St. Louis pushing to bring old courts building back to life after sitting vacant for years

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - The long-vacant Municipal Courts Building on Market Street downtown could soon get new life, as the city makes another effort to secure it from break-ins and vandals with the hopes of attracting a potential developer.

If you’ve gone downtown to City Hall or just to see a game or event at the Enterprise Center, you’ve probably seen the old courts building. What you might not know? It’s sat empty for the last almost 26 years.

“[It’s] upsetting a little bit [to see it vacant],” Bobby Costello stated

Costello’s food stand, Hot City Grill, sits on the corner of Market Street and Tucker Boulevard.

“I’ve had my daytime location for four years. I’ve been a vendor in St. Louis since 2010,” he said.

Just steps away from his stand is the old municipal courts building, so we asked Bobby if he’s ever seen anything in it.

“I have not,” he exclaimed.

“There’s definitely potential for it to be something,” James stated.

James is a new St. Louisan, but has noticed the building on his recent runs downtown.

“The architecture of the buildings is pretty sweet,” he explained. “I think it kind of tells a story with the history that they have, especially with downtown and how historic this place was and still has the potential to be.”

Something they both agree on? The building shouldn’t just sit empty.

“I think a concert venue would be great,” Bobby said.

“Maybe put some residential buildings up there,” James stated.

“The dream come true is that we would be able to build a parking lot behind it, have the first floor retail, and then have parking and then maybe a rooftop place,” Donna Baringer, City of St. Louis Comptroller, exclaimed.

The old municipal courts building is currently owned by the City of St. Louis and falls under the control of the city’s comptroller’s office. It has personal meaning to City Comptroller Baringer.

“People don’t realize that my mother, at the age of 18, started working in the personnel department in that building in 1950,” she explained. “And I think of her when I see the building, and I know that it needs to be brought back.”

That’s why she requested $200,000 to secure the building, boarding it up to stop people from breaking in and putting fences around it to stop potential vandals.

“I know that when people come down here to watch a Blues game and they were seeing those broken windows, the graffiti, I know that was giving them a message about the city that we don’t want to send,” Baringer said. “So now the message is we care, we’re taking care of the buildings we should be taking care of, and now we’re looking at making sure it gets redeveloped.”

Baringer told First Alert 4 she is currently in talks with a potential developer with hope for them to return the building to its former glory.

“In the next 3-5 years, it’s going to be so exciting to be in the City of St. Louis,” Baringer stated. “So, we’ll be coming back and we’ll be coming back very strong.”

People who live and work downtown hope to see the same.

“Just love to see more people down here, see it have a little bit more of a lively feel to it and not just make it like a 9 to 5 city,” James exclaimed.

Baringer would not tell First Alert 4 who the potential developers are, but did say they require parking around the building. What’s interesting, however, is the parking lot behind the building is actually controlled by the city Treasurer’s Office, not the Comptroller’s.

But Baringer did say the developer she had been working with is also currently in talks with the Treasurer’s Office.

She is hopeful to see some movement on the property soon.