Here's the place for us to show everyone how Saint Louis is back and is once again a jewel in the midwest.

Moderators please sticky this thread just like you did the Indianapolis and Milwaukee ones.

I would love to see a list of new construction in St Louis--and not just highrises! Anybody got pics?

I don't have time right now, but maybe later, or we have like a hundred Saint Louis forumers here, they can probably fill this thread in nicely until I return.

As you can tell by my name I don't live in St. Louis but it is my home town. Here is a link to the development website in St. Louis that will give a run down of everything going on in the city. There is just too much to mention.

http://stlcin.missouri.org/devprojects/index.cfm

Thanks for the site. St.Louis is my hometown, too. I like seeing how things are starting to turn around.

THE MIDWEST
Mixed reviews for St. Louis `lifestyle' developments

By Eric Heisler
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Knight Ridder/Tribune
Published December 5, 2004

ST. LOUIS -- They're heralded for creative design. Cheered by critics of sprawl. And applauded by backers of inner-ring suburb redevelopment.

Projects that mix retail, housing and offices, such as the new $250 million Boulevard-St. Louis, have become the darlings of the development community in recent years.

But these highly praised projects have been slow to catch on in many places, including the St. Louis area. In fact, when Crate & Barrel opened last month as the first tenant at Boulevard-St. Louis in Richmond Heights, the metro area had its first major project of this type.

So, what's the deep, dark secret that's holding these projects back? Developers say they're complicated, risky and often less profitable than strip shopping centers.

"I love urban mixed-use development," said Don Wood, chief executive of Federal Realty Trust, a real estate developer based in Rockville, Md. "The thing is, these are very large projects, they're very complicated and there're so many things that can go wrong."

Acquiring land can be thorny, and securing financing is tough. Construction can be expensive and problematic.

Federal Realty dealt a blow in 2002 to mixed-used supporters by scaling back its once-aggressive pursuit of these projects. Still, they're often an effective way to build in an affluent, densely populated area, Wood says.

Boulevard-St. Louis will take shape in three phases on one of the most prominent pieces of ground in the St. Louis area, just across Brentwood Boulevard from the St. Louis Galleria.

Over the last decade, mixed-use projects like this have risen mostly on the East and West coasts. A form of New Urbanism, they try to recreate the feel of older communities, such as the Central West End, where apartments sit atop stores with offices next door.

"I think these projects are popular because they symbolize getting back to our roots," said Richard Moore, an analyst who follows real estate companies for KeyBanc Capital Markets in Cleveland. "You have so many apartment dwellers who want to be in the thick of things, with retail right outside their door."

Along with Crate & Barrel, the 20-acre project features other retailers, restaurants such as Maggiano's Little Italy, and hundreds of condos and apartment units. Subsequent phases will add office towers. All the pieces will be tied together around a town-square area.

Robert Sherwood, a managing director of the developer, Pace Properties, said the project will attract commuters who've tired of relying on their cars and want to live in a more pedestrian-friendly community.

And when such projects are designed properly and built in the right spot, they can be appealing to developers, too, said Maureen McAvey, the former director of the St. Louis Development Corp.

"When mixed-use works well, it works extremely well," said McAvey, a senior fellow at the Urban Land Institute in Washington. "It commands higher rents and will retain more value than a single-use building."

This carrot has led to a growing interest locally in these types of projects. In downtown Kirkwood, for example, MLP Investments is putting the finishing touches on a development that mixes restaurants, service-oriented retail, apartments and townhouses.

But rising popularity doesn't make building a mixed-use project easier.

For starters, the planning process can be a nightmare for developers. Boulevard-St. Louis required years of negotiations with Richmond Heights. To pave the way, special zoning codes were written.

Construction costs tend to add up, too. At Boulevard-St. Louis, an 8-inch slab of concrete was built atop the ceiling of the first-floor shops to ensure that renters would have quiet time.

Sherwood also worries that adding more than 100 apartment units could be risky in a relatively soft rental market.

"It may be wonderful time to build a Crate & Barrel, but if there's an apartment glut in St. Louis, you might not make any money," Moore said.

What also makes these projects tough is that they take so long to plan and build, making it nearly impossible to hit the market at the right time, said Wood, with Federal Realty.

His company found that out the hard way when it built the $500 million Santana Row in San Jose, Calif.

It took seven years to build, stretching over the recent recession and soft recovery.

As a result, the project struggled through a tough leasing market.

Even today, Federal Realty's return on Santana Row is a mere 5 percent annually in an industry where 10 percent to 12 percent is the norm, Moore said. In response, Federal Realty has scaled back its pursuit of mixed-use projects.

The company's new strategy is to refocus on building centers anchored by groceries and drugstores. Federal Realty will do mixed-use projects only when it can partner with other developers to spread the risk as well as when state and local governments are willing to help with public-funding.

To assist with Boulevard-St. Louis, Pace Properties will get up to $35.9 million in tax increment financing from Richmond Heights.

"Based on my limited experience, I'm going to tell you that I don't think developers will do these projects on their own," said Michael Schoedel, the city manager of Clayton.

He was involved with planning for Boulevard-St. Louis when he held the same job in Richmond Heights. "It's got to be a public-private partnership."

Schoedel said Richmond Heights was adamant that the site be mixed-use in nature, a key to the development of Boulevard-St. Louis.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

^It still doesn't make sense. People are trying to build pseudo-urban communities, but since when did that include living next to Crate & Barrel and Maggiano's Little Italy? True urban communities have community centers, libraries, cafe's, grocery stores--the meat and potatoes stuff--as opposed to living upstairs from a shopping mall

^I agree, but it's still not bad for a suburban development. The Boulevard-Saint Louis is in Richmond Heights, not the city. Suburbs of all cities have this kind of thing these days.

Who's living in lofts?
By Marianna Riley
Of the Post-Dispatch
12/04/2004


Signs on some of the most derelict buildings along Washington Avenue downtown proclaim the change: "Lofts Coming." Block after block, there are new lofts, lofts under construction and lofts that have just sold.

Since 1999, more than 1,000 new units have opened downtown in what is known as the loft district - buildings along and near Washington Avenue. More than 600 new units are under construction, and almost 1,000 more are expected in each of the next two years.

As fast as they can build the lofts, developers and builders say, customers ranging from 20-somethings to empty nesters to retirees are flocking downtown instead of to the suburbs.

By definition, a loft means a space with few interior walls, often carved from an old industrial or office building. The few walls that are incorporated are often at only partial height or sometimes made of translucent plastic hung from wires so high ceilings can be seen from all perspectives. Mechanical and electrical systems are exposed to emphasize the industrial look.

But loft is also a marketing term, says Matt O'Leary, vice president for commercial development at Pyramid Construction Co., one of the big loft developers downtown.

"Everyone defines it a little differently," he said. "There are 'new lofts' being built in the suburbs. It's really all in the eye of the beholder."

Lofts can be sold as condos or rented as apartments. The Downtown St. Louis Partnership says almost half of the new lofts have been for sale - in a variety of prices.

Depending on the size and the amenities, lofts range from about $120,000 to $700,000, with the average costing around $225,000. The rents range from just over $400 to nearly $2,000.

Who's living in lofts?

Matt LaMartina, 26, said that he'd had his fill of suburban life and wanted to try loft living. He's lived in the Terra Cotta Lofts in the 1500 block of Locust Street for a year and a half; his girlfriend, Polly Bathe, 25, moved in with him last summer.

"How many people can look out their building and see a bus on top of a building?" LaMartina asks, pointing to the roof of the City Museum.

"We can watch people dancing in Windows on Washington, and in nice weather we can open the windows and hear the music and people laughing," said LaMartina, a pharmaceuticals salesman.

The couple are part of one of the largest demographic groups moving into downtown lofts. The Downtown St. Louis Partnership surveyed 278 loft residents in October. It shows that more than 25 percent of loft dwellers are between 21 and 29. More than a quarter moved to lofts from St. Louis County; nearly 40 percent moved downtown from elsewhere in the city. About 17 percent of downtown loft residents moved from outside the St. Louis region.

The people putting the lofts together - builders and developers - think huge growth lies ahead.

John Steffen of Pyramid is building 103 lofts in the old Sporting News Building at 2020 Washington. Nearly 80 of the units in the biggest downtown loft project already are occupied, a pace that is a full year ahead of what Steffen said he had expected.

"We closed in November of 2002, and we got a loan to do repairs and make a display," he said. "There was to be a marketing period during which we needed to sell 40 percent of the units. We had 65 sales before anyone even stepped into our display.

"That tells you something about the demand."

Such momentum feeds on itself, says O'Leary, of Pyramid.

"When you first get started, there's only a limited number of people willing to take the plunge," he said. "But as you add people and amenities, you incrementally increase the size of the market."

Tax breaks help boost the market, too. LaMartina got a 10-year tax abatement when he bought his loft. Instead of paying $150 or $250 a month into an escrow account for property taxes, here he pays $18.87 monthly.

"I love seeing that on my mortgage bill," he said.

He was the 20th person to move into his 99-unit building, which now is full. In less than two years, he's watched the area evolve from clusters of late-night clubs drawing suburban visitors to an area of more restaurants and stores catering to downtown residents.

Bathe likes living with such diverse neighbors.

"We have people in their 20s, 60s and 70s," she said. "We have empty-nesters, young professionals and young families. I love seeing the baby in the stroller."

While the suburbs traditionally were viewed as true neighborhoods, Doug King said he finds more sense of community living in his Paristyle Loft in the 1500 block of Washington.

"It's a very human atmosphere," said King, president of the St. Louis Science Center. "We get to know our neighbors better in this walking landscape. It's a much better way to know people than driving a car through a suburban neighborhood."

King, his wife, Stacy, and daughter, Sarah, 19, and their three dogs are planning to leave their two-bedroom, 2,400-square-foot loft. They are working on plans for a four-bedroom, 4,200-square-foot unit in the same building.

Not for everyone

Loft living helped Dr. Dan Wintermantel make a transition after his divorce. The dentist, 55, enjoyed being a big brother or father figure to many of his younger neighbors in the Merchandise Mart lofts.

"I'd recommend it to anybody who is starting a new life," he said.

After a year, though, he returned to the suburbs and bought a house in Glendale. The long commute and his children living in Chesterfield helped convince him to return to the suburbs.

While Wintermantel said he liked the energy and lifestyle of city living, there were drawbacks. His teenage daughter was fearful about leaving her car on the street when she came downtown. Some residents acknowledge that city living makes them face grittier problems than those visible in the suburbs.

But Kevin Ament welcomed the wake-up moments.

"When I moved here, I was a suburbanite and I was uncomfortable when I was first approached by a homeless person," said Ament, who recently rented his loft and moved to Shrewsbury where his new wife owns a home.

Ament decided to deal with such issues head-on: He took part in security walks, got involved with the now-defunct St. Louis homeless task force and helped begin a program for making sandwiches for clients of St. Patrick Center.

"You don't face this type of conversation out in the suburbs, but that's one of the reasons people come to the city - to get involved," he said.

Skeptical families


Many loft-dwellers say they got mixed reactions when they told their families - parents or children - of their plans to move downtown.

LaMartina's parents were among the doubters.

"They were worried about crime and were concerned for our safety," he said. "But the more they visited, the more their perception started changing. Now they love to come down, then walk to the Rams or Cards game or watch the fireworks from the rooftop deck."

Stella and Read Larson shocked their children by selling their home in Eureka Springs, Ark., and moving to a loft in downtown St. Louis.

"Our children still aren't sure we aren't crazy, but they love to come hang out here," Stella Larson said.

Stella, 76, and Read, 79, are artists who came to their craft in middle age. They say being around younger people helps keep them young.

"I've lived here for two years and I'm in better health than I ever was," she said. "I feel like I've been revived."

The Larsons are taking computer classes, visiting the library and walking more than they did before.

Like the Larsons, Mary Ann and Randy Heil made a clean break from their 120-acre farm in St. Clair to their new loft in St. Louis. They sold the farm, got rid of all their home furnishings and family antiques, and moved their tool and die business to a site on North Broadway. Both Heils often walk to work.

Their condo is furnished in a simple, contemporary look.

"If it doesn't have a purpose, I don't have it," said Mary Ann Heil, 55.

She rarely cooks anymore; she and her husband, 57, dine out frequently. She's lost 14 pounds since they moved a year and a half ago.

"I think I eat more balanced meals and not all those gravies, biscuits and pies," she said.

Farming on a big scale is over, but Heil still takes care of the potted plants at the Terra Cotta Lofts entrance and on the rooftop deck.

