ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis Wheel at Union Station can change nearly 17 million colors, but this weekend it will be a constant shade of purple.
“We hope that it can just put a smile on her face,” said John Scott, the manager at The St. Louis Wheel.
Purple is the favorite color of Janae Edmondson, the 17-year-old who was walking to her hotel last weekend in downtown St. Louis when a speeding driver collided with another vehicle. That second vehicle struck Edmondson.
“It feels good to show that St. Louis is a city about community that is about championing one another behind certain issues and topics that we feel passionate about,” Scott said.
The wheel will be purple until the end of the weekend. The wheel is not the only building changing its lights. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers building in The Hill is also lighting up purple.
“We change the colors on the building quite often throughout the year with different events,” said Frank Jacobs, business manager for IBEW Local One. “So we thought to show her support, we would change it to purple.”
Jacobs said Edmondson’s accident hits close to home as he used to travel with his son’s baseball team to out-of-town tournaments.
“You can’t imagine you leave your sports game and you’re walking down the street and something tragic like this happens,” Jacobs said. “I really feel for the family and especially for her.”
Jacobs hopes the show of support from the St. Louis community will help the Edmondson family see the city in a new light.
“They come to St. Louis, and this tragic accident happens,” he said. “I think it’s just important to show the family and even their hometown and the volleyball club that the city of St. Louis will stand behind you and will have your back, and will support what she’s going through.”