From Preservation Online, the online magazine of the National Trust for Historic Preservation

www.preservationonline.org

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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Preservation 911 is a message board open to all readers. While National Trust staff will respond to the extent feasible, this will not be possible in all cases. We encourage other readers involved in state or local preservation to respond with advice or assistance. To contact either a regional office of the National Trust, a statewide or local nonprofit organization, or your state's historic preservation office, click here for a state-by-state list.

The National Trust's regional and field offices bring the programs and tools of the Trust to communities across the country. They offer technical assistance through consultations and field visits and financial help through small grants. They hold educational programs for professional preservationists and work to foster policies that help historic places. They also provide leadership on issues that concern entire regions, such as saving historic schools, fighting sprawl, and revitalizing cities.

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