As debate continues over the proposed riverfront football stadium, those who live and work within the planned footprint have obvious reasons to pay attention.
A few of the area’s historic buildings, including the Ashley Street Power House, are set to be spared. But others face uncertain fates if the new stadium actually becomes a reality.
Are these buildings worth saving? As expected, opinions differ.
“When you drive over the Stan Musial Bridge, you see those 50 vacant buildings,” Alderman Stephen Conway said at an aldermanic committee hearing last week. “Welcome to St. Louis: It’s contaminated. It’s hazardous. No one here today has a plan to redevelop that.”
But some business owners in the area feel differently. "People think this is a derelict neighborhood," said Marty Hauck, who co-owns Zymo Sculpture Studio with her husband, Wally. "But several of us have thriving businesses here.”
A new stadium would change the landscape dramatically. Here’s a look at some of what’s already there:
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