The Arena

As the sun set on the evening of February 27, 1999, it heralded more than just the end of the day. For St. Louis, it was the end of an era, the end of a landmark. The Arena, a city icon and a familiar sight for thousands of city dwellers and motorists, was destroyed in a 30-second implosion. Built in 1930, the Arena -- affectionately known by locals as "The Barn" -- was a dominant sight from the hills south of Forest Park. The building offered a handsome, unmistakable profile to travelers on Highway 40. The Arena was closed in 1993, when the completion of the Keil Center in downtown drew away the St. Louis Blues from their historic home -- part of the deal struck by the Keil Partners to ensure their new venue would suffer no competition. Various proposals to put the old barn to new use were floated; particulary appealing was the option of incorporating it into Forest Park, right across the highway -- perhaps as a subsidary of the Art Museum, or an aquarium. But nothing panned out, and ultimately the powers in charge decided that a corporate office park would be a more viable and productive use of the land than anything involving the old Barn.