St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer believes so much in her city’s downtown that she made it the centerpiece of her administration after she took office last year.
Like other Midwestern legacy cities, St. Louis is suffering from population loss and post-Covid office vacancies in its downtown. Landmark buildings like the 44-story AT&T Tower and the historic 21-story Railway Exchange have been vacant for years. Squatters and thieves have replaced business tenants, spurring the Wall Street Journal to call the Missouri city a “real estate nightmare” in 2024.
Spencer is unfazed. “Downtown St. Louis is a sleeping giant,” she told Smart Cities Dive…