ST. LOUIS – The City of St. Louis has hired a private security firm to address safety concerns around the abandoned Railway Exchange building downtown.

The security firm, Citizens Guard Security, has been chosen to patrol the main Railway Exchange building and a nearby parking lot in the foreseeable future.

According to a news release from the St. Louis Mayor’s office, CGS will offer “a very strong visible presence to deter and prevent crime before it occurs.” The vacant building has been the site of many problems in recent years, including break-ins and fires .

According to previous FOX 2 reports, the building’s owners, Hudson Holdings of Florida, stopped paying for security last year. St. Louis city officials have since pushed for eminent domain in hopes to take control and revitalize the building.

“We have been moving aggressively to accelerate the process of securing Railway Exchange with the ultimate goal of stabilizing it for future redevelopment,” said Neal Richardson, president and CEO of the St. Louis Development Corporation.

In late-June, the the St. Louis Development Corporation sent a letter to Hudson Holdings to notify the building’s owners of the intent to acquire the property through the Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority.

Around that time, the St. Louis Department of Public Safety also hired CGS to boost security.

“Through public-private partnerships, we’ve stopped the Railway Exchange Building from serving as a magnet for crime,” said Mayor Tishaura Jones. “We’ve also put the owners on notice that neglect is no longer welcome in the City of St. Louis.”

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According to the mayor’s office, the letter made it clear that if LCRA cannot reach a binding agreement with Hudson Holdings, the City can file a petition for eminent domain in Circuit Court to acquire the property.

“Bold action is necessary on these problem properties, and we are working in partnership with the City to address these challenges head-on and quickly,” said Kurt Weigle, Chief Downtown Officer for Greater St. Louis, Inc.

Mayor Jones says the security plan is part of an effort to address the vacant Railway Exchange building and the Millennium Hotel within 120 days of a plan introduced on May 17.

The Railway Exchange building has stood in the 600 block of Locust Street for more than century in Downtown St. Louis, covering 1.2 million square feet and consisting of 21 stories. The building was once a hot hub of retail activity and the St. Louis shopping scene.

NOTE : Video attached to this story is from October 2023.

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