ST. LOUIS — A south St. Louis neighborhood is getting rid of a major eyesore.
A stretch of buildings that's been vacant for decades is finally coming down.
Barrett Nangle has lived in the area for nearly 15 years.
"They just they had their time. It's kind of good to see them go," he said.
Like many in the Forest Park Southeast neighborhood, Nangle has gotten used to walking his dog with this eyesore as part of the scenery.
"They've been saying they want to do something with them for years, and they just over the years, looked worse and worse," he said.
The stretch of seven run-down buildings along Oakland Avenue and South Kingshighway Boulevard has sat vacant for decades, but it hopefully won't be that way for long.
Michael Browning, Ward 9 Alderman, said the city called an emergency demolition after deeming the buildings a threat to public safety.
"These have really been an unfortunate, poster child for neglect in St. Louis," he said.
As a resident of the neighborhood himself, Browning is ready to knock down this scar and start preparing it for new development.
"We are clearing the blight, clearing the danger, and really just turning the page for the neighborhood," he said.
The reason both city leaders and neighbors are so ready to see these buildings go is not only because they've looked run-down and been vacant for so many years, but also because of its prominent location on Kingshighway and Oakland.
"While the rest of the neighborhood has made quite the comeback, these have been telling a different story," Browning said.
After years of different property owners, the buildings are now owned by NorthPoint Development. According to their website, the plan is to build a 150-unit apartment building once the demolition is done.
"Just to clear the building and just have the land ready for development would be better than keeping them, because I think the buildings are past their ability to be saved," Nangle said.
As the buildings continue to come down, neighbors and city leaders are ready for a new chapter.
"Very glad to get rid of them," Browning said.
City leaders said the demolition should be finished in the next few days.