Older building tend to get overlooked in terms of importance in the cities history. These buildings get neglected, demolished, then replaced by something new that erases what truly built the city. The site that is in danger of demolition is the Arcade building located on 800 Olive Street in downtown Saint Louis, Missouri. The building has a tremendous amount of history that unfortunately has fell victim to abandonment and is now in danger of being demolished. Demolishing this building would devastate the area because it would not only erase the history of the area, but also eliminate the infinite amount of possibilities that could be done with this One-of-a-kind building.
The story of this building began before 1913 when it was designed by Tom Barnett. The building originally had a multi-functional use with retail at the ground floor and office space above. The Arcade building was later conjoined with the Wright Building next door but today only the arcade is left abandoned. The arcade served many previous functions ranging from small companies to large, to a post office, to even a hotel but now has be vacant for decades.
The building is an important piece of history and therefor it should be saved. It was one of the first skyscrapers in the country being post World War and really set the foundation for the city’s architecture. There is mostly Gothic architecture in this building with lots of arches and pillars especially at the very top. There are also lots of windows indicating an old workspace and the building appears to be made mostly out of brick and concrete. Many older and some newer buildings have similar architecture aspects as the Arcade, leaving a lasting mark on the city.
The outside of the building looks to be in excellent condition but the inside could be in question. Funding could be needed in order to fix the interior of the building. The Arch grounds developed by CityArchRiver have greatly expanded the grounds to showcase not only the Gateway arch but also the city as well. In the process of the expansions over the decades they have demolished older unused buildings much like the Arcade to make room for the park. City tourism could help fund the Arcade building and since the site is close to some of the parks, fixing the damages could be beneficial to both parties.
There are lots of possibilities that could occupy the building. One possible solution is to keep retail at the bottom and have apartments at the top. the location has two important roads on either side so some shops could be a good attraction to the area. Also putting in residence would be a good way to improve the economy especially since there is a university a few miles west of the location also it is in a decent location because of all the shops and parks it is next to.