Olive down to Theresa will be reinstated back to a two way street in April after the signs are removed ( one way ) and the block re-striped yellow in the center line.
.
This is very good for FOX traffic congestion as they can take that right into ample parking.