ST. LOUIS — The Annie Malone May Day Parade is scheduled for Sunday, May 19, in downtown St. Louis. 5 On Your Side is partnering with the organization for the annual fund-raising parade.
Chief executive officer Keisha Lee is making the case for how some of the money raised that day might need to be spent.
“Take a look at these stairs,” said Lee. “I don't allow anyone out here.”
Lee described a deteriorating concrete staircase on the back of the building. Lee is making her case for renovation of what staff members call “the hub,” the building that for more than 100 years has been where Annie Malone programs originate from.
“Let me take you downstairs,” said Lee. “There used to be a lot of just old stuff in this basement, but I had the junk people come and remove it. I'm just trying to clean this basement up as much as we can, but just look at the pipes and the walls down here.”
The paint is peeling and heating and air conditioning infrastructure looks like it’s from a different century.
Next, Lee showed the men’s room.
“It needs an upgrade,” she said. “You know – with the old-style urinals. With the piping in this building when you flushing the toilets it needs an upgrade. It has a lot of character and we love it, but we need to renovate.”
Lee showed 5 On Your Side how staff members are making use of the space they do have.
Chief operating officer Samantha Simpson spoke with us in her second floor office.
“The building is really difficult for a lot of our clients to manage,” she said. “We offer educational courses to parents and we've had to put them at other sites in different locations due to the steps and the different things like that, because the building is older.”
The building tour continued.
“Now, we're going to go up to the third floor,” said Lee.
“We do not use the third floor, at all,” she explained. “But we store a lot of equipment up here. This floor would be fully accessible and usable if we had the help to renovate it.”
Lee said the north St. Louis location is key.
“We’re near Sumner High School and Homer G. Phillips Hospital is behind us,” she said.
But the building is on life support.
“If I had a May Day wish, it would be to see all of all of the people that can make this happen come together and make Annie Malone community service project for May Day.
Lee says contractors tell her the building needs plumbing and HVAC upgrades. She has gotten some estimates, and it would cost up to $15 million to renovate the building.