St. Louis’ long-vacant Liberty Hospital building on Washington Avenue is finally getting more than just side-eye from neighbors. On Tuesday, the city’s redevelopment board will weigh whether to officially declare the hulking brick structure “blighted,” a move that could pry the door open for serious redevelopment proposals. The building fronts the Central West End and has sat empty for years, catching the attention of both preservationists and developers. City officials say the designation would let them more actively pursue a formal reuse plan for the site.
According to the St. Louis Business Journal, the board’s agenda calls for a vote to label the property blighted and to authorize the city to solicit reuse proposals. The listing singles out the building at 4500 Washington Avenue and notes that officials plan to seek developers interested in converting or repurposing the long-dormant structure.
Old hospital, renewed interest
The Liberty Hospital building dates back to the early 1920s and once operated as an osteopathic hospital. Its western wing was demolished years ago, leaving behind a stretched, weathered facade that still dominates the block, as documented by Saint Louis Patina. Local coverage has also highlighted past efforts to fold the property into the Central West End historic district, a move that could make rehabilitation more financially feasible through historic tax credits, according to NextSTL.
What a blight declaration does
A blight determination does not automatically hand the site to a developer, but it can unlock a toolkit of redevelopment moves, from assembling parcels to offering incentives, that the city has used before to nudge long-stalled properties toward new life, St. Louis Public Radio explains. In earlier cases, similar findings have set the stage for creating redevelopment corporations and formal plans that layer in tax and financing mechanisms.
Next steps for the site…