The owners of a crumbling warehouse building in downtown St. Louis are out of legal options at the state level.
Judge Robert Dierker late last month rejected the request from the owner of Cupples 7 to tear down the building, located at 10th and Spruce streets. The owners of the building , saying the building had deteriorated to the point that it was no longer safe and economically unfeasible to repair. The city , saying the exterior walls of Cupples 7 could be saved.
A second city agency refused to hear the case. from June 28 upheld the denial, saying that while the preservation ordinance encourages the Preservation Board to take public safety into account:
"...the "overriding goal is to preserve these buildings whenever possible, and that demolishing a building that has significant architectural and historical value should be an act of last resort. The CRO [Cultural Resources Office] and the [Preservation] Board do not believe Cupples 7 has reached that point."
Owners of Cupples 7 had no comment on the denial.
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