The Larsons and Heils are part of the empty-nest demographic in downtown lofts. Although the biggest demographic is the 21-29 age group (35 percent), an additional 23 percent are over 50 - according to data compiled by the Downtown St. Louis Partnership. Men outnumber women by almost 20 percent, and the vast majority of loft residents have college degrees. One third have postgraduate degrees.

Developer Kevin McGowan said that about 40 percent of his sales have been to empty-nesters.

"This has surprised all the developers," he said. "It's incredible to us."

The same thing is happening in other cities. Newsweek reported in October that the population of 64- to 75-year-olds in downtown Chicago grew by 17 percent during the last decade. Cities such as New Orleans and Los Angeles also have seen increases in older people living downtown.

The survey also found that close to 40 percent of the loft-dwellers work downtown. That means it's not just short commutes bringing people to lofts.

"I think the biggest reason to buy here is to be part of a community, interacting with people," LaMartina said. "Living in suburbia, you don't really get to know your neighbors. . . . You park in your garage and go straight into your kitchen, and you never see anybody.

"Today, I pulled into the garage about the time three other people did. We made our way into our building together and we talked about our day, what's going on in our lives."


Reporter Marianna Riley
E-mail: mriley@post-dispatch.com
Phone: 314-340-8121

This is a article that I found in the St. Louis Biz Journal. I am glad to see DT St. Louis isn't only targeting highend buyers with the realestate development plans.


HRI, Conrad closing in on Cupples Station projects
Margaret Jackson
HRI Properties will close by the end of the year on its deal to renovate a building in the historic Cupples Station warehouse complex into apartments.


HRI plans to convert the building at the southwest corner of 11th and Spruce streets downtown into 131 apartments. All but four of the units in the $42 million project will be "work-force housing," said Ron Silverman, HRI senior vice president.

"Work-force housing presumes the tenants have to have a good job and steady credit, but may be income restricted," Silverman said. Tenants may include city employees, teachers or restaurant workers. Rents in the building will range from $567 to $830 a month. Clayco Construction Co. is the general contractor and Forum Studios is the architect for the project.

HRI closed on its purchase of the building and adjoining parking lot Dec. 1. The financial closing is set for Dec. 23.

GMAC is providing $30 million in financing for the project instead of Related Capital Cos. of New York, which finances most of HRI's projects, including the Merchandise Mart on Washington Avenue downtown.

"Related decided that their exposure in downtown St. Louis was great enough, and the city wanted us to minimize the amount of public assistance they put in the deal, so we went to other investors to try to maximize the tax credit pricing on the deal," said Tom Leonhard, HRI's president and chief operating officer.

Other financing tools include a $600,000 affordable housing loan from the city's Affordable Housing Commission and 10 years of tax abatement. U.S. Bank is providing $9.8 million in Brownfield and state historic tax credits for the project.

Meanwhile, Conrad Properties is proceeding with its plans to purchase the building on the southwest corner of Spruce and 10th Streets, which it plans to redevelop as up to 50 condominiums that it will market to first-time buyers, said Wendy Timm, the company's chief operating officer and chief financial officer. The deal is expected to close by the middle of next year. The project is expected to cost at least $10 million, Timm said. She did not have details of the financing or how much the units will sell for because Conrad is still in the due diligence process.

Conrad and HRI are buying the buildings from Bank of America. Other developers talking with Bank of America about doing projects at Cupples include Amrit and Amy Gill and Richard Baron of McCormack Baron Salazar.

"Our hope is that once the HRI transaction closes, the rest of these conversations with people and deals we're working on will fall into place," said Mary Campbell, a senior vice president at Bank of America.

Bank of America had planned to donate Building 7 at the complex to Downtown Now so the nonprofit group could tear it down without jeopardizing historic tax credits for other projects. However, those plans are on hold until the city approves a development plan for the complex, said Tom Reeves, executive director of Downtown Now.

I see that some folks are smart... A properly titled thread of an appropriately sized city gets a sticky... (so long as it's active)

:)

St. Louis is brimming with development. Here's a link to a number of projects completed, planned or underway in the city:

http://stlcin.missouri.org/devprojects/

Readers respond to our call for ideas on improving St. Louis' cultural scene
By Diane Toroian Keaggy
Of the Post-Dispatch
12/12/2004
Story continues below ad
Call it tough love.

Readers pulled no punches in their analysis of St. Louis' arts and entertainment scene, calling out some of the region's best-known institutions as cultural underachievers. They want more action downtown, a livelier Laclede's Landing and a revamped Union Station with more to do and less to pay in parking fees. And why, oh, why can't St. Louis host a proper aquarium?

Their letters - all in response to the Nov. 21 A&E article, "On the road to a better St. Louis" - were not nasty or negative (clearly, those folks spend little time on talk radio), but hopeful and supportive. They appreciate the raw potential here and want to see it developed.

Doris Chiste of Edwardsville spoke for many readers when she wrote, "St. Louis has come a long way, and I'm sure none of us wants to destroy the wonderful image it has received."

The region's No. 1 underachiever in the mind's of many readers is the St. Louis riverfront. They wish Laclede's Landing offered more than bars and gambling. They want to see more events like River Splash on the Mississippi. And they miss the Admiral of yesteryear. That's not a surprise given our devotion to the past. But the truth is those excursions offered tourists and locals an adventure no other boat has duplicated. They've heard all the talk about riverfront improvements but are tired of waiting.

"For years, the St. Louis community has been going to do something about the east side of the riverfront and connecting the Arch with downtown with a lid over the depressed lanes of I-70," writes Richard Ontiveros Jr. of St. Charles. "Too often, we complete a project and think the job is done."

Readers also echoed our call for improvements at Union Station, KETC (Channel 9) and the St. Louis Art Museum. Officials at those organizations should take heart that residents here desperately want them to succeed. But they should also know their institutions, more than any others, were cited as underachievers by readers. Catherine Guelker of Affton wants KETC to stop airing repeats. Susan Taylor thinks an ice rink would attract new visitors to Union Station. And Greg Gibson of Overland says the St. Louis Art Museum needs to reach out more to non-aficionados.

Another popular source of discontent - this newspaper. Reader June Mueller of St. Louis says the St. Louis Post-Dispatch fails to cover the city's rich blues tradition, while A. Dennis Sparger of Belleville says the paper needs to spill more ink on the region's small theaters and music groups.

Our story also gave a thumbs-up to a long list of overachievers - people and places that surpass expectations. Readers added to this list. The Magic House, the Missouri Botanical Garden, the St. Louis Zoo, Tower Grove Park and the Compton Heights Concert Band were among some of the organizations singled out by readers.


Union Station


Why not put a skating rink under the shed in Union Station? Like Rockefeller Center, it would attract lots of people to skate or just watch. There could be kiosks alongside the rink selling hot cocoa or roasted chestnuts, and the surrounding restaurants would draw huge crowds. Every year, lighting the rink's Christmas tree could be a major event, and during the summer, the pond could be refilled or the rink could be de-iced for roller skaters and bladders. Patrons would be mostly local, which would stabilize attendance and would flow easily between skating activities and Union Station's shopping and dining venues.

- Susan Taylor, St. Louis

This sounds like sour grapes, but I think it just makes common sense: If the train station had been left in Union Station, there would be traffic going through the mall every day and travelers would have a lovely place to disembark.

- Mary Rice, Florissant

Aquarium


I have traveled extensively within the United States and have always wondered why a city like St. Louis, located on a living, vibrant river, does not have a first-class aquarium. Can you imagine if such a facility were available and sited within the Forest Park complex of Zoo-Science Center-Planetarium! Why, every child in the metro area will certainly visit at least once (especially if there are water acts with friendly dolphins and seals). And think of the opportunity to educate those young minds to the great need for humanity to live in harmony with nature. The attendant exhibit hall and smaller aquaria could have rotating displays emphasizing the importance of manufacturing and farming in the Midwest to the rapidly expanding "dead zone" at the mouth of the Mississippi River.

- Dan Shipley, Marthasville


St. Louis is large enough to have a really nice public aquarium. There have been a few proposed aquariums in the past, but nothing was ever built. Why not? The one thing we have is the little aquarium that used to be on Hanley Road, but that is more like a circus sideshow than anything else. Moving to the City Museum didn't help much, even though the City Museum is pretty cool on its own. It isn't anything that a tourist would go out of his or her way to visit, and it is sort of embarrassing to say that is all our city can provide.

- Roger James, Town and Country

St. Louis City Hall


One of the most neglected cultural icons in the area is St. Louis City Hall. The building's architecture is certainly of interest, but more important, the blackened, grimy facade serves now as a symbolic reminder of the deterioration of a once-proud city. Visitors are shocked when they first see it. The movers and shakers of the region should "clean up City Hall."

- Karen Johnson, Town and Country

St. Louis Science Center


What St. Louis needs is an earth-science museum - not just place full of gadgets. The Science Center has everything needed to put together such a display: fossils, minerals, shells, artifacts, stuffed animals, yet none of them is on display. If we want of children to take an interest in science, we have to introduce them to the earth sciences at an early age.

- Roseann Scotti, Fenton

St. Louis Post-Dispatch


Our area is already bursting with people who excel at singing, playing, dancing, acting and painting. There is no shortage of concerts, plays, exhibits, etc. capable or reaching and inspiring listeners and viewers. But before an artistic moment can touch its audience, every organization needs a medium to "communicate" its message and attract those who would choose to benefit. This is where the Post lets down the community it purports to serve. The Post could choose to be a leader in this area while it is still needed. What's needed are (1) an increase in arts staff, (2) a return to providing feature articles on a regular basis about the many arts organizations and (3) a serious reduction in advertising rates for nonprofit arts groups.

- A. Dennis Sparger, Belleville

St. Louis Symphony Orchestra


One big under-performer is the St. Louis Symphony. Why must it spend so much time playing to the same patrons at Powell Hall and not expand into the community more? It's a dinosaur culture. They are killing classical music because they won't adapt to a changing audience base. How about doing a classical-music festival in Forest Park to mirror the Shakespeare Festival? Take their act on the road to different venues like the St. Charles Family Arena.

- Sandy Harrington, Crestwood

Fox Theatre


Some of the best theatres in St. Louis are, in fact, the smallest: Tin Ceiling in South City, the Belleville Center of Arts and the New Jewish Theatre - you could easily transfer an audience from each of these companies into the equally ambitious Art Loft on Washington Avenue, all on the same night, with plenty of room to spare. They are all, you might say, built more for psychological speed than comfort. Then there is the gargantuan Fox Theatre, lovingly restored by the late Leon Strauss and his surviving wife, Mary. It's so huge (and comfortingly lavish) that only overinflated musicals can draw the crowds needed to pay the bills. And many of them aren't worth the trip. The Fox hardens our arteries with overweight productions like "Beauty and the Beast," "Mamma Mia" and the infamous "Starlight Express." Even a certifiable hit like "The Producers" seems to stalk like a zombie across the Fox stage. An unkillably fey production of "A Christmas Carol" from a Nebraska touring company, a deadly stopover by "The Music Man" and another morbid trip down Memory Lane with the Rockettes are further examples of psychological comfort food - welcomed only by the truly desolate, but no recipe at all for a healthy cultural life. In brief, one goes to the Fox to be seen rather than to be entertained. The box is more fun than the gift inside.

- Richard Green, St. Louis

St. Louis Jewish Book Festival


One cultural event that has let me down is the St. Louis Jewish Book Festival, sponsored by the Jewish Community Center. The annual book festival brings many prominent authors to St. Louis to talk about their books, but the festival has missed a major opportunity to highlight, promote, educate, inform and sell (yes, sell) the vast number of books written by Jewish authors or books with Jewish themes, content or subject. For example, the Houston Book Fair orders approximately 5,000-6,000 titles, thus giving the Jewish and general community the availability of a great resource. The JCC, on the other hand, generally only orders books by the presenting authors. It is truly unfortunate that the JCC has deprived St. Louisans of this vast collection of knowledge, research and pure pleasure they could be receiving by featuring so few books when they could be providing an outstanding and needed service.

- Rosalyn Borg, University City

Laclede's Landing


Laclede's Landing should be more family friendly, not just a place for bars and nightclubs. Open up better restaurants, new stores and keep some of the local pubs. Make the Landing some place to hang out on a Sunday afternoon, not just a place to go clubbing.

- Paul Smith

Springfield buyer of Union Pacific building plans $60 million rehab

http://207.160.50.21/images/imagedb/structures/mo_pacific.jpg


Heather Cole
After several years on the market, the Union Pacific building downtown has a buyer that plans to give it a $60 million overhaul.


