ST. LOUIS — Thanks, but no thanks, says the company a judge appointed last week to run the troubled Ely Walker Lofts building downtown.

Adam Jenning, president of A. Jenning Properties, said Monday he was unaware that St. Louis Circuit Court Judge Michael Stelzer had appointed his firm to manage the downtown condo building until he read it in the newspaper.

“I do not wish to cause harm to the case of the concerned condominium owners who have fought so hard to get to this point,” Jenning said in a statement Monday afternoon. “However, there was clearly a miscommunication in our readiness and willingness to take on this responsibility prior to Judge Stelzer’s ruling.”

The property management company’s refusal to take on operations of the historic downtown loft building adds another dose of uncertainty for tenants and condo owners there who have long complained of mismanagement and deferred maintenance.

A majority of condos in the building are owned by companies tied to Vic Alston, allowing him and his brother, Sid Chakraverty, to control the condo board that manages the building. Alston and Chakraverty are the brothers behind residential developer Lux Living and rental companies STL CityWide Apartments and Asprient Properties. Tenants in their properties around the city have complained of poor construction, neglected repairs and lax security, among other issues. Another developer fought their attempts to stymie its rival project and the state has accused CityWide of operating without a real estate broker’s license.

At the 174-unit Ely Walker building at 1520 Washington Avenue, independent condo owners have been in litigation with the Alston and Chakraverty-controlled board for years. Some residents describe a beautifully restored historic building that has fallen into chaos, with little security, short-term rental parties and a fire alarm system that may not even be functional. The city last year threatened to place the building into receivership after a a teen was killed in a shooting while letting people in for a party at a unit a rented through Airbnb. 

But while the city ended up reaching a deal with the condo board for added security, the independent owners kept fighting in court. Last month, they asked a judge to appoint a receiver to run the building in lieu of the Alston and Chakraverty-controlled condo board.

Stelzer ruled last week, citing “a wide scope and variety of seriously pernicious problems” and appointing A. Jenning Properties to the job as requested by the independent condo owners. Residents of the building cheered the ruling, saying they looked forward to more responsive management and a full accounting of the condo board’s finances. 

Jenning said he and his business associate Adam Felmlee did discuss the possibility of assuming management of Ely Walker with the plaintiffs. But since then, the firm has added more condominium and homeowner associations to its portfolio and is busy managing those communities, Jenning wrote.

“After careful consideration, we believe the needs of Ely Walker Lofts exceed our ability to effectively address,” he wrote. “We must decline this receivership at this time, and we will be withdrawing from this appointment.”

Whether the judge will appoint a new receiver is unclear. Jenning said he has recommended G.S. Phillips & Co to the plaintiffs as an alternative.

Elkin Kistner, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said they are working to resolve the matter but declined to discuss further details.