ST. LOUIS – What once was a grand church in north St. Louis has now been destroyed with all of its history due to a fire Monday evening.
Several crews were on the scene at the former St. Augustine Church on W. Herbert and Lismore Streets as flames grew.
This is not the first time the church has caught fire.
The landmark has sat vacant for years. It was built in 1896 and purchased by Christian Baptist Church in 1982. The LRA now owns the property.
“It was very well built, and just a beautiful piece of St. Louis architecture, St. Louis history, a monument if you would, in the neighborhood,” St. Louis Fire Department Chief Dennis Jenkerson said.
Crews worked outside of the building in caution of a potential collapse, with some still on the scene early Tuesday morning.
While the cause is not yet known, Chief Jenkerson said it was possible squatters were inside. He says battling vacant building fires can be difficult.
“You don’t know what’s been done to these buildings; we know people get into them and salvage some of the beams, the wood, the pipe, wiring, if there’s anything left,” he said.
Residents say that although the structure has been vacant for more than 20 years, it was difficult to see the building destroyed.
“It was a great church… and to see it destroyed like this, it’s sad,” Donald Bow, nearby resident, said.
No injuries were reported from the fire.
The City of St. Louis says they are working on issues with the city’s unhoused population seeking refuge in vacant buildings. Some statistics on the efforts from Mayor Tishaura Jones’ first three years in office include:
The city has increased its annual budget for homeless services by 23.5%, totaling $40.9 million.
The city has invested $37 million in ARPA funds for a variety of services for the
unhoused and to prevent residents from losing their housing.
In 2024, the Affordable Housing Commission tripled its annual awards, supporting 2,030 affordable housing units, including 345 new homes for low and moderate-income families.