Parkside Tower LLC, a Springfield, Ill., partnership, is buying the 470,000-square-foot building at 210 N. 13th St. in February from Bakewell Corp. While terms were not disclosed, real estate sources put the sale price at about $4 million. About 330,000 square feet of the building is leasable. Parkside also has an option on the adjacent parking lot on Tucker Boulevard.

Edward "Ted" Bakewell III, president of Bakewell Corp. did not return telephone calls seeking comment.

Parkside is looking for a St. Louis joint-venture partner on the renovation of the building, and is talking with The Lawrence Group and McGowan|Walsh Historic Renovators, which also bid on the building. While also interested in partnering with Parkside on the redevelopment, The Lawrence Group already has signed on to do design and architectural work for the project. Parkside also wants to meet with other potential partners who are willing to make "a substantial commitment" to the project, said Kirk Jefferis, a Parkside partner.

The mix in the building has not been determined, Jefferis said. It could include retail, residential, such as luxury condominiums, office and/or hotel elements, he said. Jefferis said construction would start in a year at the earliest. The development partners plan to pursue incentives, including tax increment financing and federal and state tax credits.

The building's redevelopment could be one of the most significant in the city of St. Louis because of its location, said Kevin McGowan, chairman of McGowan|Walsh. He cited the building's proximity to the Kiel Opera House, which developer Don Breckenridge is planning to redevelop; the Savvis Center; the St. Louis City Library; and City Hall.

The 22-story, Art Deco-style building with terra cotta facades has been slowly emptying as occupant Union Pacific consolidated offices in Omaha, Neb.

"It's a truly majestic building, with a jaw-dropping lobby, stunning views and parks all around. It's going to be an excruciating pleasure to see this thing through to completion," Jefferis said.

In addition to St. Louis native Jefferis, who is active in development in Springfield, including the construction of Holiday Inn hotels, Parkside partners include James Callahan, owner of St. Louis-based Jupiter Studios, Dirk McCormick of McCormick Mortgage Co., a Springfield commercial mortgage company, and Springfield businessman William Furling III, who owns businesses in industries including aviation, automotive aftermarket and residential and commercial development.

Potential joint-venture partners Lawrence Group and McGowan|Walsh have downtown redevelopment experience. Lawrence Group principals purchased the Security and Marquette buildings downtown for redevelopment in the last two years. Steve Smith, a principal at Lawrence Group, referred questions to Parkside.

McGowan recently split from McGowan Brothers Development, known for its redevelopment of properties along Washington Avenue, to create McGowan|Walsh with former U.S. Title President Nat Walsh. When bidding for the building, McGowan|Walsh had proposed renovating the Union Pacific building into about 100 luxury lofts, with prices at around $750,000, McGowan said.

Union Pacific, which had occupied the entire building since 1982, moved 600 of its employees from the Union Pacific building to Omaha, Neb., in a consolidation in the first half of 2004. The company recently negotiated a buyout of its lease, which was set to end July 2006 and now will end Feb. 15, 2005, said John Bromley, a spokesman for the company. He declined to give the terms of the buyout. Union Pacific is moving the last 50 of its employees still working at the old headquarters to the Bank of America Tower.

The building, constructed by Missouri Pacific in 1928, was occupied by that railroad company until Missouri Pacific was purchased by Union Pacific in 1982. During its time on the market, architect Andy Trivers of Trivers Associates worked on a design for owner Bakewell that called for about 198 apartments and retail on the 26,000-square-foot first floor.

hcole@bizjournals.com



© 2004 American City Business Journals Inc.

Pyramid Construction adds another chapter to Mercantile Library's tale
By Martin Van Der Werf

The Mercantile Library has been charting the booms and busts of St. Louis business since 1846. But since the library moved out in 1997, the building that once housed it has seen mostly busts.

Now, Pyramid Construction Co., which is rehabbing several other downtown buildings, has the complex at Broadway and Locust streets under contract.

Pyramid officials did not return calls seeking comment.

The structure once was seven buildings. All the interior walls have been knocked out, creating one building totaling 270,000 square feet.

Pyramid has been one of the leading redevelopers of old warehouse buildings into loft apartments. But the Mercantile and its adjoining structure, known as the Boatmen's Trust building, have not drawn a lot of interest, real estate experts said.

"If it was a no-brainer to do lofts, I think someone would have snapped it up by now," said Andrew Sheir, leasing director for Jones Lang Lasalle, which brokered the deal. The selling price was not disclosed.

The building could accommodate a variety of uses, including retail, offices, housing or a hotel, Sheir said.

The Mercantile Library is the oldest circulating library still in existence west of the Mississippi River. It is known for its collections recounting the history of St. Louis. When the library relocated to the University of Missouri at St. Louis, the school took control of the building.

NationsBank bought it for $1.2 million in 1998. The building later was acquired by American Milling L.P., a barge business that was investing in downtown real estate.

A California partnership, Fowler Flanagan Technology, next bought the building and stripped the interior to create a "telecom hotel," suites of offices for emerging Internet-based companies. But the idea barely got off the ground before the Internet economy imploded.

The building fell into foreclosure and into the hands of a partnership controlled by Lehman Brothers, the New York financial firm that held the mortgage. That partnership sold the building to Pyramid.

http://images6.fotki.com/v75/photos/5/50550/231553/P1010115-vi.jpg
http://images4.fotki.com/v42/photos/5/50550/231553/P1010116-vi.jpg '

Here is what the building used to look like before reclading.
http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/29644168.jpg

Central West End will be home of new biotech building
By Eric Heisler
Of the Post-Dispatch
12/17/2004
Story continues below adNonprofit group already
has two tenants for
facility at Boyle and
Forest Park avenues.





A Central West End lot that once housed an underwear factory and a shoe plant is about to become the site of a $36 million biotech building.

Cortex, a St. Louis nonprofit group, broke ground on the building Thursday. While Cortex and others dream of a day when St. Louis is a well-established biotech hub, they say a key obstacle now is the lack of specialized buildings for such firms.

That's where the new building at Boyle and Forest Park avenues comes in. By the end of next year, early-stage biotech companies will find a home there, paying lower rents and enjoying proximity to two major research universities, Cortex officials said.

"The goal is that many years from now, when you drive through this area, you'll see many biotech buildings, scores of biotech firms and thousands of new, relatively high-paying jobs," said John Dubinsky, president of Cortex.

The site forecasts what might be St. Louis' future, but it also is an important link to its past.

Over the last two weeks, workers have torn down the empty red-brick warehouse at the site, which was vacated by Markwort Sporting Goods earlier this year. That company occupied the building beginning in the late 1950s, but recently moved to Fenton after selling the building to Cortex.

Before that, the building was a factory for the Moore Shoe Co., and then a plant for the National Underwear Co. Portions of the site also were used in the early 20th century as a dealership for Studebaker Corp. of America and other carmakers.

"You have a site here that was originally used for what were two of St. Louis' major industries - shoes and automobiles," said Lewis Levey, president of real estate development for Cortex. "Now, in 2005, we're coming back and putting it to use for biotech, which we hope will be a part of our future."

Cortex already has lined up two tenants: Stereotaxis Inc. and Washington University Medical School. The rest should be leased by the time the building opens late next year, Dubinsky said.

Cortex is a partnership of Washington University, St. Louis University, the Barnes-Jewish Hospital Foundation, the University of Missouri at St. Louis and Missouri Botanical Garden. The group's goal is to promote biotech development in St. Louis.

The area, like countless others throughout the country, has identified biotechnology as a sector it wants to draw.

To allow for formation of such companies, independent groups have built two incubators for fledgling firms - the Nidus Center for Scientific Enterprise in Creve Coeur and the Center for Emerging Technologies in the Central West End.

But that's created a new problem: Where do companies go from there?

Stereotaxis, for example, is currently in the Center for Emerging Technologies. But the growing company, the area's first life sciences firm to go public, is about to enter a new stage.

Unlike in other regions, where the biotech sector is more mature, St. Louis-area developers haven't built speculative buildings to accommodate this type of company, Dubinsky said.

"The private sector here has just not chosen to meet that need," he said. "I think it's just a matter of timing. The commercialization of biotech is much more advanced in those other communities."

The 170,000-square-foot, three-story building is being built by Clayco Construction Co.

Has anyone heard anything about the new rooftop waterpark at the city museum?

If so its going to be a great addition to the loft district.

Every friggin' city in the country is billing its self as a "Biotch" center!

Has anyone heard anything about the new rooftop waterpark at the city museum?

If so its going to be a great addition to the loft district.

Click here (http://www.urbanstlouis.com/urbanstl/viewtopic.php?t=100)

Downtown developments approach $3 billion mark
Susan Kerth
Tom Reeves calls 2004 the "tipping point" for economic development activity downtown. "Not only people in this region, but others from around the country, now believe that it is real and sustainable," said Reeves, executive director of Downtown Now, a partnership of public and private sector representatives dedicated to the revitalization of downtown St. Louis. "It set a real solid stage for more things to happen in 2005."


Since 1999, $2.5 billion in public and private investment commitments have been made downtown. "As that figure approaches $3 billion next year, St. Louis will become a national story," Reeves said.

During the past year, numerous projects were completed or got off the ground, adding to the momentum that Reeves expects will continue downtown in 2005 and beyond. Streetscape improvements on Washington Avenue were completed, while construction began on three other major projects: the Old Post Office, the Federal Reserve expansion and the new St. Louis Cardinals ballpark. In addition, Reeves said, a number of vacant buildings changed into "more productive hands" and various development deals, including significant residential projects, were put in place.

"This is no longer a discussion; it's construction," Reeves said.

From his office at Ninth and Olive, Downtown St. Louis Partnership President Jim Cloar has a bird's eye view of two major development projects currently under way.

"As I look out my window, it's going to be exciting to see the site being cleared and construction begin on the parking garage to serve the Old Post Office," Cloar said. "As I look out the other window, there's the Paul Brown Building. People will begin moving in there in the spring." When completed, the building will contain about 220 residential units -- the largest residential development in the downtown core so far. The $77 million Old Post Office project is being developed by DESCO Group and DFC Group. Pyramid Construction is working on the $52 million Paul Brown Building redevelopment.

"We have smaller projects (in the core), but the fact that this is right on Old Post Office Square and that it includes ground floor retail space, we have a chance to make Olive a more interesting street to walk along," Cloar said. "For the last several years, with no activity in the Old Post Office and little or no activity on the south side of Olive, this area has been like a dead zone."

Over the past several years, about 1,000 units of housing have been completed or are still under construction downtown. Cloar expects that number to double in 2005. "Next year, there will probably be another 1,100 units starting construction downtown, with about a 50-50 split between for-sale and rental units."

The Roberts Lofts development at Ninth and Locust, which is set to open in early 2005, will offer 47 upscale rental units and ground-floor retail/restaurant space. The $14 million project is a renovation of the former Board of Education Building by Roberts Brothers Properties.

A few blocks east, a 200-room, $16 million Hilton Hotel being developed by Drury Development Corp. will open in late February. It's located in the former Merchants Laclede Building at 408 Olive

Groundbreaking is expected to take place in early 2005 on the 15-acre, $200 million mixed use "Bottle District" entertainment/office/retail and residential development north of the Edward Jones Dome. The project is being spearheaded by Dan McGuire, whose McGuire Moving & Storage Co. is located on the site. It will feature a variety of entertainment destinations, including Rawlings All American Grille and a Formula One go-kart racing facility.


"The city is moving through the process to get them a TIF (tax increment financing)," Reeves said. "It's going to be a really cool development for that area."

Both Reeves and Cloar expressed hopes that the Pinnacle Entertainment deal planned for Laclede's Landing will get resolved and receive approval from the state Gaming Commission in early to late spring. Pinnacle has been chosen to build a $258 million casino, hotel and residential development on the Mississippi riverfront downtown.

Cloar expects downtown will receive national attention when the NCAA Men's Final Four basketball tournament comes to town next April. "One of the NCAA staff guys said recently, 'I'm so excited about the changes we've seen here just in the last six months,'" Cloar said. "It's been an exciting year, and we're keeping the momentum going."

The positive economic development momentum continues to build citywide, as well. "The biggest single thing that carries into the new year is that for the first time in over 50 years, the city's outmigration of population has virtually reversed itself," said Dick Fleming, president and chief executive of the Regional Chamber and Growth Association. "It's a big turning point in terms of looking forward. There's been a very strong effort on home ownership."

