After Mark Twain, the next target for downtown cleanup

After 1,700 police calls over a decade, the Mark Twain Hotel is finally closed. The settlement reached by Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway with the hotel's owner marked a major early win for Downtown Forward, a nonprofit launched this spring to tackle problem properties and improve quality of life in downtown St. Louis.

Erik sits down with attorney Jerry Schlichter — co-founder of Schlichter Bogard and co-founder of Downtown Forward — to discuss how the Mark Twain closure came together, the relocation of 168 residents through partnerships with the city and Peter & Paul Community Services, and the problem properties and street-level drug activity still facing the area around the Old Post Office and Schnucks Culinaria. Schlichter also shares his decades-long commitment to the urban core, his role in championing the state historic tax credit, and why his firm has never left downtown.

This episode of the Arch City Report is brought to you by Maryville University and Cass Commercial Bank.

SHOW LINKS:

Mark Twain Hotel owner agrees to settlement over hazardous conditions, criminal activity

Missouri attorney general targets Mark Twain Hotel over alleged drug trafficking

Nonprofits highlight efforts to rehouse Mark Twain Hotel residents