Photo credit: Toby Weiss, beltstl.com
On May 7, the Missouri Alliance for Historic Preservation will gather at the state capitol in Jefferson City to honor the state's 12 most notable historic preservation success stories of the previous year. Among them is the Council Plaza Phillips 66 gas station, commonly known as the Midtown (formerly Del Taco) saucer, located at the intersection of Grand & Forest Park Parkway. 
Initially threatened with demolition to make way for a stripmall, the building's owners were not prepared to contend with the passionate outcry of the preservation community, which worked tirelessly in raising awareness for the unique structure and the value of its distinctive mid-century modern design on our city's urban landscape. Through social media and letter writing campaigns, preservation board hearings, and good ol' fashioned preservation rallies, the voice of the people prevailed. Instead of tearing down the lovable saucer, the developers opted to invest millions toward its rehabilitation and expansion, using Missouri's highly effective and ever-endangered historic tax credits.
Today the beloved saucer stands as the iconic new home of a Starbucks and Chipotle. While many of us would have preferred to see local independent establishments occupy the building, we nevertheless celebrate its rebirth as a delightful contributing resource to the architectural diversity of St. Louis.
We at STL-Style feel extremely honored to have been asked to accept this award on behalf of the greater historic preservation community involved in this effort, which includes Michael Allen, Mike Batchelor, Ald. Shane Cohn, Lindsey Derrington, Richard Henmi, Paul Hohmann, Alex Ihnen, Matthew Mourning, Ald. Scott Ogilvie, Michael Powers, Andrew Weil, Toby Weiss, Kara Clark and countless others. The award will be displayed prominently at our shop on Cherokee Street, as an homage to the critical importance our built environment holds in shaping the future of our great city.
Comments (1)
I think it's also important to recognize Rick Yackey's efforts. It's very easy in this city to ignore the public and go about your business. He would have been well within his rights to follow through/push for a demolition, but he adapted in response to the passionate few, found tenants and implemented a revival.
One can only hope that this experience has set an example for him which other developers can follow. If this property is as successful as we hope it will be, maybe preservation will be first most in his mid for future projects.