Notable residential developments are occurring throughout the city, in neighborhoods ranging from the Murphy Park area north of downtown, to the Old North St. Louis neighborhood around Crown Candy Kitchen, Old Gaslight Square, the South Grand corridor, and the old City Hospital site, which is being converted into condominiums. "In all of these areas, there's been a very noticeable momentum in housing as well as commercial reinvestment," Fleming said. "The result is that businesses coming into those neighborhoods will continue to reinforce this positive trend in city population."

The efforts to improve the city's public schools will be critical to ensuring that the positive population trend continues, Fleming said.

Another economic development project worth watching in 2005 is Cortex -- the Center for Research, Technology and Entrepreneurial Expertise -- a 1,000-acre area immediately west of downtown to Forest Park and the Washington University Medical Center. "This area is envisioned as a major life science/technology district that will take full advantage of connecting the related activities of Washington University, Saint Louis University and the Missouri Botanical Garden," Fleming said. He expects a major push through Cortex to acquire strategic properties in this area and build new wet lab facilities for life science companies. "It will be our equivalent of Kendall Square around MIT," Fleming said.

The city has also been focusing attention on the north riverfront business corridor, and implementing infrastructure improvements and basic upgrades. "We're beginning to see businesses locating in that area," Fleming said. "It has created a set of site opportunities for expanding and relocating businesses ... in effect, a major business park that we didn't have before."

The 18-acre site of the old U.S. Army ammunition plant at I-70 and Goodfellow is also undergoing transformation. The first phase of the redevelopment, which offers easy access to Lambert-St. Louis International Airport and downtown, will include a shopping center anchored by a Home Depot store, Fleming said.

sskerth@bizjournals.com


© 2004 American City Business Journals Inc.

This is great news on so many levels. It can no longer be denied that our city is amidst a renaissance. I believe that Saint Louis is and will be the true Comeback City of 2005. You really have to see what's happening to believe it. It is not the same city it was even 5 or 10 years ago.

The only sick and twisted aspect of this progress can be summed up in this quote by Jim Cloar, head of the Downtown St. Louis Partnership:

"As I look out my window, it's going to be exciting to see the site being cleared and construction begin on the parking garage to serve the Old Post Office..."

It's exciting to see a historic building (the Century) being demolished for a parking garage?? This guy is running our downtown development agency??? FIRE HIS ASS.

This is great news on so many levels. It can no longer be denied that our city is amidst a renaissance. I believe that Saint Louis is and will be the true Comeback City of 2005. You really have to see what's happening to believe it. It is not the same city it was even 5 or 10 years ago.

I agree. St. Louis has always been a cool city with lots of potential. If the area has a good 5 years of continued job growth and continue its push to attract young entreprenuers, the area will experience a serious boom over the next 5 to 10 years.

I also see a large jump in crime in St. Louis now that they can't lie about their crime stats anymore. Long way to go down there before outside intrest in the city is peaked.

^Wrong again. City crime was higher last year, but still low when you consider that the 1993 totals were 267 homicides, versus 114 in 2004. Crime was at an inordinately low level in 2003, with something like 67 all year. That was a fluke. There is a ton of interest in the city, with or without crime. All big cities have crime. People know that.

I also see a large jump in crime in St. Louis now that they can't lie about their crime stats anymore. Long way to go down there before outside intrest in the city is peaked.
Crime is no more of a problem in St. Louis than it is in anyother city. St. Louis along with several other cities don't expand their city limits to incorporate the suburban areas. Therefore the crime rate in St. Louis is going to be a bit higher than it is in a city like Pheonix.

Have you lived in St. Louis? I've notice most of your other post are bashing Millwaukee? Why is that? Where are you from?

Calm down. Just posting a comment on St. Louis. Spent some time there last year and was not very impressed. Bored after two days. The city was dirty and downtown seemed empty. I am from Milwaukee and love my town, that is why I may sound critical. I do not look at it through rose colored glasses like you obviously do. I strive for more to make my city an even better place to live.

You can't see a whole city in one weekend. Trust me, if you like Milwaukee, I'm sure you could find something worthwhile in a metro that's practically twice the size of it.

btw, Don't we all want our cities to be better places to live? I think it's a little narrow-minded of you to sum up a city based on one short weekend visit. "Bored after two days"? Maybe you didn't see enough of the city. Sorry if you think optimism is the same as "rose-colored glasses." Milwaukee's no walk in the park when it comes to safety either.

But nevertheless, not everyone is going to like every place they visit and that's perfectly fine. I have actually enjoyed Milwaukee on my visits there, but I think there is much more to do in St. Louis (which makes sense because it's significantly larger).

jeffrey, I have a hunch you didn't get beyond downtown, did you? Did you go to Soulard, Lafayette Square, South Grand, the Central West End or the Loop? I'm sure you'd have a different impression of the city if you got to check these vibrant neighborhoods out. And I'm a little surprised you didn't actually, since our rail system connects most of these sections (which unfortunately is more than can be said for Milwaukee). ;)

jeffrey, I have a hunch you didn't get beyond downtown, did you? Did you go to Soulard, Lafayette Square, South Grand, the Central West End or the Loop? I'm sure you'd have a different impression of the city if you got to check these vibrant neighborhoods out. And I'm a little surprised you didn't actually, since our rail system connects most of these sections (which unfortunately is more than can be said for Milwaukee). ;)

I've visited St. Louis many times and I could see how you could get the idea that the downtown is boring at night. However I also know that you can't judge a city by a visits, that would idiotic. It's difficult to judge a city until you've lived there for some time, or until you know the neighborhoods to visit.

Because I'm unfamilar with St.Louis, could you explain some of the interesting neighborhoods some? I'm very interested, I love the dynamics of that city.

Also I'm sure you were just messing around, but lets not rip on Milwaukee for our lack of rail :) (The future is bright in that area)

I have actually enjoyed Milwaukee on my visits there, but I think there is much more to do in St. Louis (which makes sense because it's significantly larger).

According to Emporis although the metro is larger in St. Louis, Milwaukee's city population is quite larger.

St. Louis: 348,039 in city and 2,808,672 in metro
Milwaukee: 586,941 in city and 1,706,597 in metro

I was actually surprised by that. I thought the metro would be larger, but the city population was something I didn't expect. What is the St. Louis metro like?

I will admit I didn't get out of the Downtown area so I should not speak on the city as a whole. I was a little disappointed by the riverfront. It could be a people magnet but the riverboat tour I took showed us a bunch of junkyards. The Arch is amazing, and the old town area showed some promise. You also have to take in mind I came through East Saint Louis to get there and that scared me into limiting my travels. I was not attacking your city though. Good to see it has people willing to stand up for it.

Jive and I have showcased St. Louis in countless photo threads here and at Skyscraperpage.com, so just do a search and you will see how fucking mindblowing our city is. It's truly one of the great classic cities of America.

I will admit I didn't get out of the Downtown area so I should not speak on the city as a whole. I was a little disappointed by the riverfront. It could be a people magnet but the riverboat tour I took showed us a bunch of junkyards. The Arch is amazing, and the old town area showed some promise. You also have to take in mind I came through East Saint Louis to get there and that scared me into limiting my travels. I was not attacking your city though. Good to see it has people willing to stand up for it.
Yeah...I think its normal to visit a city for a few days and leave with an opinion of that city based upon our own personal experience. And your right the riverfront is not very pretty compared to whats in most cities. If all I knew about St. Louis was the downtown area and the riverfront, I would never want to come back.

Please don't judge St. Louis, Memphis, Indianapolis or Seattle on just their waterfront or Downtowns. Some places show their best in their Downtown. Others best is within its urban neighborhoods. Other cities have their best in the suburbs. Either way one looks at it, every city has something to offer if one is open to finding it.

EastSider-- Saint Louis is and always has been a city of neighborhoods. The most interesting ones are as follows:

Soulard/Benton Park: The oldest neighborhoods in the city, blues clubs galore, 19th Century rowhouses throughout; a mix of quirky and hip.

Lafayette Square: Old Victorian 'hood, the oldest public park west of the Miss. River, great restaurants and shops, fantastic breathtaking architecture.

Midtown/Grand Center: St. Louis' theatre/arts district (over 35 arts groups located here), also home to Saint Louis University. This area is making a rebound lately.

South Grand/Tower Grove: The epicenter of the city's immigrant population, complete with Vietnamese, Nicaraguan, Bosnian, French, Thai and Middle Eastern restaurants & shops; also a huge center for the gay/lesbian community, with a number of offbeat/alternative shops and clubs.

The Hill: One of the nation's largest, oldest and most authentic Little Italys, trattorias, bakeries and shops on every corner. Fabulous food.

Central West End: My neighborhood-- a turn-of-the century cosmopolitan mix of opulent mansions nestled between stately highrise apartment/condo buildings; galleries, bookstores, thrift stores, novelty shops, lounges and eclectic sidewalk cafes line Euclid Avenue; adjacent to Forest Park, one of the best and largest urban parks in the country.

Delmar Loop: Probably the funkiest, most lively pedestrian district in the city; home to a diverse array of shops, movie theatres, record stores, music venues, ethnic restaurants, popular bars, and vintage clothing shops, this area attracts both the city's subculture and student population due to its proximity to Washington University.

Washington Ave Loft/Garment District: A quickly emerging loft district, Wash Ave (as it is known locally) has a number of great restaurants and high-energy nightclubs, underground theatre space, art galleries and performance venues. Definitely the place to be after Midnight if you're into high culture nightlife.

Honorable mentions:

Cherokee Street Antique Row/Mexicantown: Over 50 antique and junk stores and a huge number of Hispanic businesses and restaurants. Very seedy and tacky, but cool nonetheless.

Bevo (aka Little Sarajevo): The largest Bosnian community in the United States, this South Side 'hood has been transformed into a very interesting ethnic enclave. Bosnian everything.

^Thanks for the information on the neighborhoods. Just from the description I just gained a lot of interest in visiting St.Louis some more and exploring the neighborhoods. (especially at the thought of an authentic little Italy)

This sounds interesting.

Opus has CWE site under contract for possible high-rise
Heather Cole
Opus Northwest Corp. has the American Heart Association building in the Central West End under contract and plans to build a high-rise residential project on the site, according to people in the real estate community.


The two-story, 18,000-square-foot building at 4643 Lindell Blvd. has an asking price of $3.4 million, and the sale price likely is close to that, according to those familiar with the deal. Since the price tag is relatively high, a purchaser would need to demolish the existing building and replace it with a high-rise in order for the investment to make sense, they said.

The sale of the building is likely to close within six months, but the prospective purchaser and sale price are not being disclosed, said Bill Hoffman, senior vice president of business operations for the Greater St. Louis Chapter of the American Heart Association.

The association never put the building on the market, but received inquiries from people interested in purchasing it, Hoffman said. "The board felt it was their fiduciary duty to hear the proposals."

The St. Louis office of Opus Northwest has a $50 million, 26-story condominium building under construction at Euclid and Laclede avenues in the Central West End. That building, the Park East Tower, will have 26 units ranging in price from $250,000 to $1 million. Another high-rise project planned for the area also likely will cost in the $50 million range. Bruce Mills wants to put a two-building apartment complex on the northeast corner of North Euclid and West Pine.

John Pitcher, director of real estate development for Opus' St. Louis office, did not return phone calls seeking comment. Opus Northwest is a real estate development and design/build construction company that is one of the Opus Group of companies, headquartered in Minneapolis.

The American Heart Association is looking at about six different properties in both St. Louis city and county for its new location and would hope to close on a deal about the same time as the Central West End property is sold, Hoffman said. A new office for the association's 35 employees could be slightly smaller -- 14,000 to 16,000 square feet.

hcole@bizjournals.com



© 2005 American City Business Journals Inc.

Just want to apologize for all the evident dopeyness of so many Milwaukee posters. For whatever reasons the region seems to produce a lot of people who are really inept with language, and who are also too timid to be self-critical. If Milwaukee ever lives up to its potential, (and its vistas can truly inspire the urbanist's imagination) it will be by attracting mostly outside talent and investment. Very few locals have the capacity to comprehend quality (just try and find a decent Asian restaurant in town!) Nevertheless, the legacy of the city founders remains one of the truly great incomplete urban canvases, and it is clearly attracting more serious attention from beyond its confines.
I think St. Louis is fortunate that it probably has a much larger pool of local ability on which to draw.

Just want to apologize for all the evident dopeyness of so many Milwaukee posters.

