The St. Charles Hotel was demolished shortly after this letter was published on Preservation 911. (John Shiflet)

Dear Preservation 911,

As a member of the Trust and an avid preservationist, I wanted to bring an urgent matter to your attention.

My wife and I spent a couple of days over the New Year's holiday admiring and photographing the historic architecture of St. Joseph, Mo. We stopped to look at St. Joseph's landmark 1881 Hotel, the St. Charles.

Today, 13 years after its closing, in 1988, it is in deteriorating condition but is not beyond rescue—an engineering study concluded it would take $202,000 to stabilize the building. Best known now as playing a part in the 1973 movie "Paper Moon," where Ryan and Tatum O'Neal appeared in a lobby scene, this hotel has been hanging by a thread for several years. The owner objects to its demolition but lacks the funds to stabilize the structure. Considering the present urgent situation, the city may step in and demolish the hotel without the owner's permission. Efforts to save the St. Charles are ongoing and will continue until the demolition deadline.

The loss of the St. Charles will be a major setback for preservation in St. Joseph. It is the last remaining historic hotel downtown. Perhaps you will also hear from St. Joseph preservationists—I certainly hope so—but in any event, I couldn't accept this loss and do nothing, even if I don't live there. Many thanks for lending a sympathetic ear.

UPDATE: The St. Charles Hotel was demolished in late June 2001.

Sincerely,
John C. Shiflet
Fort Worth, Tex.

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