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'Flying Saucer' To Get Mo. Statewide Preservation Award

The building in Midtown which has become commonly known as the "Flying Saucer" will receive an award for its much-publicized transformation.

The Missouri Alliance for Historic Preservation will recognize the effort at their Preservation Honor Awards ceremony on Feb. 27.

A Starbucksmoved intothe former gas station and Del Taco restaurant in Sep. 2012 and a Chipotle restaurant is expected to inhabit the other side of the building in the coming weeks. 

(UPI/Bill Greenblatt) /

But the new businesses may not have moved in at all had the structure been torn down, as was originally planned by developer Rick Yackey.

As we reported previously, after politicians and preservationists fought for the building, bolstered by a strong social media campaign, Yackey changed his mind and, instead, sought national companies to fill the space.

Follow Kelsey Proud on Twitter: @KelseyProud

Copyright 2021 St. Louis Public Radio. To see more, visit St. Louis Public Radio.

Kelsey Proud is a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, where she earned a Convergence (Multimedia) Journalism degree. She has worked at PBS Interactive in Washington, D.C., MSN UK News in London and is a social media enthusiast. Kelsey feels journalism is truly a public service and hopes her work enhances community and reaches those who need information most. Though she's "from" Chicago, Kelsey has also lived in several different regions of the United States, including periods of time in North Carolina, Ohio, New Mexico and Illinois. Her extended family has roots in Boone and Audrain counties in Missouri, too. She is a wannabe chef and globe trekker, former competitive golfer and band-ie (trumpet), and honorary Missourian.