Pardon me for questioning about cities that I'm not familar with. I could be one of those ingorant forumers who bash a city because they know nothing about it. Being from Milwaukee I understand what its like to be defending the city with the bad image that isn't true.

I know St.Louis is progressive from the comments I hear from those living in the region, I don't have to rip on it to defend my own, especially because in the end we're all just talking about cities. I've travelled to many cities, but that doesn't make me an expert on them, this is why I ask questions about them to trully understand how the city works. I know the history, I want to know the present.

Thank you St.Louis forumers for giving me some interesting information on the cities, can't wait to visit again.

This is another one of my favorite buildings in Downtown St. Louis that is finally being converted into lofts.

2 developers bid on Syndicate Trust
By Martin Van Der Werf
Of the Post-Dispatch
01/13/2005



The Syndicate Trust and Century building
(P-D)

Two local developers bid Thursday to convert the historic Syndicate Trust Building in the heart of downtown into a mix of condominiums, apartments and shops.

Both Loftworks LLC and Pyramid Construction Co. confirmed Thursday that they had submitted bids to redevelop the building now owned by the St. Louis Development Corp.

Loftworks would be joined in the project by Minneapolis-based Sherman Associates Inc.

Bids were due by noon Thursday, but it was unclear whether other companies submitted proposals, too. Though the Development Corp. is a public agency, it refused to release any information about bidders or proposals.

The 16-story building at 10th and Olive streets was built in 1907 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The ornamented terra cotta facade is considered one of the city's most beautiful exteriors. At almost 500,000 square feet, it also is one of the largest vacant buildings downtown.

The Syndicate Trust once was home to the Scruggs-Vandervoort-Barney department store, which closed in 1967. The building is west of the old Century Building, which is being demolished to make way for a parking garage.

Pyramid and Loftworks have been among the leading builders in the burgeoning downtown loft market.

Craig Heller, managing partner of Loftworks, said he proposes to build 84 loft apartments on the fourth through ninth floors of the Syndicate Trust, and 91 loft condominiums on the seven floors above them. The top floors would have three-level penthouses with private rooftop decks. Plans include parking in the basement, second and third floors, and 21,000 square feet of retail space at street level.

Sherman Associates is building apartments and condominiums at Midtown Exchange in Minneapolis. At 1.1 million square feet, it is one of the largest loft conversion projects in the United States. Owner George Sherman said he has been looking for opportunities in St. Louis and was led to the Syndicate Trust by US Bank, an investor in his company.

"We specialize in urban redevelopment," Sherman said. "This one is in a core area, and there is a lot of activity going on around it, which seems perfect to us."

Heller said the renovation would cost $69 million.

Pyramid wants to build apartments, condominiums, parking and retail, but it would add offices to the mix, said President John Steffen. He said he could not be specific about the total number of residential units. Based on the amount the company is spending to renovate the nearby Paul Brown lofts, the pricetag for renovating the Syndicate Trust figures to total more than $80 million.

Great news, should've been done for the Century Building.

Possible 2nd development by opus in the CWE.

Opus has CWE site under contract for possible high-rise
Heather Cole
Opus Northwest Corp. has the American Heart Association building in the Central West End under contract and plans to build a high-rise residential project on the site, according to people in the real estate community.


The two-story, 18,000-square-foot building at 4643 Lindell Blvd. has an asking price of $3.4 million, and the sale price likely is close to that, according to those familiar with the deal. Since the price tag is relatively high, a purchaser would need to demolish the existing building and replace it with a high-rise in order for the investment to make sense, they said.

The sale of the building is likely to close within six months, but the prospective purchaser and sale price are not being disclosed, said Bill Hoffman, senior vice president of business operations for the Greater St. Louis Chapter of the American Heart Association.

The association never put the building on the market, but received inquiries from people interested in purchasing it, Hoffman said. "The board felt it was their fiduciary duty to hear the proposals."

The St. Louis office of Opus Northwest has a $50 million, 26-story condominium building under construction at Euclid and Laclede avenues in the Central West End. That building, the Park East Tower, will have 26 units ranging in price from $250,000 to $1 million. Another high-rise project planned for the area also likely will cost in the $50 million range. Bruce Mills wants to put a two-building apartment complex on the northeast corner of North Euclid and West Pine.

John Pitcher, director of real estate development for Opus' St. Louis office, did not return phone calls seeking comment. Opus Northwest is a real estate development and design/build construction company that is one of the Opus Group of companies, headquartered in Minneapolis.

The American Heart Association is looking at about six different properties in both St. Louis city and county for its new location and would hope to close on a deal about the same time as the Central West End property is sold, Hoffman said. A new office for the association's 35 employees could be slightly smaller -- 14,000 to 16,000 square feet.

^Yet another testament to the city's rebirth. Luxury highrise condo buildings are not built in dying cities. The demand for St. Louis City living is increasing by the day. The city is really coming back strong.

^ JIVE, STLgasm, etc:

I'm heading down to St. Louis tonight for a three day reunion weekend with college buddies from across the map. Any suggestions on new places or developments that are must see? This will be my first trip back to St. Louis for almost a year.

What about good bars, etc. to check out after midnight or so? I know it all depends on what kind of "scene" you and your friends enjoy, but my favorite areas were always Soulard and the West End. My least favorite area was basicallly The Landing, if that helps.

Thanks.

JB

^Check out the progress on Washington Ave, in Soulard, Benton Park, CWE and the East Loop.

As for bars, Mangia is great (S. Grand & Wyoming), as is Venice Cafe (Benton Park), and a number of joints in the Loop, CWE, Soulard and Lafayette Square. If you're looking for a hip new vodka/sushi bar, try subzero in the CWE at Euclid & Maryland.

Downtown population is single, young and growing
By Tavia Evans
Of the Post-Dispatch
01/27/2005

Downtown's newest residents are an enviable bunch: twentysomething, single with incomes of up to $50,000 a year.

And more of them are on the way, according to a report being released today by the Downtown St. Louis Partnership. A housing boom will occur in 2006, when more than 1,500 new residential units will open in the downtown market, the report predicts.

That's almost equal to the total units developed there in the last five years, said Jim Cloar, president of Downtown St. Louis Partnership, a nonprofit organization that focuses on improving downtown.

Residential development has focused on renovated historic buildings. But as the older buildings are depleted, developers will have to consider new construction in and around downtown to keep pace with the growth, the report said.

"We're already seeing a place in the downtown core where we're running out of small developments in buildings between 100,000 and 150,000 square feet," said Matt O'Leary, vice president for commercial development for Pyramid Construction Inc.

"You'll start to see developers go after the larger projects, like the Syndicate Trust Building, and looking farther afield," he said. "We're already seeing rehabs in the Locust Business District and others on the downtown fringe like Cupples Station."

In the past, developers have relied on historic tax credits to help finance extensive renovations. That won't be the case with new construction, however, so developers will have to consider other options for financing, the report said.

Recent developments also are trending toward a broader price range, aimed at residents with higher incomes who want more amenities.

The Denim Lofts, set to open in March 2006, is part of that trend. Developer John Carroll plans to offer 24 lofts for sale at 1308 Washington Avenue in what once was the Knickerbocker jeans factory.

The $5 million development will include 7,000 square feet of street-level retail; a major furniture retailer plans to move there in the next four months, Carroll said.

The lofts will be 1,200 square feet or 2,200 square feet. Units on the south side will have the larger footprints as well as balconies overlooking the city. Prices will range from $175,000 to $350,000.

National City Bank is financing the project; about $500,000 will come from Missouri historic tax credits.

Residents in properties developed since 2000 have higher incomes - 66 percent of them earn more than $50,000 a year and a quarter of them bring home more than $100,000, the partnership's report found.

Since 1999, developers have invested $500 million in residential development downtown. Nearly 10,000 residents call the area home; the bulk of the newcomers dates back only to 2000.

Before that, downtown residents numbered around 8,000, according to previous housing reports. Much of the market-rate housing consisted of apartments, such as Plaza Square, or single-family town houses, such as Columbus Square, just north of the financial district.

As the market appreciates, more apartments are expected to be converted into condominiums, a marked change.

Fifty-nine percent of the housing units expected to open this year will be owned, the study said. By contrast, only 10 percent of the total housing was owned through December 2004.

Housing that will be ready in 2006 is expected to be 54 percent owned and 46 percent rental.

"We're starting to see a greater balance in the year-by-year report for sale units of condos as opposed to apartments, and that reflects an increased stability in the market," Cloar said.

New construction also will address the needs of an older population that wants to live in the city but expects more amenities, Cloar said.

"Not everyone is a candidate for loft living, and that may mean assembling land or in-fill sites for a good, quality developer," he said. "There's a demand from a larger group of empty-nesters who prefer a more urban setting."

In a survey, downtown residents said panhandlers and the lack of "goods and services" are the downsides of city living.

The "urban experience," distance to work and proximity to cultural and sports ranked high among the positive aspects.

Moving in

About 10,000 residents call downtown St. Louis home. Here's the profile of a typical downtown dweller:

Single
Male (56% men, 44% women)
Twentysomething
Income of $25,000 to $50,000 a year
Doesn't work downtown, though a third walk to work
Pays $500 to $750 a month for rent or mortgage

Source: Downtown St. Louis Partnership

Reporter Tavia Evans
E-mail: tevans@post-dispatch.com
Phone: 314-340-8159

Here are some new 3D scale renderings.

These really don't show any architectural detail at all but you can see the two residential highrises that will be built.
http://www.thebottledistrict.com/images/ArchitecturalRenderings2/70-East.gif
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Those are nice renderings. Its going to be nice to see some new condo/apartment towers in addition to the loft conversions.

Motor Parts building to get $12 million redevelopment
Heather Cole
McGowan|Walsh Historic Renovators is planning the $12 million residential/commercial redevelopment of a 116,000-square-foot building at 2201 Washington Ave.


Plans call for just over 16,000 square feet of commercial space on the first floor and 80 lofts on the top five floors. Potential tenants for the commercial space could include a daycare center and a nonprofit, said Kevin McGowan, chairman of McGowan|Walsh.

First Bank provided financing for the acquisition of the building. A lender for construction hasn't been identified. McGowan|Walsh will seek federal and state tax credits, tax increment financing, and New Markets Tax Credits for the project. Rosemann & Associates are the architects.

The developer purchased the nearly 100-year-old industrial/warehouse building, which currently houses Motor Parts Warehouse Inc., in October for $1.9 million from Kerry Klarfeld of Klarfeld Real Estate. Klarfeld Real Estate has owned the building since 2001, when it purchased it from Motor Parts Warehouse for $1.3 million.

Motor Parts Warehouse will remain in the building until its lease expires, said Doug LaRico, president of the company. He declined to say when the lease expires. Work will start on the building after expiration of the lease.

The building, constructed in 1906, first served as the Martin Shaughnessy Fireproof Storage Building, said Carolyn Toft, president of the Landmarks Association of St. Louis. Architects Barnett Haynes & Barnett, best known for designing the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis on Lindell in the Central West End, designed the building.

Last fall, developer McGowan broke away from McGowan Brothers Development, the firm he and his brothers started seven years ago, to form McGowan|Walsh with former U.S. Title President Nat Walsh. The company has projects valued at more than $50 million under way.

hcole@bizjournals.com



© 2005 American City Business Journals Inc.

Jive,

Seems appropriate to reply to your question about my weekend in St. Louis here.

I saw plenty of things and had a great time. Because of college, St. Louis will always have a special place in my heart. The thing I always notice right away is that the city just feels so welcoming. It isn't intimidating by any stretch of the imagination (and that isn't a backhanded compliment). For me, it is able to mix raw urbanity with familiarity and comfort. I like that.

Of course, I did plenty of nostalgic things that you always do with the college buddies in from out of town. Dinner at Imo's pizza, SLU basketball game against Marquette, 3 hour booze fest at Humphrey's, etc. Things that you wouldn't normally do otherwise, but when a trip down memory lane presents itself, you have to engage.

I did get one of my friends to take me on a tour of Washington Avenue and the new lofts. What an amazing stretch. There is probably a 3-4 block long area between maybe 7th and Tucker (my St. Louis geography may be rusty here, so feel free to correct me) that looks like a canyon, and is really impressive. Upon further review, some really great new loft buildings and some very cool looking bars and restaurants. I really loved that area. It looked like a place I could live, and 5 years ago, it would be a major stretch to get me to say something like that about downtown. The only thing that pissed me off was that I badly needed a Starbucks and the Starbucks and St. Louis Bread Co. downtown were both closed on Saturday. I didn't like that, but it was very obvious to me that the downtown area is quckly approaching the critical mass of activity to where a Starbucks for instance, isn't closed on Saturday.

