ST. LOUIS — A group of Soulard residents is suing the owner of a church that burned two years ago on a prominent St. Louis corner, becoming the latest neighborhood organization trying to tackle nuisance properties through the courts.
Soulard Restoration Group filed a lawsuit Monday in St. Louis Circuit Court, asking a judge to appoint a third-party receiver to take control of the former Slovak church at Gravois and Allen avenues, near Interstates 55 and 44.
The group, which declined an interview request, said in a statement that it is hoping a developer will step forward to revitalize the property.
“Too many residents have worked too hard investing in their homes and businesses here to turn a blind eye to this magnitude of neglect,†Amanda Ramcharan, president of Soulard Restoration Group, said in the statement. “At this point it’s more than an eyesore, it’s unsafe. If the owner can’t care for the building, he needs to sell or donate it to someone who can.â€
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The church’s owner, St. Louis-based Soulard Properties Group, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Over the past several years, neighborhood associations across north and south St. Louis have sued property owners over neglected or nuisance properties. Many are fed up with City Hall’s sluggish pace in addressing thousands of problem properties. The city has a special Problem Properties team for years but has only appointed a handful of police officers, inspectors and city counselors to head it.
The Covenant Blu Grand Center Neighborhood Association sued developer Paul McKee’s NorthSide Regeneration in 2022 over one of its crumbling properties, later dropping the case after McKee agreed to donate the building. On the South Side, the Bevo Mill neighborhood settled a lawsuit with the owner of the historic Alligator Oil Buildings which had deteriorated and broken windows. Kairos Charter School then bought the complex to renovate for its new facility.
And in Hyde Park in North City, neighbors are suing the owners of an industrial site, arguing the dilapidated conditions are a health and safety hazard for residents.
The Soulard church was built in the 19th century, welcoming several denominations over the decades, and became colloquially known as the Slovak Church. Its current owner, Soulard Properties Group, bought the building in 2010.
The resident group said the building embodies the neighborhood’s Bohemian history.
An arts group was believed to be using the building at the time of the fire in 2023. A cause of the fire was never determined, fire department records show.
The neighborhood group alleges in the lawsuit that the owner has has racked up more than $1,000 in building code fines since the fire.
Other court records show the city’s Building Division issued a $600 fine against Soulard Properties Group in 2014, releasing it in 2020.
Earlier this summer, the city issued a warrant after the owner failed to appear in court to address a building violation it issued in April. The owner also owes $8,331 in unpaid property taxes.
Ramcharan, the neighborhood group’s leader, asked any interested developers to contact the Soulard Restoration Group.
