urbanSTL

time to get Lemp into the hands of a new owner that has plans and funding.

symphonicpoet wrote:^Now that you mention it, this would be an even cooler location than the Foundry for a Foundry style project. And it's close enough to Soulard and Cherokee that it's got to be possible to make it work. Some residential, some commercial, some cultural treasure . . .

The Lemp complex would be amazing if it was developed on the lines of Ponce City Market in Atlanta or the Distillery District in Toronto. It would help that end of the city and help change some of the perceptions by a lot of suburban folks. A mix of restaurants, bars, residential, commercial, breweries, distillery’s, entertainment. I would also build new structures on the empty lots and space to add variety. Just imagine pedestrian alleyways and little plazas with artwork and seating.


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Pearl Brewery in San Antonio would also be cool for their inspiration board

In the end, what are the owners even getting to make it worth their while to sit on it? How are there even enough renters there to pay the loan on this thing?

A portion of the leaning wall on the east side of the building that partially collapsed in August 2020 saw bricks fall off. I took a picture of the wall in 2021 showing a lean. This fall, the lean became even more pronounced and the bricks fell off in the middle of the day late at the end of December. I also noticed that there is a slight lean on the Cherokee Street first floor wall. I’d be shocked if the building remains standing in its current condition. I personally think it’s heading towards total collapse.

Reason for my belief: deferred maintenance to this level + freeze-thaw cycles + rain/ice/wind are all a combination for disaster here. I personally advise people to try and avoid walking, biking or driving past this building because I feel like the chance of collapse is high. The last thing I’d want is for anyone to get injured from a collapse.

March 2021…

October 2022…

Now (January 2023). See if you can see the slight lean in the center-right of this picture. It’s more pronounced in person. The fix for the fallen brick portion? A simple tarp. What a bunch if bullsh*t.

Please submit a complaint

quincunx wrote: ↑

Jan 08, 2023

Please submit a complaint

Please provide link and I will.  Thanks. 

St. Louis Citizens' Service Bureau

https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/d ... /index.cfm

At this point fix it or turn it over to somebody who can. With the right investment and vision, the Lemp complex could be one of the coolest places to hang out in the region. 

The current owners have owned it for at least a couple of decades and have sunk a few million dollars into preservation/stabilization over the years. Pre-great recession, I remember seeing a nice market study and redevelopment plan from a consultant in an effort to market the property for full or partial redevelopment.  But, the bottom dropped out.

This project (similar to Cleveland High School) is just too big for current tools. State tax credits are limited and this would likely eat up multiple years of allocation.  Even with tax credits, the rents probably wouldn't be high enough for the project to pencil without significant subsidies from the city beyond tax abatement.  So it sits, with an owner tapped out and unable to sell.

You should not be able to own a designated City landmark if you can't maintain it.

How is this done, especially if some one already owns it and made some effort?  The city could use eminent domain, if that had the money and will, but they would need to pay the owner's asking price or the eminent domain judgement and then invest millions more in stabilizing the property.  They would need a viable developer to back them up and there isn't one, and unfortunately, likely won't be one in the foreseeable future.

If the city had even 1% population growth (about 3,000 new residents a year), you could see the potential of projects proximate to "hot neighborhoods" like Cleveland High and Lemp Brewery fulfilled eventually, (see Ponce Market in Atlanta) but instead they always remain dream sites with so much potential, that are just beyond reach.

The City cannot even maintain basic public services like garbage collection. 

Final agenda posted, request is to remove the top three floors of the East part of the building. Better outcome than I would have guessed, the ones they are removing were apparently an addition.


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I almost hate to say this, but I think I can get behind that. It seems a reasonable measure to mitigate some of the danger, and it makes sense that it would make it easier to stabilize what's left. Sounds like a good, and likely overdue, first step.

The Preservation Board approved the partial demo 5-0.

^That's a part of the section approved for demolition anyway, correct? Sorry to see it. More evidence they need to get moving on the work so they can stabilize the central section they're planning to retain.

Photos: Hundreds of bikes scooped from Lemp Brewery building that collapsed in 2020 https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/bus ... b5e51.html


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A tour from caves all the way up to the top of the grain silos.

Really need to get this thing in new hands. New + Found did such a good job with the foundry and saw they toured the Municipal Courts building. I wonder if they would have an offer that could get this sold and redeveloped into a mixed use campus.

This is my favorite building in the city and I want future generations to enjoy it. It is obvious that the current owner is not going to maintain it. It also just looks abandoned at street level. This should be a south city hub for activity on Cherokee

If redeveloped with the proper vision, this becomes the best place in STL

Between local artisans, a haunted house and whatever else they use it for, I wonder if the owners are actually making any money on this property. 

Anyone know what they paid for the property & roughly what it is currently worth? I would have to think the current owners are hanging on to it to sell eventually. The only problem is the fact that it could be half collapsed by then. That would be a damn shame! 

New owner asap, please.