So Jive, I was VERY impressed with that stretch of Washington Ave. God it has come a long way in a short time. Obviously, we both know that as you move back out Washington towards A.G. Edwards, etc, there are still plenty of very scary vacant lots and buildings, but progress has been made. Noticeable progress.

Since I'm a huge baseball fan and I hate the Cardinals with a passion, I had to check out the new stadium as well. Section of the grandstand is up, and I saw that red brick exterior that I'm sure all you St. Louis buffs are excited about. In short, I'm thiking the Stadium is going to be fucking awesome. What type of impact it will have on the surrounding area is up for debate, but it can't hurt. Plus, if any of the peripheral developments for the stadium do get built, that plus the Washington Ave. district may actually give you one great cohesive area between the Edward Jones Dome and Busch.

I spent plenty of time in the midtown area to check out SLU. SLU continues to build. I must say I have been expecting more small business development just across SLU's boundaries on Grand and Vandeventer. To me, SLU/midtown is a very important area. If they ever get all of midtown going, it would be great to see. An area to bridge the gap between downtown and the West End.

I am curious to hear your thoughts on SLU. What they do well, what they do poorly, what it means to St. Louis, etc. I love the place...I graduated 3 years ago, but it also frustrates me to no end (I'm sure you can draw many parallels in how you feel about St. Louis City). To me, it seems like SLU builds plenty of structures, but not always the right structures, and not always with the right people in mind. It kills me that the on campus arena still hasn't been started because of financing issues. That's a joke. SLU has more money than they know what to do with (and they aren't shy about asking alumni for more). So maybe you have to kick in more money than you originally thought, but everyone knows that the on campus arena is the key to a successful athletics program...one where the students (not middle aged couples with nothing to do) have the largest presence and visibility. But you leave games at the Savvis Center and it will always look half empty and you will make it much more difficult for students to attend, robbing yourself of the rowdy atmosphere that every college campus wants.

But again, SLU has made some good progress. Not quite the progress I was hoping for, but progress nonetheless. And I have seen more development in midtown. Things you could walk to and enjoy. I checked out that new bar Moolah Temple. Pretty cool place. That area has always been STARVING to get more options for the younger people, and this was a good one. I wanted badly to check out that Vodka bar in the West End by where MPO's used to be, but that got shot down and we went to Corondolet Bar and Grill in Clayton instead. At least that got me in the Riverfront Times. I also went back to McGurks and Big Daddy's in Soulard. Big Daddy's was O.K. McGurks is a classic. I love Soulard. Such amazing houses. I never thought there was much of a problem with Soulard...just leave it be and appreciate it.

Ditto for the Hill. I almost did a barrel roll out of the car when we drove by Cunnetto's and Bartolino's...two of my favorite places of all time.

One thing that still upsets me and probably you as well...still a lack of transportation, although I know Metro Link is expanding. My buddy from Kansas City and I were staying at a friends place (lives off Devonshire), and we were basically stranded while he was at work on Friday. So we had to call a cab and wait 30 minutes for it to come get us. That is one thing that still irritates me about St. Louis, but I knew it was going to be like that going in, so that's really just me being picky.

All in all: We obviously both know there is A LOT of work to do still, but things are finally getting done down there. I'm excited. I can't wait to see what it is like when I go back in 6 months. I love St. Louis.

Thanks for the recap and the thoughtful comments. I'm glad you enjoyed the city.

A few things-- St. Louis Bread Co. downtown at 6th & Pine is actually open 7 days a week. I don't know why they would have been closed if you went there during normal business hours.

You will see many new amenities on Washington Avenue in the coming year. The plans for that street are awesome.

I have a love-hate relationship with SLU. On the one hand, they are steadfastly committed to the city and have done wonders for their little corner of Midtown. On the other hand, it's an insulated campus. I don't like the pre-fab look to some of the newer buildings and I don't like the gates around the campus. It exudes a feeling of exclusivity, which isn't very urban. I'd like to see SLU and Biondi take more initiative in planning for the Midtown/Grand Center commercial district. Grand between Delmar and Lindell could be an incredible campus town with funky shops, restaurants, etc. Thankfully so many buildings have been and are slated for rehab in Midtown.

Your friend's place on Devonshire is probably in or near St. Louis Hills, which is pretty suburban. Public transit is more scarce down there, although there is regular bus service on the major thoroughfares of the neighborhood. Pretty soon there will be a MetroLink station at Lansdowne Ave just a few blocks from the northernmost stretch of Devonshire, so you can hop on a train in '06.

Thanks again for the summary!

Local developers vie for piece of Ballpark Village

Area subcontractors to handle 'good chunk' of the work
Christopher Tritto

The Ballpark Village development, planned for the six-block area immediately north of the St. Louis Cardinals new stadium, will likely be led by an out-of-town developer. But several local companies are in the running to carry out various pieces of the project, according to Bill DeWitt III, the Cardinals vice president of business development.


DeWitt and other Cardinals staff have been in talks with several unnamed developers during the past several months, and meetings are still planned with some developers in February and March. DeWitt said he had hoped to have made a decision by this time, but that any partnership with a lead developer is still another month or so away due to scheduling delays.

Roberts Cos. and McCormack Baron Salazar Inc. are among several local developers still interested in the project and in discussions with the Cardinals, DeWitt said. Others also remain on the Cardinals list, he said, but declined to name them.

"A good chunk of the work would probably be handled by and subcontracted out to local developers," DeWitt said. "The development will need people on the ground here."

Early renderings of Ballpark Village suggest a plaza surrounded by a mix of office, retail and residential developments, plus a new home for the Cardinals Hall of Fame and Museum and a year-round family entertainment attraction, such as an aquarium.

Team owners are responsible for developing at least two of the six blocks, under an agreement with the city of St. Louis Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority, but are forming concept plans for the entire site. The agreement requires the Cardinals to ensure that at least $60 million of new development be built on land immediately north of the new ballpark. The Cardinals do not have to take an equity stake in the Ballpark Village development.

Roberts Cos. is teaming up with Wisconsin-based Hammes Co., which has served as project manager for other recent sports and entertainment developments including the Green Bay Packer's Lambeau Field redevelopment and the construction of Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions.

"We're still waiting to see what happens," said Steve Roberts, a principal of Roberts Cos. "It's been a very open and upbeat process working with Bill (DeWitt III), but we developers tend to want to jump into the fray pretty quick."

Ballpark Village will probably take about 18 months to 2 years to complete, Roberts said. The new stadium is scheduled to be ready for opening day of the Cardinals 2006 season, just over a year away.

Steve Roberts and his brother, Mike Roberts, also a principal with Roberts Cos., have their hands in a variety of business ventures, including hotel and residential developments downtown. Their $14 million Roberts Loft development in the former Board of Education building in the Old Post Office District is expected to open early this year.

Representatives for McCormack Baron Salazar could not be reached to discuss their interest in Ballpark Village.

Richard Baron, chief executive of McCormack Baron Salazar, served as a consultant to the Cardinals when the team first developed the concept of a Ballpark Village prior to bringing the ballpark proposal to the Missouri Legislature in May 2002. His company constructed and owns the Westin Hotel adjacent to the stadium and is working on plans for other developments in nearby Cupples Station warehouses.


Clayco Construction has done most of the renovation work on the current Busch Stadium over the years and is serving as project manager for the new stadium. But Clayco has no plans to do any development work at Ballpark Village, the company said.

The choice of subcontractors and local developers will probably be made through a joint decision between the Cardinals, who own the land, and the lead developer they will hire to complete the work.

"One thing you always have in the back of your head is whether you are doing enough in terms of knowing the universe of development," said DeWitt, who has been a lead player on the new stadium's design and is now in charge of the plans for Ballpark Village. "The field is unlimited. You have to be guided by certain principles in narrowing it down."

DeWitt said he has a list of interested retailers and restaurateurs who have expressed interest in a future site in the village, although he declined to share specifics. Plans for office and residential space are further away. No progress has been made on what type of family entertainment facility may be chosen for the site.

"The lead developer will do a market analysis, and then we will come up with a mix of uses that makes sense," DeWitt said.

As Ballpark Village plans progress slowly, construction of the new $387 million stadium remains on time and on budget, DeWitt said. Passersby can see the concrete, steel and brick taking shape.

To date, the Cardinals have sold orders for about 1,500 personalized paving stones that will be placed in the ground outside the new stadium. The team plans to market the pavers strongly through the end of the coming baseball season and has a goal to sell upward of 10,000 stones, DeWitt said.

The Cardinals expect to net about $1 million through the paver sales. That money will be invested in the new stadium.

"That money could be put toward fan amenities and little things here and there, such as the level of finishing to a club, how nice a rug goes in a suite, or the decision of whether to go with real leather or fake leather," DeWitt said. "There are a zillion decisions that are all part of the budget list."

ctritto@bizjournals.com

© 2005 American City Business Journals Inc.

Developers snap up two properties on Washington
Heather Cole
Developers grabbed two Washington Avenue properties and plan $32 million worth of redevelopment.

BHat Development LLC purchased the Bee Hat building at 1021 Washington Ave. from real estate investor David Jump and plans a $10 million renovation into a restaurant and apartments. Chasten Properties plans a $22 million loft/commercial redevelopment of three linked buildings comprising the Cheerful House, at 1113-1129 Washington Ave., co-owned by Jump with real estate investor Sam Glasser. Chasten, owned by Patrick Stanley, has the property under contract with a closing date of April 14. Terms of the deals were not disclosed.

The two buildings were among those featured in an article in the Feb. 18-24 edition of the St. Louis Business Journal on Washington Avenue properties that are sitting idle. The sale of the Bee Hat building, which has been vacant for several years, took place at about the time the newspaper was going to press.

BHat Development, formed for the purpose of developing the building, plans to convert the second through seventh floors into 36 one-bedroom or two-bedroom apartments, ranging in size from 900 to 1,300 square feet and renting from $990 to $1,430 a month, said real estate appraiser Matt Burghoff, one of two partners in BHat Development. Burghoff said his partner prefers to remain anonymous. There will be space for about 30 residents' cars in the basement.

A restaurant will occupy 7,500 square feet of the building's 9,000-square-foot first-floor commercial space, with a boutique retail store in 900 feet. The restaurant owner is a well-established and respected St. Louis restaurateur, Burghoff said, but he declined to name either of the tenants, who have signed letters of intent to occupy the space.

Eleven terra cotta lion heads on the outside of the building are a signature feature of the structure. The heads were attached to the gutters and drained water to the street. BHat wants to link them up to steam lines and have each lion roar every half-hour or so, Burghoff said.

BHat is seeking federal and state historic tax credits and tax increment financing for the project, and may try for New Markets Tax Credits as well. "Once we get those things put into place, we'd like to start (on construction) immediately," Burghoff said. Private financing was arranged through Sikeston, Mo.-based Montgomery First National's Crestwood office.

Financing is lined up for the conversion of Cheerful House, and construction can start immediately after the building's purchase closes, Stanley said. About 25 percent of the development cost will be from state historic and Brownfield tax credits. He declined to name the lender for the project.

Chasten will convert Cheerful House into loft condominiums on the second through seventh floors, a club on the seventh floor, a swimming pool on the roof, commercial space on the first floor, and basement parking with 108 spaces. The condominiums will range in size from 680 to 1,450 square feet and sell for $114,900 to $299,900. Construction would take about a year.

Both Burghoff and Stanley have loft conversion projects under their belts. Burghoff's other projects included converting the former Kirkwood Cinema into loft condominiums and office space, and renovating a former power station at 15th Street and Washington Avenue downtown into new office space for Little Tikes Commercial Play Systems Inc. Stanley developed the 13-unit Sidney Street Lofts at Sidney and Interstate 55.

Bee Hat
http://images2.fotki.com/v22/photos/5/50550/231553/P4200036-vi.jpg

Cheerful House
http://images6.fotki.com/v74/photos/5/50550/231553/P1010106-vi.jpg

The 26 story Park East Tower will finally break ground this Tuesday (March 8) I am so excited!! :)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v457/matguy70/2005_0305Image0067.jpg

the site
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v457/matguy70/2005_0305Image0065.jpg
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http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v457/matguy70/2005_0305Image0064.jpg

Parkeasttower.com (http://www.parkeasttower.com/)
Park East Tower @ Urban St. Louis (http://www.urbanstlouis.com/urbanstl/viewtopic.php?t=75&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0)

Today is the big day!

