ST. LOUIS, MO — August 20, 2026 (STL.News) A proposal that could lead to the demolition of historic St. Liborius Church in north St. Louis is drawing opposition as preservation advocates and supporters of the former church-turned-skate park prepare for another fight over the future of one of the city’s most recognizable historic religious structures.
The latest controversy comes more than three years after a devastating fire tore through the former Catholic church, later known as Sk8 Liborius, destroying its roof and much of its interior while leaving substantial portions of its massive masonry walls standing.
FOX 2 reported Wednesday that a move to demolish St. Liborius is now triggering pushback. The dispute comes as the St. Louis Preservation Board is scheduled to meet Aug. 26, putting renewed attention on whether the remains of the historic structure can — and should — be preserved.
The stakes extend beyond the fate of an abandoned building.
The City of St. Louis officially recognizes St. Liborius as a City Landmark, and the parish complex lies within a National Register Historic District. City records trace the parish to the German Catholic community that settled the area during the 19th century.
The present Gothic church was dedicated on Nov. 24, 1889.
For preservation advocates, the question is whether the surviving masonry represents a dangerous remnant of a fire-damaged building or the foundation for another chapter in a structure that has repeatedly found ways to survive.
St. Liborius survived long after its parish closed
The history of St. Liborius stretches back to the 1850s.
According to the City of St. Louis, rapid growth in the German Catholic population between St. Joseph and Holy Trinity churches led residents to request another parish. Property was purchased at North Market and Hogan streets, and the cornerstone of an earlier church was laid in June 1856.
As the congregation grew, it needed a larger church.
The present Gothic structure was completed and dedicated in 1889. The surrounding parish complex developed along with it: the school was constructed in 1886, the rectory was completed in 1890, and the convent followed in 1904.
The church’s history also mirrors the dramatic demographic changes that reshaped north St. Louis during the 20th century.
Population loss and neighborhood clearance reduced the congregation over decades. St. Liborius ultimately ceased operating as an independent Catholic parish in the early 1990s. Archdiocesan records indicate that St. Liborius merged with Most Holy Trinity in 1991, with further parish consolidation following in 1992.
The building, however, remained.
And eventually it found a radically different purpose.
From Catholic church to Sk8 Liborius
Dave Blum, Bryan Bedwell, and others became involved in an ambitious effort to save and reuse the deteriorating structure.
Instead of converting the former church into apartments, offices or another conventional redevelopment, the group transformed its enormous sanctuary into a skateboarding and creative space.
Skateboarders, BMX riders, artists, and other community members began using what became known as Sk8 Liborius.
The transformation gained attention well beyond St. Louis because of the unusual combination: a monumental 19th-century Gothic church filled with ramps, rails, artwork and skateboarders.
Before the fire, the project had already required years of rehabilitation.
Blum previously said that when the group began working on the property, the building was nearing the point where deterioration might have made restoration impossible. Repairs and volunteer work helped stabilize the property while the skate park developed.
The adaptive reuse became an example of how an obsolete historic structure could potentially serve an entirely different generation.
Then came June 28, 2023.
Fire devastated Sk8 Liborius
A four-alarm fire swept through St. Liborius, destroying the roof and severely damaging the interior.
The images were dramatic.
Flames erupted through the roof while firefighters battled a blaze inside a structure that had already survived more than 130 years of neighborhood change, population decline, parish consolidation and deterioration.
Yet the fire did not completely destroy the church.
Its massive brick walls remained standing.
St. Louis Magazine reported later in 2023 that an engineer examining the property shortly after the fire believed the masonry appeared to be in relatively good condition. The Sk8 Liborius team began considering several possibilities, ranging from rebuilding portions of the church to creating an entirely different version of the skate park.
At the time, demolition was acknowledged as one possible outcome.
But it wasn’t the only one.
Engineering assessment offered hope
A year after the fire, the outlook appeared considerably more optimistic.
First Alert 4 reported in June 2024 that a structural engineer had determined the surviving building was stable.
Blum and Bedwell discussed a plan to preserve the brick walls while leaving the building without a conventional roof, effectively turning the interior into an open-air skate park.
