The Salvation Army: The Railton Receives the Missouri Preservation Award

On Wednesday, March 2, The Missouri Alliance for Historic Preservation (Missouri Preservation) recognized The Salvation Army’s historic Railton Residence with a Missouri Preservation Honor Award.

Missouri Preservation is Missouri's only statewide, non-profit organization dedicated to promoting, supporting, and coordinating historic preservation activities throughout the State. It annually honors individuals, groups and organizations that have contributed to the preservation of Missouri’s rich and diverse collection of historic resources.

The Railton Residence has been owned by the Army for more than 50 years. It originally opened in 1928 as the Robert E. Lee Hotel and was one of 10 different hotels to serve those traveling to and from Union Station and is the only one still standing.

Due to increasing maintenance costs and the facility rapidly nearing functional obsolescence a complete $14 million rehabilitation was necessary to save the building. The project was funded through low income housing tax credits and historic tax credits.

The St. Louis Equity Fund, an affordable housing investor, partnered with The Salvation Army in the project. The organization stimulates the development of affordable, low and moderate-income housing units throughout the St. Louis region through corporate investment by effectively utilizing available tax incentives. “We are thrilled to be involved in the Railton and for the Missouri Preservation Honor Award it received,” said St. Louis Equity Fund President & CEO John J. Wuest.

The Railton Residence is one of a few downtown apartment buildings to offer affordable work force housing. The most important improvement, when it reopened in Nov. 2009, included the transformation from single room units to full apartments. Residents now have a kitchen in each unit and their own living space. It is limited to residents earning 60 percent or less of the area median income and are more likely to be impacted by shifts in the economy.

This is the fourth award The Salvation Army has received for its work on The Railton. It has also received 2010 Development of the Year from the city of St. Louis, an Honor Award from the Landmarks Association for being one of the area’s 11 Most Enhanced Places for 2010 and a Cityscape Award from the Partnership for Downtown St. Louis and the Downtown Community Improvement District.

The Salvation Army is an international organization that has been doing the most good in the St. Louis region for 129 years. The Salvation Army serves community members 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year through emergency disaster services and dozens of different programs that are designed to help people attain, or regain, self-sufficiency. For more information, please call 314.646.3000 or visit www.stl-salvationarmy.org.