4608 Washington Under Demolition!

EDIT: Michael Allen has said that this is a handwreck demolition, which could take up to a month. There is still time to protest this demolition, even if it is only symbolic.

Bowood Farms has moved quickly to demolish 4608 Washington.

Word from Michael Allen is that demolition is already underway (possibly completed?).

RIP 4608 Washington Blvd. Next time, we need to act more quickly. In the meantime, contacting Bowood Farms (314-454-6868) would be a good way of letting them know this is not a sound business practice and a terrible way to sustain the Central West End. Also, make sure to let Terry Kennedy, alderman for this area, know that you support extending the Central West End local historic district onto Washington Boulevard so that this does not happen again! Why do you support this?

Because you do not want a bifurcated Central West End, where half of the neighborhood suffers from blight and vacancy, and where the other half is active, lively, urban, and diverse.

Mr. Kennedy has communicated that his constituents are not as concerned with preservation as those that often email him. He has said that the African American residents of this portion of the neighborhood believe there is a social divide between these two halves. Today, that divide has grown stronger and more visible.

Demolishing historic buildings when sound alternatives exist is senseless.

For more background on this issue, see my March Archive, which contains several posts on this matter.

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