KIRKWOOD —ÌýThe Marquitz-Garesche House at 751 N. Taylor Ave. in Kirkwood was reduced to a pile of debris on Wednesday.
The sun rises on the 1858 Marquitz-Garesche House on Monday, Feb. 9, 2026, at 751 N. Taylor Ave. in Kirkwood. The owners of the 168-year-old house plan to tear it down. Despite it being in the North Taylor Historic District, there are no city ordinances that can protect it.
The house's owner,ÌýHarlan Sorkin,Ìýbought the property in 2025 and applied to demolish it. The city said it could not deny his request under its historic preservation ordinance.
After signed petitions,Ìýtestimony from the home's former owner,Ìýoutcry from preservationists, andÌýa lawsuitÌýby Kirkwood residents,Ìýa ×îÐÂÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ Circuit Court judgeÌýruled that the people who suedÌý"do not have the requisite standing to seek the relief requested."
Demolition began just before 7 a.m. Wednesday. In less than 30 minutes, the 168-year-old home was nothing more than rubble.
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An excavator tears down the historic 1858 Marquitz-Garesche House at 751 N. Taylor Avenue in Kirkwood on Wednesday, May 6, 2026. Despite outcry from neighbors, the home was torn down on Wednesday to make way for a new home. Video footage courtesy of Steve and Ellen Smith
A worker uses a hose to keep dust down as an excavator piles up debris from the the 1858 Marquitz-Garesche House at 751 N. Taylor Avenue in Kirkwood on Wednesday, May 6, 2026.Ìý
The front house numbers from 1858 Marquitz-Garesche House at 751 N. Taylor Avenue in Kirkwood can be seen in a pile of debris after the historic house was torn down on Wednesday, May 6, 2026.
Beth Gearhart watches as the 1858 Marquitz-Garesche House at 751 N. Taylor Avenue in Kirkwood is torn down on Wednesday, May 6, 2026. Despite outcry from neighbors like Gearhart, the home was torn down to make way for a new home.
