ST. LOUIS — A St. Louis board has approved the demolition of an old church to make way for a new Ronald McDonald House Charities of St. Louis facility in the Forest Park Southeast neighborhood, despite opposition from the neighborhood’s alderman.
The St. Louis Preservation Board, which reviews demolition requests for property in historic districts, voted 3-2 on Monday to approve the nonprofit’s request to clear the church, at 4321 Chouteau Avenue. The nonprofit has said that incorporating the church, which is not a historic landmark, would be impractical. The facility will provide living space for families with seriously ill children.
Alderman Tina Pihl said she was surprised to see the project appear on the board agenda and that she had wanted more time for the community to give their input after hearing from residents that they were not given enough opportunity.
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“’Impractical’ is not a good reason to take down a high-merit building,†Pihl said. “Impractical to whom?â€
City boards have ignored Pihl’s requests in the past — bucking what’s called “aldermanic courtesy,†or the practice of deferring to alderman for projects within their own wards. Two weeks ago, the Board of Aldermen gave approval for incentives on a development project in Pihl’s 17th Ward, despite her opposition.
The Ronald McDonald House Charities of St. Louis had received approval from Park Central Development, a community development organization that works in the neighborhood, several years ago — along with the Preservation Board — when the project was expected to start construction around 2019.
But the coronavirus pandemic stalled the project, and the board’s approval is valid just for two years, the Cultural Resources Office said.
Pihl, who was elected to the 17th Ward in 2021, has preferred developments not go through Park Central for review because she said her constituents have told her that the group does not hold enough community meetings.
Pihl also called out the CRO for reporting that the church has . Pihl, who lives a block from the site, said she had seen congregants there until Ronald McDonald House bought the property in 2018.
Dan Scott, who has lived in the neighborhood for 25 years, said he attended the church until it closed when the nonprofit bought the church.
To demolish the church, he said, “would not only be a cheat to our neighborhood but a cheat to St. Louis.â€
“This whole process is a sham,†Scott said.
Preservation Board members Catherine Hamacher, Alderman Jack Coatar and David Richardson voted in favor of demolishing the church. Members Anthony Robinson and Michael Killeen voted no.
Richardson moved forward with approval after the CRO clarified that it had conducted a form-based code review of the project. CRO Director Meg Lousteau initially said her office had not conducted the review.
