Photos: The Railway Exchange, once home to Famous-Barr and Macy's in downtown St. Louis
The historic Railway Exchange Building in downtown St. ²»Á¼Ñо¿Ëùµ¼º½ÍøÖ· has had many lives. The building was long the flagship Famous-Barr department store — and the headquarters of its parent company May Department Stores. Macy's purchased and rebranded the store in 2006 then closed it in 2013. Since then, the building has been slowly decaying, an eyesore in the middle of downtown St. ²»Á¼Ñо¿Ëùµ¼º½ÍøÖ·.
Peeling paint on a Railway Exchange Building former entrance in Dec. 2021
The Railway Exchange Building, which used to be the downtown home of Famous-Barr, and then Macy's, is one of the properties which is being taxed improperly. Its deterioration is evident, seen Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021.
Plane flies past the Railway Exchange in 1928
Pilot Charlie Fowler flies through downtown past the Railway Exchange Building in 1928. Atop the plane is his wing-walking wife, Marie Meyer.Â
Workers polish the old Famous-Barr signs on Macy's in 2006
9/7/06 Thursday St. ²»Á¼Ñо¿Ëùµ¼º½ÍøÖ· Tim Koerper, left, and Elmer Travers, long time employees of Famous-Barr and now Macy's, polish the old Famous-Barr signs on the corner of the Railway Exchange Building at 8th and Olive Thursday afternoon. The store has been converted to Macy's but the Famous-Barr signs will remain on the four corner of the building. Macy's grand opening is Friday.
Macy's prepares for grand opening in 2006
Workers ready the display windows for the Macy's grand opening in Sept. 7, 2006.
Downtown Macy's Closes in August 2013
The Macy's downtown location is slowly being emptied on Aug. 6, 2013. The doors to the department store, originally the flagship location for Famous-Barr, opened in 1924.
Sisters and long-time shoppers at downtown Famous-Barr in 2005
"How does it look?" asks Nancy McDuffie of Wentzville of her older sister Jean Presti of Richmond Heights while trying on hats at the downtown Famous Barr on Nov. 25, 2005. For the past 12 years the sisters have made it a tradition to go shopping together at the Famous Barr downtown. "It will be different next year. It will be Macy's," said Presti, who was also joined by their younger sister.) PHOTO BY LAURIE SKRIVAN/PD STAFF
Book cover of "Famous-Barr, St. ²»Á¼Ñо¿Ëùµ¼º½ÍøÖ· Shopping At Its Finest"
The book cover of "Famous-Barr, St. ²»Á¼Ñо¿Ëùµ¼º½ÍøÖ· Shopping At Its Finest," by Edna Campos Gravenhorst, published in 2014. Gravenhorst says the Facebook Group "Famous-Barr, the Story of a St. ²»Á¼Ñо¿Ëùµ¼º½ÍøÖ· Department Store" has been archiving information and photos on the store since 2014.
Famous-Barr downtown pedestrian bridge constructed in 1962
In 1962, progress was being made on the construction of a pedestrian bridge from the Famous-Barr downtown dept. store to its 10-story garage being build across Olive Street. This view is of the construction looking west down Olive from 6th Street. The garage, occupying the western part of the 6th-7th-Olive-Pine block, accommodates 903 cars. The covered pedestrian bridge was located between the 4th floor of the store and the 5th floor of the garage.
Look Back at Famous-Barr window train display in 1952
Train layouts were big draws during the glory days of Lionel and American Flyer, then the two most popular lines of toy electric trains. The stores reserved corner windows to allow for dramatic scenes of trains rushing out of tunnels, over bridges and through snow-covered towns. This is a view of Famous-Barr's five-level train layout in 1952. The store, now Macy's, still has a Christmas train display in the corner window at Seventh and Locust streets.
St. ²»Á¼Ñо¿Ëùµ¼º½ÍøÖ· drops out of the top 20 metropolitan areas in the country in March 2022
A man walks by an advertisement on the historic Railway Exchange Building urging visitors to explore the St. ²»Á¼Ñо¿Ëùµ¼º½ÍøÖ· Riverfront on Wednesday, March 2, 2022, in downtown St. ²»Á¼Ñо¿Ëùµ¼º½ÍøÖ·. The St. ²»Á¼Ñо¿Ëùµ¼º½ÍøÖ· metropolitan area, growing just 1.2% in population over the past decade, has now dropped out of the top 20 metropolitan areas in the country, according to the newest figures released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau.
