ST. LOUIS – Multiple agencies with the City of St. Louis have cleared and secured the St. Alexius Hospital – Jefferson Campus, a property subject to mounting safety concerns over the last several years.
Authorities have investigated reports of vandalism and break-ins at the hospital this year, while neighbors have described the property as an eye sore. The hospital is now boarded up in efforts to reduce such trends.
According to a news release from the St. Louis Mayor’s Office, the City has been in contact with property owners for several months and ordered them to properly secure the building. The mayor’s office says the takeover has been in the works for several weeks.
“The City of St. Louis continues to listen to our residents and take decisive action on long-standing problem properties,” said Mayor Tishaura Jones via a news release. “I’m thankful for the coordinated effort of multiple city agencies to make our neighborhoods safer and hold property owners accountable.”
The site is located in the 3500 block of Jefferson Avenue in St. Louis’ Gravois Park neighborhood.
After securing the facility, city officials and personnel say they met with the property owners to continue to push them for increased security measures. They say the owners agreed to several of the measures.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department reports that one woman near Friday’s operation was arrested on an outstanding warrant, which led to a minor injury for one officer who worked to clear the building.
