The St. Louis skateboard community mourns the destruction of Sk8 Liboire, a local historic church-turned-skatepark that caught fire on the evening of Wednesday June 28 and was left in ruins the next morning. In the photos published by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch which show the aftermath Thursday of the Four Alarm Fire, the converted church that has been a local community center for Missouri skaters, artists and musicians since 2012 appeared to be reduced to piles of rubble and smoldering planks of wood fenced by the exterior church in baked bricks.
The St. Louis Fire Department confirmed Hyperallergic that no injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, although St. Louis Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson told media that dry and hot weather allowed the flames to spread.
Authorities responded to calls about a fire at the skate park on the corner of Hogan Street and North Market Street at 10:45 p.m. Wednesday, according to reports from officials. By the time firefighters arrived on the scene, the two-story neo-Gothic church was showing signs of “heavy fire from behind” the building. Authorities evacuated the area around the church when the fire quickly spread to the roof of the structure.
Flames spread into the building’s adjacent church, climbing up the walls of the smaller structure and spreading through its ceiling and steeple and requiring the attention of more than 100 firefighters, paramedics, paramedics and other responders emergency on site. Authorities reported no significant damage to any of the nearby homes.
“This is not the end. We love you St. Louis,” the skate club staff members posted on instagram. In the comments accompanying the condolences, skate park fans were quick to suggest plans to revive the community center in an outdoor space within the remaining church walls.
A Fundraising launched in support of Sk8 Liborius has so far brought in $65,000 of its $500,000 goal. Hyperallergic contacted the directors of Sk8 Liborius for more information.
On Thursday morning, footage of the destroyed 132-year-old German church and rectory showed firefighters still spraying water at the smoking site. The church was originally established in the 1850s by the influx of German immigrants who settled in the Midwestern city. The building itself was erected in 1889 and remained open until 1992, when the city’s declining Catholic population forced the facility to close.
After briefly serving as a community women’s shelter, the structure was handed over to community resident David Blum, who helped turn the site into a skatepark alongside co-organizers Bryan Bedwell and Joss Hay as part of a project two-year renovation.
The skate center began hosting underground events in 2014 to help fund the park and bring Blum, Bedwell and Hay’s vision for the center’s Liborius Urban Art Studios to life. The trio officially registered the organization as a 501(c)3 nonprofit in 2016, and the center has since operated as a skate park, arts, music, and education center that offers ” people of all ages and backgrounds the opportunity to improve. and our community through new skills, vocations and art.
“I’m trying to find the words of the last 24 hours,” Sk8 Liborius community member Madelyn Suzanne wrote in a instagram post damage sharing photos.
“This place is so full. Memories, laughter, sadness, joy, creative energy, community and love. It was a home to many. It was a refuge for all who came. It was a space to be truly free,” she continued. “I’m devastated. I’m grateful. I’m honored to have been a part of this and to be one of the main holders for the past few years.”
