St. Louis Public Schools advances demolition plan for six long-vacant buildings amid broader facilities overhaul

Six properties identified for potential demolition

St. Louis Public Schools is moving forward with a plan to solicit bids to demolish up to six long-vacant school buildings, a step district leaders say is driven by safety risks, deteriorating building conditions and the ongoing costs of maintaining shuttered facilities.

The proposal was presented to the district’s Board of Education in late January 2026 as a request to prepare requests for proposals (RFPs) for demolition work. District administrators described a multi-factor evaluation used to narrow the district’s broader inventory of closed properties to a shortlist for potential teardown: Scullin, Walnut Park, Hempstead, Gundlach, Stowe and Euclid.

What buildings are on the shortlist

The six buildings span multiple north and central city neighborhoods and represent different eras of school construction. Several are listed as surplus properties available for sale, with building details published by the district.

• Scullin School, 4160 N. Kingshighway (Penrose), built 1928, closed 2003, listed as available for reuse.

• Walnut Park School, 5814 Thekla Ave. (Walnut Park East), built 1909, closed 2003, listed as available.

• Hempstead School, 5872 Minerva Ave. (Hamilton Heights), built 1907, closed 2004, listed as available.

• Gundlach School, 2931 Arlington Ave. (Wells-Goodfellow), built 1931, closed 2009, listed as available.

• Stowe School, 5750 Lotus Ave. (Wells-Goodfellow), built 1967, closed 2009, listed as available.

• Euclid School, 1131 N. Euclid Ave. (Fountain Park), built 1893, closed 2007, listed as available.

Cost estimates and material salvage requirements

District leaders told board members each demolition could cost roughly $1 million, with an estimated split between environmental work and demolition activities. The planned RFPs are expected to require bidders to account for salvage of certain building materials where feasible, including items such as brick, metal and architectural elements, as a way to reduce net costs and preserve reusable materials.

Coordination with city partners and future site uses

Administrators indicated post-demolition planning would be coordinated with neighborhood groups, elected officials and city development entities, with future uses expected to vary by site and community priorities. Possible outcomes raised in public discussion included green space or redevelopment, with an emphasis on aligning any reuse with local input and practical site constraints.

How demolition fits into a larger district facilities strategy

The move comes as SLPS continues to confront building utilization and long-term capital needs. In 2025, a district-commissioned facilities assessment presented to the school board described an approach that could consolidate the district’s footprint substantially over time, reflecting decades of enrollment decline and the high cost of maintaining aging buildings.

Any demolition plan operates alongside broader decisions about which buildings the district will ultimately operate, repurpose or sell.

For now, the district’s next steps are procedural: drafting demolition RFPs and returning to the board with proposals for approval, including detailed scopes, timelines and funding plans.