Endangered Historic Property Demolished via Emergency Order

Ammerman Brothers Building, 1910, 220-24 South 15th Street

Museum Hill Local Landmark District

Owner:  Dorothy Brown, 2412 Angelique, St. Joseph, MO 64501, Phone:  816-279-0421

May 2007

This property has now been cleaned up, graded, and seeded.  It has taken a long time, however, lessons have been learned and good things have come from this experience.  The City is now willing to listen and work with concerned citizens regarding such vacant, derelict properties.  Ideas are blooming into proposals.  The City is starting the change to being proactive instead of reactive.  Eight surrounding properties have been ordered repaired within the last two months.  They include 302 & 306 South 15th, the entire east side of the 200 Block of South 15th, and 1415 Charles!  A lot of work still needs to be done, but with everyone's attitude changing for the positive, great things will happen!

5/8/07 pk

2006 Top Ten Endangered Historic Property.

5th contributing historic building demolished in the Museum Hill Local Landmark District this year.

No time or opportunities were given to make a last-ditch effort to save this property.

9/27/06

UPDATE:

As of today's date, this site is still a demolition zone and a danger to the public (as a school bus stop is located on the opposite corner!).  Four months after the demolition, the building's debris is still waiting to be hauled to the dump even though clean fill dirt was brought in about 2 months ago.  According to city officials, TWO BOXES OF ASBESTOS FLOOR TILE were found in the basement and so the entire site must now be handled by a licensed asbestos contractor.  In all the haste to remove this dangerous building, two boxes of floor tile now stand in the way of burying this painful loss and moving on.  The building at 1415 Charles still stands damaged from the demolition, with no attention to it other than a few sheets of plywood to board up an entrance and a window. 

1/3/07

pk

UPDATE II:

The cleanup crew finally arrived February 12th (FIVE & 1/2 MONTHS LATER!!) to get the site cleaned.  Although the debris is gone, the site still needs to be filled in and graded.  Also, 1415 Charles which was damaged by the demolition, still stands untouched since September.

2/22/07

pk

UPDATE III:

The asbestos is gone, yet the lot and 1415 Charles still look the same as the picture from January 3rd.  It's now been SIX AND A HALF MONTHS!!!!!  What gives?  No one wants to address this situation and every time I bring it up, I seem to just create more hostility.  Again, it's not in anyone's backyard but mine, so what does the city care?

3/13/07 pk