Plywood now covers at least six windows at Peabody Plaza in downtown St. Louis, turning the Market Street tower's facade into a blunt reminder of the gunfire that hit the building in mid March. The boards, installed this week along the Market Street side, have quickly become another talking point in an already tense debate over safety in the central business district.
Damage tied to a mid March shooting
As reported by First Alert 4, St. Louis police say the Market Street high rise was struck by gunfire on March 14, and at least six of its windows are now covered in plywood. The brief police update focused on the exterior damage and noted that the boards are blocking what had been clear views through Peabody Plaza's Market Street glazing.
Peabody has already signaled a move
Peabody Energy confirmed last fall that it plans to relocate its headquarters out of downtown, a move that local outlets reported would take the company to St. Louis County, according to St. Louis Public Radio. Corporate filings and property records identify the new campus at 1245 J.J. Kelley Memorial Drive in Des Peres, a detail that shows up in Peabody's recent SEC proxy materials and related property documents.
Police say downtown saw multiple shootings that week
City police logged a series of shootings in downtown St. Louis around the same period. In a March 15 update, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department detailed multiple overnight incidents and reported that a 17 year old later sought hospital treatment after being shot near 7th and Chestnut. Investigators recovered ballistic evidence in several downtown locations, and the department says it is still working through those cases. SLMPD's briefing outlined the cluster of investigations that followed the March 14 timeline.
Some tenants are still committing to downtown
Not every tenant is packing up. Architecture firm HOK has signed for a larger footprint inside Peabody Plaza and publicly reaffirmed that it plans to stay downtown, according to Greater St. Louis Inc.. The group quoted HOK leaders saying they intend to keep contributing to downtown's professional scene and cultural life even as others reconsider their locations.
What this means for downtown's recovery
The boarded windows at Peabody Plaza are the latest, hard to miss symbol of the balancing act downtown leaders face as they try to attract tenants while responding to safety concerns. Major local coverage earlier this season described businesses weighing potential moves after repeated gunfire and broken glass in the core of the city. City of St. Louis officials point to the Downtown Engagement and Public Safety Initiative as the platform for a coordinated response, and property managers say they are working with tenants and city partners to repair the damage and reassure employees and visitors.