City condemns Railway Exchange Building in Jan. 2023
A St. ²»Á¼Ñо¿Ëùµ¼º½ÍøÖ· city code enforcement worker boards up an entrance to the pedestrian bridge connecting the Railway Exchange Building to its parking garage after city officials condemned the property over threats to public health on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023.
City condemns Railway Exchange Building in Jan. 2023
Trevon Finney of St. ²»Á¼Ñо¿Ëùµ¼º½ÍøÖ· city code enforcement dates a board after attaching it to an entry to the parking garage at the Railway Exchange Building after city officials condemned the property over threats to public health on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023.
City condemns Railway Exchange Building in Jan. 2023
Graffiti covers the Railway Exchange Building's parking garage in downtown St. ²»Á¼Ñо¿Ëùµ¼º½ÍøÖ· on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023. St. ²»Á¼Ñо¿Ëùµ¼º½ÍøÖ· officials have condemned the building and garage over threats to public health.
Grafitti covers former Railway Exchage pedestrian bridge in March 2022 as St. ²»Á¼Ñо¿Ëùµ¼º½ÍøÖ· population dips below 300,000
Graffiti covers a pedestrian bridge connecting the Railway Exchange building to its parking garage over Olive Street in downtown St. ²»Á¼Ñо¿Ëùµ¼º½ÍøÖ· on Thursday, March 24, 2022. Recent census figures show that the population of St. ²»Á¼Ñо¿Ëùµ¼º½ÍøÖ· has dipped below 300,000.Â
Grafitti and regional advertising adorn the Railway Exchange windows in March 2022 as St. ²»Á¼Ñо¿Ëùµ¼º½ÍøÖ· population dips below 300,000
The boarded windows of the Railway Exchange building, promoting living in St. ²»Á¼Ñо¿Ëùµ¼º½ÍøÖ·, are in various states of disrepair on Locust Street on Thursday, March 24, 2022. Recent census figures show that the population of St. ²»Á¼Ñо¿Ëùµ¼º½ÍøÖ· has dipped below 300,000.Â
The Railway Exchange Building in Dec. 2021
The Railway Exchange Building, which used to be the downtown home of Famous-Barr, and then Macy's, is seen Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021.
Former Railway Exchange pedestrian bridge seen in Oct. 2021
A pedestrian bridge over Olive Street connects an empty Railway Exchange Building to a parking lot in downtown St. ²»Á¼Ñо¿Ëùµ¼º½ÍøÖ· on Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2021. Photo by Robert Cohen, rcohen@post-dispatch.com.
WashU students photographing and studying the Railway Exchange in 2014
Architecture students from the Sam Fox School at Washington University in St. ²»Á¼Ñо¿Ëùµ¼º½ÍøÖ· participating in Catelina Friexas class "Metamorphic Cities: Sustainable Strategies for Adaptive Reuse" are developing proposals for the re-use of the Railway Exchange Building in downtown St. ²»Á¼Ñо¿Ëùµ¼º½ÍøÖ·. Students from the class examined the building and reviewed architectural drawings Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2014. Jonathan Bryer photographs the building.
Buying the remains as downtown Macy's closes in August 2013
Jose Delgado of St. Charles secures clothing racks and shelving he purchased from the downtown Macy's store to a trailer on Aug. 6, 2013 in St. ²»Á¼Ñо¿Ëùµ¼º½ÍøÖ·. Tuesday was the last day for the store, which occupied at 601 Olive St., which first opened in 1924.
A shopper recounts memories as Macy's to close downtown store in 2013
"How are we supposed to know what to wear?" said Renata Heard, 51, from St. ²»Á¼Ñо¿Ëùµ¼º½ÍøÖ·, when she learned that the downtown St. ²»Á¼Ñо¿Ëùµ¼º½ÍøÖ· Macy's was going to close. Heard was standing outside one of the Macy's display windows on Olive Street Monday morning, May 20, 2013. "My mom used to bring me here on the holidays for the candy and the windows," Heard said. "This is an icon. They can't do that," she said.
Railway Exchange seen in May 2013 after Macy's announces store closure plans
A pedestrian passes the main entrance of the Railway Exchange building on Monday, May 20, 2013 where the offices of the former May Co. were located. Now operated by Macy's, the building has a new fate. Macy's announced Monday that it will close its downtown department store in August.