High-rise condos get off the ground
By Tavia Evans
Of the Post-Dispatch
03/07/2005

http://images.stltoday.com/stltoday/resources/opus08big.jpg
Hank Loeffler of St. Louis Parking goes about his business of dismantling the parking booth occupying the corner lot at Euclid and Laclede Sts. which is about to be the site of a multi-story building called Park Tower East.
(KEVIN MANNING/P-D)



Construction trailers at the corner of Laclede and Euclid avenues in the Central West End are a good sign that work will begin soon on the luxury high-rise condominiums planned for the site.

Minneapolis-based developer Opus Northwest will break ground today on Park East Towers, after legal issues delayed the project for several months.

The high-rise residential building might be among the city's largest in nearly 30 years. The project will have 26 floors and 90 condo units at a cost of $50 million. Opus said 60 percent of the units have been sold. Prices start at $200,000 each, with the penthouse suites listing for nearly $1 million. The site served as a parking lot until last week.

The development has had to overcome several hurdles since its inception nearly two years ago. Construction was supposed to begin last fall. Opus settled a lawsuit recently with West End Chouteau Condominiums, a neighbor building, over the use of sewer lines near the construction site.

The company closed on the property Friday with the St. Louis Treasurer's office after having an option on the site for nearly 18 months. Opus paid $600,000 for the site, said William Kuehling, an attorney representing the Euclid-Laclede Community Improvement District.

Opus bought out the interests of two developers, Steve Saller of St. Louis and Steve Anrod of Chicago. Saller and Anrod launched the idea of a luxury high-rise in the Central West End two years ago.

"They got it started but didn't have the financial resources to pull it off, and we were looking for residential projects in St. Louis to complement the ones we have in Minneapolis," said John Pitcher, director of real estate development for the development company's St. Louis operation.

U.S. Bank will provide the construction loan. Financing will come also from tax abatements and special assessments issued through the Euclid-Laclede Community Improvement District. The district will finance $6.8 million in bonds for the project, Kuehling said. The complicated arrangement allows condo owners to pay an assessment in lieu of property taxes. The assessment, in turn, will be used to pay the principal and interest on the bonds.

Great Southern Bank, based in Springfield, Mo., purchased the bonds. Piper Jaffray, an investment firm based in Minneapolis, is underwriting the bonds.

"This will be a landmark building in that area, and it's the ideal project to increase our lending in the St. Louis market," said Henry Heimsoth, commercial lending officer for Great Southern Bank. "We think the Central West End is a stable, viable area. And we have confidence in the developer, Opus, to get the job done."

The condos are the developer's first residential project in the metro area. The firm has invested nearly $65 million in commercial and industrial projects, including One Chesterfield Place, a 150,000-square-foot office building. Opus owns an industrial building at Fountain Lakes Industrial Park in St. Charles. Work will start soon on the Dardenne Town Center in St. Charles County.

Reporter Tavia Evans
E-mail: tevans@post-dispatch.com
Phone: 314-340-8159

That's such a great development and nice to see they're getting rid of an ugly parking lot. I'm absolutely fascinated with St. Louis. Good to see the Final Four will be there this year. By the way, is it having any effect on development from an interest perspective? Detroit's getting it in 2008 and I wondered if you guys are seeing anything?

Did I kill this thread? Anyone????

Did I kill this thread? Anyone????

Not at all my man...just visit this forum.

http://www.urbanstlouis.com/urbanstl/

I was hoping I could learn more about St. Louis here. I was wondering how the redevelopment is going, and more specifically, what you guys think really got it started for your town? For Detroit, I think I would have to go with General Motors (1997) and Compuware (2002) moving their HQ's to the Central Business District.

I was hoping I could learn more about St. Louis here. I was wondering how the redevelopment is going, and more specifically, what you guys think really got it started for your town? For Detroit, I think I would have to go with General Motors (1997) and Compuware (2002) moving their HQ's to the Central Business District.

Its really hard to say what started it just general interest and the Missouri historic tax credits I guess. The first noticeable I remember was the rehab of the Chase Park Plaza in the late 90s

Its so exciting to see People invest in neighborhoods that where once considered "no mans land" places such as Old North St. Louis, Forest Park SouthEast Tower Grove East and South (Just to name a few.) have seen an considerable amount of investment in the last few years.

Here are several developments large and small going on in the city.
http://stlcin.missouri.org/devprojects/index.cfm

Work begins on master plan for riverfront
Jim Merkel
Of the Suburban Journals
South City Journal



Improvements may be coming to the riverfront area near the Eads and Poplar Street bridges.

An advisory committee will begin work in May on a master plan for the area along the city's riverfront between Biddle Street, Chouteau Avenue, Leonor K. Sullivan Boulevard and the river to the east. The plan is expected to take a year to complete.

The Riverfront Advisory Committee will consist of a variety of local governmental officials, the Coast Guard, the Army Corps of Engineers and developers.

"There'll be an extensive public engagement process," said Todd Antoine, senior planner for the Great Rivers Greenway District.

The steering committee for the St. Louis Riverfront Master Plan is the Great Rivers Greenway District, the city, Downtown Now, the National Park Service Jefferson National Expansion Memorial (Gateway Arch) and Metro. The Great Rivers Greenway District is the public organization leading the St. Louis Riverfront project and funding the development of the master plan for the riverfront.

"It's really about reconnecting Downtown to the riverfront," Antoine said.

In preparation for the planning process, 12 teams, each representing a collaboration of five to six architectural, urban design or engineering firms, submitted proposals for the development of the master plan. The deadline for submissions was March 14.

The steering committee will select a firm or combination of firms in May to help develop the Downtown riverfront over the next 10 years.

The greenway wants to develop the riverfront as part a region-wide system of interconnected greenways, parks and trails known as The River Ring.

The planning process is similar to what's been done in river cities like Cincinnati, Memphis and Pittsburgh, Antoine said. "They're all looking at ways to reconnect their downtowns to the major waterfronts," he said. "A lot of the folks are looking at the rivers as amenities to their downtowns."

The Great Rivers Greenway District wants to extend the 12-mile Riverfront Trail from Chain of Rocks Bridge past its present terminus at Biddle Street to the Gateway Arch, Antoine said. The trail is used by bicyclists and hikers.

After the 12-month planning process, the beginnings of construction drawing would be developed. Implementation of the plan would come after that, Antoine said.

Work begins on master plan for riverfront
Jim Merkel
Of the Suburban Journals
South City Journal



Improvements may be coming to the riverfront area near the Eads and Poplar Street bridges.

An advisory committee will begin work in May on a master plan for the area along the city's riverfront between Biddle Street, Chouteau Avenue, Leonor K. Sullivan Boulevard and the river to the east. The plan is expected to take a year to complete.

The Riverfront Advisory Committee will consist of a variety of local governmental officials, the Coast Guard, the Army Corps of Engineers and developers.

"There'll be an extensive public engagement process," said Todd Antoine, senior planner for the Great Rivers Greenway District.

The steering committee for the St. Louis Riverfront Master Plan is the Great Rivers Greenway District, the city, Downtown Now, the National Park Service Jefferson National Expansion Memorial (Gateway Arch) and Metro. The Great Rivers Greenway District is the public organization leading the St. Louis Riverfront project and funding the development of the master plan for the riverfront.

"It's really about reconnecting Downtown to the riverfront," Antoine said.

In preparation for the planning process, 12 teams, each representing a collaboration of five to six architectural, urban design or engineering firms, submitted proposals for the development of the master plan. The deadline for submissions was March 14.

The steering committee will select a firm or combination of firms in May to help develop the Downtown riverfront over the next 10 years.

The greenway wants to develop the riverfront as part a region-wide system of interconnected greenways, parks and trails known as The River Ring.

The planning process is similar to what's been done in river cities like Cincinnati, Memphis and Pittsburgh, Antoine said. "They're all looking at ways to reconnect their downtowns to the major waterfronts," he said. "A lot of the folks are looking at the rivers as amenities to their downtowns."

The Great Rivers Greenway District wants to extend the 12-mile Riverfront Trail from Chain of Rocks Bridge past its present terminus at Biddle Street to the Gateway Arch, Antoine said. The trail is used by bicyclists and hikers.

After the 12-month planning process, the beginnings of construction drawing would be developed. Implementation of the plan would come after that, Antoine said.

Metrolink subway under construction

http://www.crosscountymetro.org/images/photos/Facilities02/lwestintunnel0305.jpg

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Other construction

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love those metro link photos...keep 'em coming

Syndicate Trust project goes to Heller, Sherman
By Tavia Evans
Of the Post-Dispatch
04/05/2005
http://images.stltoday.com/stltoday/resources/trust06big.jpg

Local developer Craig Heller of LoftWorks LLC and George Sherman of Minnesota-based Sherman Associates have been selected by the city's development arm to resurrect the Syndicate Trust Building downtown.

Heller and Sherman have proposed converting the building into 91 condominiums and 84 apartment units. The $68 million project also will include about 21,000 square feet of retail on the first floor, in addition to a theater, business center and gallery space for artists. U.S. Bank will provide the financing.

A selection committee of the city's Land Clearance Reutilization Authority recommended the two firms Tuesday during a public meeting.

Built in 1907, the Syndicate Trust, 10th and Olive streets, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was once home to the Scruggs-Vandervoort-Barney department store.

Rodney Crim, executive director of the St. Louis Development Corp., said the firms' financial backing and innovative projects already under way made them a first choice to restore the historic building.

"Their project had no pre-sale requirements, and the financial capacity of the two firms combined was significant," Crim said. "We were attracted to their ability to do it without those contingencies."

Three groups of developers, including two out-of-town firms, presented their redevelopment plans to the city before the Jan. 13 deadline.

The selection committee gave second and third rankings to proposals submitted by Pyramid Construction and Roberts Cos., partnering with Minneapolis-based Dominium Inc., respectively.

Heller said he got the call around 4 p.m. Tuesday, that his proposal had been chosen.

"This is literally right in our backyard," said Heller. "Our goal is to not just to redevelop the building, but turn it into a real city landmark."

Heller opened City Grocer in October, across the street from the Syndicate Trust. His firm also has developed the 10th Street Lofts, Bell Lofts, Louderman Lofts, Printers Lofts and the 315 Lofts.

Sherman Associates already has a record of historic conversion and mixed-use projects under its belt. The firm is working to convert a former Sears building and retail complex in the Midwest Exchange building in the heart of Minneapolis. The $190 million project includes turning the group of historic buildings into apartments, condos, office space and a global market.

The SLDC has 60 days to negotiate a redevelopment agreement with Heller and Sherman - which could include ironing out details of tax increment financing - and report back to the LCRA's board. If an agreement can't be reached, the project could be passed to the second- or third-ranked developers.

Pyramid, one of the most visible builders downtown, proposed 175 condominiums and 78 loft rental apartments above three floors of office space and retail space, at an estimated $80 million.

Roberts Cos. and Dominium proposed building 240 units - 94 condominiums, 65 artist lofts and 81 luxury rental apartments and street-level retail, with a price tag of about $77 million.

Reporter Tavia Evans
E-mail: tevans@post-dispatch.com
Phone: 314-340-8159

http://www.urbanstlouis.com/images/renderings/comptongate002.jpg
Condos will go up on site of former Shoney's Restaurant
Jim Merkel
Of the Suburban Journals
South City Journal

Where waitresses once served pancakes and sausages, a 36-unit condominium development will rise.

A groundbreaking ceremony for the new Compton Gate Condominiums was held Thursday at 2201 S. Grand Boulevard, the site of a shuttered Shoney's restaurant.

The $10 million development will be at the edge of the Shaw neighborhood and across the street from the gates to the Compton Heights neighborhood.

Those at the groundbreaking ceremony, including Mayor Francis Slay and Alderman Stephen Conway, D-8th Ward, spoke of the vibrancy of the neighborhood and the building boom in the city.

The Shaw neighborhood "really showcases some of the best that St. Louis has to offer," Slay said. "This is a wonderful neighborhood. This development is going to be great."

A lot of people – developers and investors – are seeing the opportunities in St. Louis, Slay said. "People are coming to the city and they're making money."

The condominiums will have two three-story, 15-unit buildings above a 50-car parking garage. The single-level two-bedroom, two-bathroom condominiums will be 1,246 to 1,933 square feet. They will sell for $230,000 to $365,000.

Finishes include bamboo flooring, granite counter tops, gas fireplace and balconies.

Six townhouses on the western edge of the site will complete the development. They will sell for $375,000 to $387,000.

The buildings will surround an enclosed, landscaped courtyard with a pool.

