Does anyone know the story on this building and why it’s being allowed to deteriorate? It wasn’t long ago that businesses were operating out of it and now it appears to be close to being condemned. Who is wasting this property?
Well the story really starts with the last owner, who was running it as JJ's Clubhouse. JJ's was a very vibrant bar-complex. It was beloved in the LGBTQ community and was always busy. The owner was just tired of running it and wanted to get out of the bar business. He wanted to retire to St Pete. If I recall, he put it up for sale once....and a combination of no interested buyers along with pressure from the immediate community to stay open kept it going a bit longer. But inevitably he got his way and enter Green Street. Vibrant and alive to forlorn and destitute overnight. It's a real shame. That space was SO incredible inside. It was a steamroom dance club and corner pub vibe all wrapped up into one.JaneJacobsGhost wrote: ↑Aug 29, 2025Does anyone know the story on this building and why it’s being allowed to deteriorate? It wasn’t long ago that businesses were operating out of it and now it appears to be close to being condemned. Who is wasting this propert
^ Also an argument for the City of St. Louis to fund programs that support new generations buying established businesses. It's happened hundreds of times before, it'll happen a hundred times again. Create a registry of small businesses for sale along with capacity building young entrepreneurs. Buying an established business is overwhelming. The City or Chamber of Commerce should've been there to make sure the successful business had new owners.
It's vexing how successful businesses aren't bought or put up for sale. Like surely someone would have wanted this or Cicero's?
Taking notes from the incumbent Presidential Administration and even Chesterfield, the city should buy businesses that don't sell for a reduced price, then pay a manager to oversee the operations, and eventually look to sell it when a buyer does eventually come up.
No clue how or if it would work but it's probably preferable to letting a building rot for years and eventually burn down.
No clue how or if it would work but it's probably preferable to letting a building rot for years and eventually burn down.
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My cynical, off the cuff take is that if someone has the drive and skills to successfully run such a business, they probably have the drive and skills to be successful in another industry that has better job security and less headaches
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Should any "fund" come into being, it shouldn't rely on tax dollars. The City is already well-pressed for the monies it does have. Now, should Greater STL, Inc. or some comparable entity come together to create a "fund" to buy existing businesses and sell them off to a new generation of viable entrepreneurs, then by all means go for it. However, the idea that tax dollars could or should go towards this is dead on arrival. I mean, I was a big fan of Eat Rite, but the idea of taking tax dollars to buy it from its owners, then establishing a program to groom new proprietary ownership who will then "inherit" it, holds no water whatsoever while SLDS is in a funding crisis. There are a lot more necessary expenditures out there than a preservation "fund" to, for instance, have kept Balaban's open after its time had come.
Back on topic... What to do with this site now that the existing structure's gonna have to come down?
Back on topic... What to do with this site now that the existing structure's gonna have to come down?
Well the status quo costs far more tax dollars than what I suggested. So I'd rather spend our tax dollars on trying different policies instead of just continue the status quo that clearly does not work, results in thousands of vacant buildings, and helps destroy our built environment.gone corporate wrote: ↑Aug 29, 2025Should any "fund" come into being, it shouldn't rely on tax dollars. The City is already well-pressed for the monies it does have. Now, should Greater STL, Inc. or some comparable entity come together to create a "fund" to buy existing businesses and sell them off to a new generation of viable entrepreneurs, then by all means go for it. However, the idea that tax dollars could or should go towards this is dead on arrival. I mean, I was a big fan of Eat Rite, but the idea of taking tax dollars to buy it from its owners, then establishing a program to groom new proprietary ownership who will then "inherit" it, holds no water whatsoever while SLDS is in a funding crisis. There are a lot more necessary expenditures out there than a preservation "fund" to, for instance, have kept Balaban's open after its time had come.
Back on topic... What to do with this site now that the existing structure's gonna have to come down?
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So this building appears to have collapsed or burned and collapsed since this thread was created (I think). What a shame.
Ah. Thank you for the correction. I knew it was one or the other....I felt my memory leaned into him saying St Petersburg.STLCityMike wrote: ↑Aug 30, 2025The previous owners retired to Palm Spring, CA.
Granted... when I heard his words, I was probably at least 2 cocktails in so... Looks like they've finally gotten around to demolishing the remains of this building.
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another example of what interstates did to this city, look at all those older buildings hugging the interstate, most are gone and the few that remain are in complete disrepair and have no future