ST. LOUIS – Big changes could mean a new beginning for the beloved Famous Barr building (the former Railway Exchange building) in downtown St. Louis.

FOX 2 confirmed the building is being secured for a potential new owner and a new future.

For a second time, a company began installing metal plates over the building’s boarded-up windows on the ground floor.

DAWGS Vacant Property Security of Chicago started putting up the metal plates a little more than a month ago but failed to consult the St. Louis Fire Department and had to remove the plates the next day. There were concerns about firefighters being able to get inside if the building caught fire.

There was a first-floor interior fire in early October, likely started by vagrants in the building.

That fire followed the death of fire department K9 Balko. Balko fell to his death during a search of the building in March.

“I lost a dog in that building. We’ve had a pretty major fire in that building,” St. Louis Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson said. “I don’t want anything else to happen to it.”

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He did a walkaround as this second installation of the plates began on Wednesday. By late afternoon, the work was almost complete.

Things were different this time around, according to Jenkerson.

“(DAWGS) came to our headquarters, brought the panels, brought the doors, and put us through a practical exercise, if you will, on how to handle this new panel system,” Jenkerson said.

The plates are part of a $100,000 cooperative security effort by the City of St. Louis, the St. Louis Development Corporation, and Greater St. Louis Inc., which promotes regional economic growth.

“It’s that kind of partnership between the public sector and the private sector that is eventually going to get this building developed. I know that there are developers who are actively considering what can be done with this building,” said Kurt Weigle, vice president and chief downtown officer for Greater St. Louis Inc.

He continues to see the 110-year-old terra-cotta architectural gem as a key to downtown’s future. The 1.2 million-square-foot building occupies an entire square block.
Looters have ravaged the place in the decade since the former Famous Barr-turned-Macy’s department store closed.

The Florida-based Hudson Holdings, the building’s owner, allegedly owes the creditor millions of dollars in debt, FOX 2 has learned. That, along with the City of St. Louis looking into eminent domain proceedings, are seen as signals that ownership change may be near.

“It’s going to take a couple of years for this to play out. In the meantime, we’ve got to keep this building safe and secure,” Weigle said.

Perhaps the tide is turning for one of St. Louis City’s most beloved buildings.

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