Addition by Subtraction

2501 Texas

For nearly a century, this Fox Park building posed a significant environmental threat. Once a Bumper Plate Facility, it operated with minimal oversight, allowing hazardous chemicals to linger unchecked for nearly 100 years until DeSales intervened.

In November 2020, DeSales took legal action against the property owners under Missouri’s Abandoned Property Act, with the help of Legal Service of Eastern Missouri. In 2021, the Missouri Circuit Court granted DeSales access to assess the building's condition, revealing the urgent need for intervention. It was determined that the best way to move forward was to team up with the EPA to safely remove the hazardous materials.

With much of the roof collapsing in, it was also revealed that there were many barrels of suspect chemicals. In 2022, the EPA worked to remove over 10,000 gallons of hazardous liquid from the site. The EPA estimated the cost of the removal at $1.3 million.

Aerial photo taken by the EPA

In March 2024, with the greatest of the environmental risks mitigated, the St. Louis Development Corporation began to carefully deconstruct-instead of whole-scale demolish- this property to further protect the surrounding neighbors from environmental risks.

This serves as a prime example of a Community Development Corporation daring to tackle a challenge overlooked by the private market, and having the perseverance to see it through across a timeframe of nearly 4 years. While the journey isn't over, this property is now one step closer to transforming from a liability into an asset.