A building on the Lemp Brewery complex collapsed Sunday morning; this view is looking east along Cherokee Street. Photo by Colter Peterson, cpeterson@post-dispatch.com
A jagged edge remains on the left after Building 20 at the Lemp Brewery Complex collapsed on Cherokee Street in South St. Louis on Sunday, Aug. 23, 2020. Photo by Colter Peterson, cpeterson@post-dispatch.com
Firefighters inspect the scene where Building 20 at the Lemp Brewery Complex collapsed on Cherokee Street in St. Louis on Sunday, Aug. 23, 2020. Photo by Colter Peterson, cpeterson@post-dispatch.com
A jagged edge remains after Building 20 at the Lemp Brewery Complex collapsed on Cherokee Street in South St. Louis on Sunday, Aug. 23, 2020. Photo by Colter Peterson, cpeterson@post-dispatch.com
John Mcateer, 7, watches the firefighters inspect Building 20 at the Lemp Brewery Complex, which collapsed on Cherokee Street in St. Louis on Sunday, Aug. 23, 2020. Mcateer’s mom said this is an everyday outfit for him. The family lives close to the scene and had to come out so he could check out the firefighters. Photo by Colter Peterson, cpeterson@post-dispatch.com
Bricks fill Cherokee Street and the parking lot of the building after Building 20 at the Lemp Brewery Complex collapsed in St. Louis on Sunday, Aug. 23, 2020. Photo by Colter Peterson, cpeterson@post-dispatch.com
Firefighters and utility workers inspect the scene where Building 20 at the Lemp Brewery Complex collapsed on Cherokee Street in St. Louis on Sunday, Aug. 23, 2020. Photo by Colter Peterson, cpeterson@post-dispatch.com
Bricks fill Cherokee Street after Building 20 at the Lemp Brewery Complex collapsed in St. Louis on Sunday, Aug. 23, 2020. Photo by Colter Peterson, cpeterson@post-dispatch.com
Firefighters inspect the scene where Building 20 at the Lemp Brewery Complex collapsed on Cherokee Street in St. Louis on Sunday, Aug. 23, 2020. Photo by Colter Peterson, cpeterson@post-dispatch.com
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A building at the Lemp Brewery complex collapsed Sunday morning, destroying 700 bicycles stored there.
No one was injured in the collapse of the six-story brick building, which happened shortly after 9 a.m., at Cherokee and 18th streets. St. Louis BWorks, whose charter program is St. Louis Bicycle Works, was using part of the building to store at least 700 bicycles, said Patrick Van Der Tuin, the nonprofit’s executive director.
The group teaches children about bicycle safety and maintenance; giving them a free bicycle at the end of the program.
“Our bikes are underneath likely tons of bricks,” Van Der Tuin said at the scene of the collapse. “It’s just devastating to look at.”
He said he reported sections of loose bricks that had popped out from the wall to the complex’s owner, Shashi Palamand. Caution tape had been put up just last week, said Dan Guenther, alderman for the 9th Ward.
The Lemp Brewery complex is a campus of 29 buildings between Cherokee Street, South Broadway and Lemp Avenue, owned by the Historic Lemp Brewery LLC. The building that collapsed is building number 20.
Guenther said that Palamand has had tuckpointing work done to the building that collapsed in the last 10 years, and recently replaced a roof on another building in the complex. Palamand was at the scene Sunday morning, but told a reporter he did not have time to talk.