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Many fans around St. Louis have old relics from the former home of the Blues, including old seats and banners. One major piece of history that made it out of the old Arena before it's implosion was the center hung scoreboard, but it has since gone missing.
Following the closure of the St. Louis Arena, the scoreboard was removed from the building and at some point it was installed in a bar somewhere in the metro area of St. Louis. It is believed to have been located in Schmeizings but that bar was later torn down. It was uncertain whether or not the scoreboard was removed from that building.
For a small group of Blues fans, it was their hope that it survived and that they might be able to find it. This group formed a page on Facebook called "Find the Old Arena Scoreboard" and they were looking for more people who might have information on it.
We received a tip from @MrBluesHat that it was once in storage at the City Museum, a Facebook Group member, Chris Barr, reached out to the City Museum and got the story. We followed up and dug a little deeper and here is the story of the old St. Louis Arena scoreboard.
When the Kiel Center opened it's doors in 1994, there was an auction held at the old arena and fans got the opportunity to bid on many items before the place would be imploded a few years later. Once of the items that would be sold was the scoreboard which hung above the event floor since the Blues had first taken the ice in 1967. While it is not known for sure who bought the scoreboard from the Blues, we do know that at some point it landed in the hands of a local bar owner who ran Schmeizings. It hung above the bar asyou can see in this rare picture below.
This bar was later torn down but the scoreboard was once again removed to avoid its own destruction. It is unclear whether it was sold or donated, but it became property of the St. Louis City Museum. It would sit in storage for a number of years, presumably waiting to find a proper home within the Museum. Its temporary location was believed to be this storage facility in a blighted neighborhood in northern St. Louis.
When the Kiel Center opened it's doors in 1994, there was an auction held at the old arena and fans got the opportunity to bid on many items before the place would be imploded a few years later. Once of the items that would be sold was the scoreboard which hung above the event floor since the Blues had first taken the ice in 1967. While it is not known for sure who bought the scoreboard from the Blues, we do know that at some point it landed in the hands of a local bar owner who ran Schmeizings. It hung above the bar asyou can see in this rare picture below.
This bar was later torn down but the scoreboard was once again removed to avoid its own destruction. It is unclear whether it was sold or donated, but it became property of the St. Louis City Museum. It would sit in storage for a number of years, presumably waiting to find a proper home within the Museum. Its temporary location was believed to be this storage facility in a blighted neighborhood in northern St. Louis.
A few years ago, thieves busted to the wall of this rundown old building and ransacked the place for anything they could find of value. They scrapped out what they could of the old scoreboard, leaving only broken pieces and a bare frame behind. What was left of the scoreboard was presumably still in this building and destroyed during the demolition of this building a couple years ago.
Not the news this group wanted to hear, but at least the mystery is now settled. It would have been a fine addition to the museum, or perhaps someday the Blues could have purchased the board and hung in in the atrium of Scottrade Center, much like the Cardinals have done with the old Busch Stadium scoreboard.
You can view the full scoreboard history of the St. Louis Blues here. Thanks to one of our partners "CF92" who recreated the old Blues board in exception detail.