Downtown St. Louis

The 4.2-acre property has sat vacant since 2014. The reimagining of the site will be a $670 million mixed-use development project in partnership with the Cordish Cos.

Williams takes over for Neal Richardson, who was appointed by former Mayor Tishaura Jones and led the organization for the past four years.

The city has made progress on two prominent vacant buildings in the past year, but rebounding from a “real estate nightmare” will take many more years.

The city’s Land Clearance Redevelopment Authority paid about $2.6 million Friday for the 10 parcels that make up the vacant parking garage and surface lot that comprise the city block.

The visual arts nonprofit said its demise was caused by a series of armed confrontations in its old building, construction delays and cuts to grant funding.

The renovations are the final step of the $380 million CityArchRiver project, the largest public-private partnership in the National Park Service's history.

A study released Wednesday by the Brookings Institution examines how St. Louis could reverse the perception of downtown as a "real estate nightmare" by converting office buildings to residential uses.

The nonprofit’s board told artists it would cease operations and furlough staff while considering a possible — but uncertain — restructuring process.

It would be a marked change for the prominent and iconic hotel site between the Gateway Arch grounds and Busch Stadium, which has sat vacant since 2014.

Several of Missouri’s statewide officials are moving their St. Louis offices into the Old Post Office in downtown.