the place was in total chaos when I toured the building in April, before any real demo had taken place. the photos basically start at the top floor and work down. the building has basically been abandoned & ransacked. the whole building was unlocked.



































































feb 2, 1982























































if there tenants leaving did lock the doors .. someone would find a way around.





























































this room is probably as old as the building







very strange office, this room was all it was, with all the walls covered in peg board?





















































































this was the 6th floor, the only one demo'ed at the time I went.











































giant safe, drug out into hall











































dead bat











































the building was fenced in a couple weeks later.. pretty cool to see 100 years of styles & artifacts.. probably all in a landfill by now

defibrillator!

I love these kind of photo tours!



Really neat to see the old round windows on the neighboring 705 Olive Bldg. I didn't realize that they were still there. I guess that's around back somewhere?

reminds me of the many hours I got to spend in the Arcade and PB buildings. Once abandonded, those buildings act as a time capsule or tomb. You were lucky to get to see the chemical before the rehab. Oh and thanks for sharing th pics.

A sales agent at the Arcade's grand opening told us that the mosaic tile is being fully restored to its original brilliance and is the ceiling of the lobby where the elevators are located. It should be a quite stunning lobby!

i gotta ask......how did a dead bat come to be in this building?

Wow, was Rothchild-Red Brick the previous owner?

Are they tearing this building down, is it being rehabbed, or has it already been rehabbed (and obviously these pictures would be pre-rehab)?

BAD Juice BAD,,, go stand in the corner and never utter those words on this forum again!!! LOL

Talk about POST-APOCALYPTIC.

Stunning, thanks.



It's really cool walking around a building that was hurriedly/haphazardly abandoned.

Fascinating photos. Thanks for posting! The Chemical Building has always intrigued me from as far back as I can remember. I, too, wish they'd retain the name.

Marmar wrote:Fascinating photos. Thanks for posting! The Chemical Building has always intrigued me from as far back as I can remember. I, too, wish they'd retain the name.

But...for people like me who never knew the building as the chemical building, the Alexa is a much more appealing sounding name. With such a push for green buildings, organic food, etc. I don't see how anyone could use the word "chemical" for a condo name that would sound pleasing. Do you? Any ideas??? The Chemical? ParkChemical? Chemical Village? The Chemical Tower? Chemicalhouse?

I have a good idea. The Chemical building. We don't always have to mess with names and come up with our "creative" marketing names.

Like I said...not too appealing.

"The Alexa" sounds so lame. Why would they try to give a landmark building a soap opera slut's name?

Of course it's bad but I don't live there and I don't keep up, so it's just a question. I assume its being rehabbed.

This isn't Juice's fault, it's St. Louis'- that someone would question if a building as spectacular as the chemical would be torn down. We did lose the Century. but we've been down that path a few times...



I've walked this building floor to floor, it was truly a step back in time. Lots of jewelers used to be in this building, after being pushed out of the arcade. The back stairwell attached to the lobby is incredible. Imagine a building of this size (18 floors?) in 1895! That is still considered somewhat tall in st. louis, but over 110 years ago? This is one of downtown's best buildings.

^Exactly. When built, this was a major skyscraper.



dina, I understand your point. But you must remember that many St. Louisans are very familiar with the building. Perhaps newcomers might find the name a little quirky or even inappropriate, but it too is part of our history. I've known it as the Chemical Building (since my teens), as many St. Louisans have for over a century. I hope you see others and my point. (If the name were in some way offensive, then I'd support a name change.)

A rose by any other name is still a rose. (:

I just wanted to say that the photos of this building are fascinating. They invoke an imagery in the mind, picturing the building's occupants putting everything down, going out to lunch, but never coming back. And then it just sat there...

How did it get the name "Chemical" anyway.