ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — Tear down began on a once-popular north St. Louis County landmark.
Jamestown Mall has been sitting empty now for nearly a decade along Jamestown Road and Highway 67.
Several St. Louis County and state leaders came together at the old Jamestown Mall to mark the start of the demolition on Tuesday.
The tear-down began at 10 a.m., after remarks from public officials, who've been working on this for years now.
"This is by far the most personal and important one to me because of the fact that we have a direct opportunity to revitalize our community and do something that has not been done before and that is to demolish the former Jamestown Mall," Missouri State Senator Brian Williams said.
The shopping center was razed, nearly 50 years to the day it opened, back in 1973. Jamestown Mall officially shut its doors in 2014 and has been falling apart ever since.
"We are going to mark the past, but most importantly, mark the future," Kevin O'Malley, St. Louis County Port Authority Chairperson, said.
Then, two fires caused significant damage to the building in 2023.
The old mall sits in St. Louis County Councilwoman Shalonda Webb's district. She said it was after those fires that she knew the mall had to go.
"The last time I came here, I said, I'm not coming back here until it's time to tear down because it was a fire, and we cannot risk a firefighter, their lives or any other community member's lives, with this hazard here. It's well overdue, way overdue and I'm so glad that we're standing together to see it come to fruition," Webb said.
Demolition is expected to take several months and should be completed by early summer 2024. Once the former mall is removed, it will be transformed into an interim green space, according to a press release.
Webb has been one of the many advocating to tear down the abandoned mall and she's describing it as a 'clean slate.'
"It definitely has already impacted our community in a negative way. It's drawn on our potential, it's taken away some of our hope, but I'm here to share with our community, don't stop hoping. We want to be accountable in our community to bring the best and we want to be resilient," she said.
The million-dollar question is what's next for the 145-acre property.
Webb said that hasn't been decided yet, but the possibilities are endless.
"We need to create new memories for new families and new youth. A lot of youth said they spend lots of time here. We have nothing in this town for North County, for our youth, and so we're hoping that we can bring in enticed developers that will want to come and help bring this to a multi-use facility to leverage all types of commodities and to leverage all types of activities and facilities and amenities for our community," she said.
"We know what the community will support and that will help inform our decisions moving forward," John Maupin, St. Louis County Port Authority Former Chair, said.
St. Louis County is spending $6 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding for the demolition. The State of Missouri provided another $6 million to aid in demolition.
While elected official after elected official spoke about their fond memories at the former hub of this community.
"I bought my first herringbone chain from the kiosk here at Jamestown Mall," Missouri State Representative Chantelle Nickson-Clark said.
They're hoping the breaking of the glass will breathe new life into the heart of North County and this teardown is just the first step.
"District 4, D4 family, don't give up hope. I know it's been a long time coming, but don't give up hope because if we don't hope and believe, who else will believe in us," Webb said.
Several community leaders were in attendance at Tuesday's ceremony, including:
- County Executive Dr. Sam Page
- Ambassador Kevin O’Malley, St. Louis County Port Authority chairperson
- John Maupin, Former St. Louis County Port Authority chairperson
- Honorable Brian Williams, Missouri State Senator
- Honorable Shalonda Webb, St. Louis County Chair, councilwoman District 4
- Honorable Chantelle Nickson-Clark, Missouri State Representative
- Community Member and Port Board member, Ruth Lee