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ST. LOUIS — The Optimist Building, a midcentury modern office building on Lindell Boulevard, will remain standing for now after a city board voted to deny a developer’s request to demolish the Central West End structure.

The St. Louis Preservation Board, which reviews demolition requests for property in historic districts, voted 3-2 on Monday to deny Lux Living’s request to raze the Optimist Building, at 4490 Lindell Boulevard, to make way for 150 luxury apartments. Board Chairman Richard Callow cast the tiebreaking vote.

The move withered the hopes of the property owner, Optimist International, a St. Louis-based children’s charity that has long said the building is in disrepair and too big for the nonprofit.

It was the second time the board reviewed Lux’s request. In July, the board deferred a decision on the demolition until August, after members couldn’t agree.

The Cultural Resources Office, which staffs the preservation board, recommended the board deny Lux’s proposal, citing the historic significance of the site to the midcentury modern architectural movement. The Resources Office urged the developer to reuse the building instead.

Preservationists said that demolishing the Optimist Building could set a dangerous precedent for the future of the city’s other significant buildings. Lux Living and its supporters argued the odds were unfairly stacked against them: The Preservation Board, charged with protecting the city’s architectural heritage, can make or break a project.

The Preservation Board has the power to review changes or redevelopments of residential and commercial property in city-designated historic districts.

The property on Lindell was built for the Optimists. At its peak years ago, 60 staff members worked at the site, where they catered to 175,000 members worldwide. Today, the nonprofit employs 20 staff members, and has 50,000 members.

Benny Ellerbe, executive director of the Optimists, said his nonprofit can’t afford to maintain the property and no longer needs as much space. It has courted developers over the past eight years and none could make a redevelopment work financially, Ellerbe said.

“We own a great corner location in the Central West End,� Ellerbe said. “At some point, the building will just fall down on its own accord.�

Lux Living’s Vic Alston previously said he would walk away from the project if denied a demolition permit because it would need significant amount of subsidies in order to make the project work otherwise. Mayor Tishaura O. Jones campaigned on a promise that she would de-emphasize tax breaks in the city’s central corridor to direct more incentives to less well-off neighborhoods on the north and south sides.