ST. LOUIS – FOX 2 News has an exclusive interview with a man whose illegal activity could help change the future of a downtown building that’s been a fixture in the St. Louis skyline for more than 50 years. The old Stouffers, turned Clarion, turned Regal Riverfront, and then Millennium Hotel, has been empty for nearly a decade.
A man who calls himself an urban explorer feels the building still has a story to tell and you’ve got to go inside to tell it.
“It just kind of gives people an idea of what most people don’t see,” he said of his explorations. He goes by the name “Krispy” on social media.
He did not want to share his true identity for this report, but did share his photos from the hotel, noting it still had electricity.
“Lights were on everywhere…all the chandeliers in ballroom are really neat. Both bars are really neat looking,” he said. “It looked like they just closed it down and walked away. It didn’t look messed up or nothing like that.”
Krispy explores abandoned places in St. Louis and beyond, which often means trespassing, as was the case with the Millennium.
He took dozens of photos as he took the steps from the ground floor to the rooftop. He found the Millennium to be in much better shape than abandoned former Famous Barr building across downtown.
“Yes, totally different. Everything’s trashed in (the former Famous Barr),” he said.
Changes have followed his posts about the Millennium: St. Louis’s problem properties unit reports that police calls for break-ins and suspicious activity have plummeted and the building’s owner in Texas has beefed up security around the clock.
Krispy said he actually entered the building through an open door months ago but couldn’t get back in now.
“I wouldn’t even try,” he said.
Police and city officials say his trespassing is a dangerous health risk but Krispy feels
we need to be reminded of what we’re just leaving behind.
“I’d rather see it reopen than just sit here rot for another 9–10 years,” he said. “It seems like a lot of people in St. Louis have a lot of memories there.”