Macy's announces plans to close downtown location in May 2013
Macy's employees work on a window display on the Olive Street side of its downtown St. ²»Á¼Ñо¿Ëùµ¼º½ÍøÖ· location on Monday, May 20, 2013. Macy's announced that it will be closing that store in August.
May Company announces layoffs in Sept. 2005
May Company employees gathered in front of their Railway Exchange Building downtown office after the company announced 1700 St. ²»Á¼Ñо¿Ëùµ¼º½ÍøÖ· area layoffs Tuesday morning, Sept. 20, 2005.
Famous-Barr sold to May Company in 2005
Still in wonderment over the weekend's announcement of the acquisition of the May Department Stores Company by Federated Department Stores Inc., many customers and employees alike worry that the downtown Famous-Barr -- which is located in the Railway Exchange Building along with May Co. corporate offices -- could be closed. The store is seen at Olive St at 7th St. on February 28, 2005.
Shoppers ride the Famous-Barr escalator in Jan. 2003
Wednesday, January 15, 2003 - The 65-year-old Art Deco-style escalator at the downtown Famous-Barr will be taken out in January and replaced with a new one at a cost of about $2 million.
A Famous Barr window draws some lookers in 1981
Shoppers look at the Christmas windows of Famous-Barr in downtown St. ²»Á¼Ñо¿Ëùµ¼º½ÍøÖ· on Nov. 27, 1981.Â
Shoppers look at a Christmas window in 1980
The Christmas windows in downtown open to an eagerly awaiting group of shoppers on Friday, Nov. 28, 1980 at the Famous Barr store.
Shoppers look at a Famous Barr window in 1974
A group of St. ²»Á¼Ñо¿Ëùµ¼º½ÍøÖ·ans carry on a longstanding tradition by going downtown to look at newly unveiled Christmas display windows on Nov. 29, 1974.
Model trains draw shoppers Famous-Barr windows in 1974
Shoppers stop to watch model trains in the window of Famous-Barr in downtown St. ²»Á¼Ñо¿Ëùµ¼º½ÍøÖ· on Dec. 18, 1974.Â
St. ²»Á¼Ñо¿Ëùµ¼º½ÍøÖ·ans gather around department store TV for news of JFK assassination in 1963
People gather around televisions in the appliance department at Famous-Barr downtown on Nov. 22, 1963, shortly after the first bulletins from Dallas that the President had been shot.
Couple takes in Famous-Barr Christmas windows in 1939
A young couple treks downtown in late November 1939 for a Christmas outing. They are watching the moving figures in a window at Famous-Barr depicting carolers in a parlor. Loudspeakers outside played along with carols.
Kids pose on a horse with Santa at Famous-Barr in 1933
Reader Arleen Roettger sent this 1933 picture of her and her sister, June (with doll) in the the Post-dispatch in 2004. They saw Santa at the downtown Famous-Barr, and she wrote: "Believe it or not, that was a real horse."
Whoah, Santa (Photo No. 4) This picture was taken on Dec. 9, 1933, at Famous-Barr downtown. My sister, June, got to hold a doll because she was scared. We wore our best including our "Sunday" coats with matching hats. Note the white cotton stockings and Mary Jane shoes. Believe it or not, that was a real horse. -Arleen Roettger, St. Louis
Macy's announces plans to close downtown location in May 2013
Macy's employee Bill Cambron puts decals on a window display on the Olive Street side of its downtown St. ²»Á¼Ñо¿Ëùµ¼º½ÍøÖ· location on Monday, May 20, 2013. Macy's announced that it will be closing that department store in August. Photo by Christian Gooden, cgooden@post-dispatch.com
Michael Hamtil
Asst. Multimedia Director
The condemnation of the Railway Exchange Building could eventually allow the city to take possession and clear the way for a long-awaited redevelopment.Â
The owner of the troubled Railway Exchange Building in downtown St. ²»Á¼Ñо¿Ëùµ¼º½ÍøÖ· is moving to shore up security after mounting pressure from the city.Â
Emails obtained by the Post-Dispatch detail the dangers the Railway Exchange Building poses as well as the city's growing frustration with the owner.Â
The owner of downtown's Railway Exchange Building has stopped paying for security, heightening concerns over the dangers the property poses to the public.Â
The online auction is slated for July. Hudson Holdings' plans to convert the Railway Exchange into apartments and office space stalled, and lenders and contractors have been fighting in court over payment.Â