ST. LOUIS – St. Louis firefighters are working quickly to try and extinguish the blaze at the Lyle House in Carondelet Park.

Officials were alerted to the fire Wednesday morning.

“It’s a shame to see a historical building like this from the 1840s, one of the oldest frame structures in the city,” said Garron Mosby, St. louis fire captain. “Extensive damage to the rear and moderate on the interior portion.  That’s where we are.  Investigators are here now.”

The familiar South City home near Grand and Loughborough sits on the southern edge of Carondelet Park.

It was built in 1842 by Alexander Lacey Lyle. It served as a senior center and a place where a game of pinochle could be found, but firefighters say it’s currently vacant.

Charley Merriott, a lifelong St. Louis resident and former Bishop Dubourg track coach, used to send his team running past a part of mound city history.

“I used to have my guys run down here from Dubourg for practice at least once a week,” Merriott said. “This was one of the things we ran past; we called it the old house.”

Wednesday, he was one of many coming to see the aftermath.

South St. Louisans driving by or stopping Wednesday afternoon say this fire, along with the May 16 tornado, serves as a grim reminder of the march of time and changes that come to a century-old city.

“We have such a magnificent history in this city and unfortunately it seems every day another piece of it disappears,” Merriott said. “I guess I came down to pay my respects to this one. To the Lyle House.”