Volunteers had been clearing debris, and organizers expected to bring heavy equipment onto the site eventually to complete cleanup.
The projected cost of the project at that point was approximately $1 million, according to the station, while roughly $200,000 had been raised through donations and fundraising.
That history makes the current demolition question particularly significant.
If demolition ultimately proceeds, St. Liborius would disappear despite earlier findings that at least significant portions of its masonry had survived the fire.
At the same time, conditions can change. A structure left exposed to rain, freezing temperatures, wind and repeated seasonal cycles can deteriorate, particularly after losing its roof.
Any decision in 2026 therefore needs to consider the building’s current structural condition rather than relying exclusively on engineering observations made in the months following the 2023 fire.
Preservation status complicates demolition
St. Liborius isn’t simply another privately owned vacant building.
The City of St. Louis continues to identify the St. Liborius Parish Complex as a City Landmark. It is also associated with a National Register Historic District.
Those designations explain why demolition attracts heightened scrutiny.
They do not necessarily mean a historic structure can never be demolished. Severe deterioration, safety issues, financial hardship and other circumstances can factor into preservation decisions.
But landmark status means the property’s historical and architectural significance is part of the city’s review process.
That puts the debate over St. Liborius at the intersection of two legitimate concerns.
One is public safety and the financial reality of stabilizing an enormous fire-damaged building.
The other is preservation.
Once a building such as St. Liborius is demolished, the decision is irreversible.
More than a church building
St. Liborius has already undergone one of the most unusual adaptive-reuse transformations in St. Louis.
For generations, it served German Catholic families.
Later, it stood as a reminder of the population loss that transformed north St. Louis.
Then skateboarders, artists, and volunteers gave the structure another purpose.
The building became a community gathering place rather than simply another abandoned church.
That distinction is important in a city where numerous historic buildings have disappeared after years of vacancy and deterioration.
St. Liborius showed that adaptive reuse doesn’t always mean luxury apartments, offices, restaurants, or conventional commercial redevelopment.
A building designed for one purpose in the 19th century became useful again more than a century later for something its original builders could scarcely have imagined.
The fire changed the equation
Preservation advocates nevertheless face a difficult reality.
The St. Liborius that existed before June 2023 no longer exists.
The roof and much of the interior were lost. The surviving masonry has now been exposed to the elements for more than three years.
Preserving the structure could require substantial engineering, stabilization, and financing.
That means the strongest argument for preservation will ultimately depend on more than nostalgia.
It will depend on whether qualified engineers believe enough of the structure remains safe and salvageable, whether financing can realistically be assembled and whether there is a sustainable plan for the property.
Those questions deserve careful examination before demolition becomes irreversible.
Preservation Board decision deserves attention
The emerging controversy is likely to renew a broader St. Louis debate about what the city should do with severely damaged historic buildings.
Demolition becomes unavoidable in some circumstances.
But St. Liborius presents an unusual case because the property had already demonstrated successful adaptive reuse before disaster struck.
The people behind Sk8 Liborius had spent years repairing a deteriorating landmark and creating a new community around it. Even after the 2023 fire, organizers continued clearing debris, raising money and discussing ways to preserve the surviving walls.
As recently as 2024, an engineer had found the structure stable enough for organizers to publicly pursue an open-air redevelopment concept.
Whether those conclusions remain valid in August 2026 is now a critical question.
So are the costs.
If the structure has deteriorated to the point that stabilization is no longer reasonably possible, that evidence should be part of the public record.
If substantial portions can still be preserved, the city and community face a different question: whether St. Louis should lose another historic landmark when a viable alternative may remain.
For now, the demolition push has ensured that St. Liborius will receive another round of public scrutiny.
More than 130 years after its dedication — and three years after a fire that appeared capable of finishing it — the old church is once again fighting for survival.
The church has its own Wikipedia page. Preserve it.
Sources: City of St. Louis Cultural Resources Office and historic-preservation records; National Register documentation; First Alert 4; FOX 2/KTVI; St. Louis Magazine; Archdiocese of St. Louis historical records.
