Wednesday, September 30, 2009

River Roads Returns to Nature

Two and a half years after demolition of the Stix Baer & Fuller department store and adjoining River Roads Mall buildings, much of the site has returned to nature, at least for now.  Pyramid Companies had plans to redevelop the site mostly with single family homes, but with the collapse of the market for new homes and Pyramid, the land continues to sit vacant.

Beyond the new prairie to the left is a row of new houses facing Cozens that were completed by Pyramid Companies.  At center is an abandoned former Boatman's Bank and to the right peeking out from behind the hillside, the roof of an senior apartment building off Halls Ferry, also completed by Pyramid.  

A 2005 aerial show the site at Halls Ferry and Jennings Station Road mostly covered with asphalt and the River Roads Mall buildings.  Ironically, a small section of grass along Cozens in this view is one the few areas that was re-developed.  A large pile of rubble also sits south of where Stix Bear and Fuller was located.

The last of the quilt-like wallpaper of terra cotta which covered SBF's east facade as it appeared in April 2007 during the mall's demolition.  The work was one of the largest installations of Modern terra cotta in the region.  For more photos of the demolition, check out my Flickr set.  Ecology of Absence and Built St. Louis both have great pre-demolition photos.
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