The project is being developed by Bridge Partners, a new entity formed by Kenneth Nuernberger, Michele Duffe, Lynne Cooper and Terry Crow.

Construction should begin in early June and last a little over a year, Nuernberger said.

One of the reasons for developing on the site is its size – slightly larger than an acre. "It's hard to find a large one-acre site," Nuernberger said.

"It's also in a great neighborhood, the Shaw neighborhood, and adjacent to a great neighborhood in Compton Heights," Nuernberger said. "We thought those neighborhoods and the location would be perfect to do a condominium development."

Along with two others in the partnership, Nuernberger lives in the Shaw neighborhood. He moved there in 1979. "It is a neighborhood that I've observed over the years has strong churches, strong schools and a place where people not only move and live in the city, but raise families," he said.

The four partners have worked together in Doorways, a charity that develops housing for people living with AIDS.

"Over a period of time, I enjoy developing projects and I wound up making partners out of my friends and we formed a partnership to develop this project," Cooper said.

"We love the neighborhood," Cooper said. "This site has been an eyesore for a long, long time. And we feel like we can add something not just to the city but to the neighborhood where we live."

The area has shown a phenomenal resurgence, Crow said.

"You have as much diversity along South Grand now as you have in any part of the city," Crow said. "And we also think that there's a wonderful stock of homeowners who are probably willing to move into a smaller home, but stay in the neighborhood."

The site is the last piece of Shaw that has to be redeveloped, Duffe said. "It's in a great location," she said.

Marquette Building is centerpiece of renovation
By Tavia Evans
Of the Post-Dispatch
04/14/2005
http://images.stltoday.com/stltoday/resources/marq15big.jpg
Louis Tallarrini of West Plains, N.Y. checks out the St. Louis skyline from a display model called the Saarinen. He is being shown the property by Lynne Steinert of the Maher Partners.


New housing under development in the Marquette Building downtown will offer panoramic views of the city, including a flurry of other construction work in the surrounding neighborhood.

About $170 million in development is planned or under way for the central financial district, in an area roughly bounded by Washington Avenue, Fourth Street, Pine Street and Broadway. The projects include $15 million in renovation to the Security Building, 319 Fourth Street; $80 million at the St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank, 411 Locust Street; and $20 million at the Merchants-Laclede Building, 408 Olive, which houses the new Hilton Inn.

At the 93-year-old Marquette, 82 condominiums and 40 apartments are planned, along with about 25,000 square feet of retail space on the first floor. The Lawrence Group, a St. Louis-based architectural and design firm, is developing the $53 million project.

The YMCA, a longtime tenant, will stay in the building.

Instead of lofts, the Lawrence Group opted for more traditional condos for the former office building.

"This wasn't a warehouse where you have high ceilings and columns to work around," said President Stephen Smith. "Lofts have been the pioneer in downtown housing in St. Louis, but we think downtown is ready for classic residential, a different product offered for people who want to move here."

About $15 million to $20 million in historic tax credits will be used to redevelop the property, secured by Northmarq Capital Inc. Alberici Constructors Inc. is doing much of the work.

Inside, Lawrence Group will add its own design effects, such as curved, gallery-style walls in the Saarinen model, a layout named for Eero Saarinen, who designed the Gateway Arch.

Carerra marble throughout the building will be restored, too. Construction crews found some of it hidden under layers of wallpaper around elevators on each floor.

There also are plans to build a bridge walkway between the Marquette and a new parking garage that opens onto Olive Street.

A group of principals at the Lawrence Group bought the 19-story property in 2004 for $4.9 million, after some ownership shuffling between New York-based Tahl-Propp Equities and the YMCA, the main tenant for several years.

The units are priced from $169,000 to $392,000. Since an open house April 7, Smith said 32 units have been presold or reserved.

A block north, the St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank will tear down its old parking garage and build a new five-story annex on the north side of its property. The $80 million project also includes permanently closing Locust Street to traffic between Fourth and Broadway and creating a pedestrian parkway. A bullet-proof vestibule entrance will be the new front door for the bank on Locust Street.

Spokesman Joe Elsner said much of the work has been driven by post 9-11 security issues. With the improvements, visitors can be screened before they enter the Federal Reserve building, he said, and the pedestrian parkway will limit the building's exposure to street traffic.

The Security Building, 319 Fourth Street, also is owned by the Lawrence Group. The 115-year-old Security, which is on the National Register of Historic Buildings, is undergoing about $15 million in renovations. About $3 million in tax credits, also secured by Northmarq Capital, are being used to help restore it.

The renovation includes updates to offices in the 125,000-square-foot building, along with new elevators and a multimedia conference room.

Charles Drury Sr. of Drury Development, who has a penchant for turning historic buildings into hotels, has revived the nearby Merchants-Laclede building. Built in 1889, the old fur trading exchange is now home to the Hilton Inn - after a $20 million makeover.

Most of the 10-story building was gutted to create the 200-room hotel. Much of the Old World marble near the revolving doors at the Olive Street entrance was saved. Chrome-plated bank-vault doors now lead to the hotel's business center and gift shop.

U.S. Bank was the lender on the project. Drury said his company is applying for historic tax credits.

Barbara Geisman, St. Louis deputy mayor for development, said the new projects could translate into broader appeal for the market downtown. "The wider variety of products we have to offer downtown, the more we can appeal to residents and businesses that want to come back."

Reporter Tavia Evans
E-mail: tevans@post-dispatch.com
Phone: 314-340-8159

you know, all you do is talk. Gimme some proof. People need "photos" of new developments. Don't just paste over text from some website.

I plan on taking some pics later today I will see what I can do.

4545 Lindell
4545Living.com (http://www.4545living.com/)
http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/42265631.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/42265632.jpg

Compton Gate Condos 2201 South Grand
Compton Gate condos (http://www.comptongatecondos.com/)
http://www.urbanstlouis.com/images/renderings/comptongate002.jpg
This is going to fill up a really big hole!
http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/42265633/large.jpg

Lofts at the Highlands
Lofts at the Highlands (http://www.highlandslofts.com/)
http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/42265634.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/42265636.jpg

good stuff citylover!

The Lofts at the Highlands are cool, but I don't know who'd want to live in a "new" loft in middle of an office park. Let's see how they sell.

From the April 29, 2005 print edition
150 residential units in the works at Gaslight Square
John Terry

Development in St. Louis' Gaslight Square -- mostly condominiums, plus a smattering of single family homes -- continues to pick up steam.
A total of about 150 units are planned, some 50 percent of which will be developed in the next six months and the remainder as the market unfolds.

"About thirty units are now built, mostly townhouses and condos, plus five single-family homes," said Jerry King of developer RJK Inc. "Virtually all of them are sold. Another 10 townhouse units are under construction right now, and another 16 will go under construction very shortly. Then there are another two sites that are under contract. They will have a total of 25 condo units, and my guess is that both of those projects will be under construction by the fall and finished in spring of '06."

The area in which the development activity is taking place includes Gaslight Square itself -- Olive Street between Boyle and Whittier -- and what is known as Gaslight Square East, Olive from Whittier to Sarah. King said all the new units are typically between 1,700 and 2,200 square feet in size with sale prices between $260,000 and $350,000.

RJK, in partnership with Charles F. Vatterott and Co., has turned its attention to acquiring, preparing and selling parcels of land to other developers. Those include Saaman Corp. and Rowles Homes, both of St. Louis, for $22,500 per townhouse unit and $40,000 for the single-family lots.

"We assembled the land for Gaslight Square and Gaslight East, a total of about 12 acres, from a variety of owners," King said. "Gaslight Square itself was roughly 50 percent owned by the city's Land Reutilization Authority and 50 percent by private parties.

King said his company is also in the early development stages of what he described as a major condominium/townhouse project in the Central West End, but declined to disclose details, saying his organization does not yet have full site control.

Meanwhile, construction has begun on a 26-story luxury condominium project in the Central West End, to be called the Park East Tower, at Euclid and Laclede avenues on what had been a parking lot. The developer is Opus Northwest, a Minneapolis-based commercial/industrial development, design and construction company. Opus is the architect and general contractor on the $50 million project. Its design is based on a concept originally created by Forum Studio of St. Louis.

"It generally will cost about $1.5 million just to bring a project like this to market," said John Pitcher, director of real estate development for the company's St. Louis operation.

Pitcher said the company had contracts for about $25 million worth of condominium sales by November. Construction got under way in March, with delivery of the first units projected for September 2006. The ground floor will be a condominium lobby plus about 8,000 square feet of retail space. The second through the sixth floors will be indoor parking for residents. The sixth floor also will contain a fitness center, media room, club room and a swimming pool. The tower section rises from the sixth floor base and contains the residential units, which range from 900 square feet to 3,000 square feet.

"We also have a 5,600-square-foot, two-level penthouse, which takes up floors 25 and 26, and then there's another penthouse unit of a little less than 4,000 square feet," Pitcher said. "The cheapest unit on the lowest floor will sell for in the mid-$200s and the larger units on the upper floors go for about $1 million. The penthouse units go for $1.2 million to $2.8 million."

Pitcher said about 64 percent of the 90 condo units are sold. U.S. Bank is the construction lender for the project.

John Terry is a St. Louis freelance writer.



© 2005 American City Business Journals Inc.

I just finished a 2 week vacation right where this picture is. See that building? The building just next to it (left of it, unpictured) is where my brother lives and is where I spent all of that time. Great area.

My problem with St Louis infill--still not enough emphasis on urban design. Okay, that new development near the Galleria mall (Crate and Barrel, etc? You guys know what I'm talking about) seems to be a big hoax. Sure it looks urban with the buildings being flush to the street, but where are the sidewalk entrances? It seems as if the whole development is still oriented around the parking garage in the rear. I thought it would have so much potential, but I'm a bit dissappointed. My brother is pissed off because they're getting rid of Blockbuster Video, which is next door. Either way, I really miss St Louis--it grows on you....

http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/42265631.jpg

^Yes, I agree. But you must keep in mind that the Crate & Barrel development (aka Boulevard Saint Louis) is actually in a suburb (Richmond Heights), so it's design will reflect that.

But you're right-- I would love for STL to emulate the design of a lot of Chicago infill. I think our new construction is rather staid for the most part, with the exception of new highrises, which are looking awesome.

btw, I live right across the street from your bro's building (the President?). I'm in the Carleton. Great 'hood.

btw, I live right across the street from your bro's building (the President?). I'm in the Carleton. Great 'hood.


^Yeah, the President, that's what it's called. And you live right across the street? That's so cool--I remember coming out of my brother's building (stoned, half the time--I was on vacation after all) and commenting how beautiful the old architecture of the building directly across the street was. I remember many times imagining how beautiful Lindell Ave must have been in the 1920's, not that it's not beautiful now.

Wow, Jive city--I wonder if we actually saw eachother but never really knew....

Maybe so. I'm a Jewish guy with a little black dog. Very possible we passed each other and didn't know it. Next time you're in town, let me know and my girl and I will take you out for a beer.

Maybe so. I'm a Jewish guy with a little black dog. Very possible we passed each other and didn't know it. Next time you're in town, let me know and my girl and I will take you out for a beer.

^Will do :cheers:

I want to see renderings of those proposed 32 story towers for the, "Bottle District"!
Please, anyone?........... :?

New downtown condos are all about the river
By Charlene Prost
Of the Post-Dispatch
05/31/2005

Artist's rendering
http://images.stltoday.com/stltoday/resources/build01big.jpg

Link (http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/business/stories.nsf/story/69DB8A82B35FE2FE86257013000EA1EB?OpenDocument)

Downtown St. Louis is about to get something it never has had before: a condominium building overlooking the Mississippi River.

What's coming also will be the first new vertical residential building constructed in downtown since Mansion House opened in 1966.

Rodgers Group LLC in Clayton intends to spend about $25 million to build the 10-level Port St. Louis. Developer Mark Rodgers said it will have 49 high-end condos on seven floors, atop three levels of parking.

All the units will have balconies designed to take advantage of the river views. The glass and brick building also will have a rooftop deck with a swimming pool, entertainment area and other amenities.

Because the land slopes toward the river, the building will be seven stories on the west side, 10 stories on the east side. The 120 parking spaces, two for each condo and then some, will be tucked into the slope.

Designing a building on top of sloping land was just part of the challenge facing the developer and Shaughnessy Fickel and Scott Architects Inc. of Kansas City.

The building will rise just west of a working railroad trestle that shares the block. The site also is in a flood plain.

The solution for both problems: Put the condos above the parking.

"The first residential floor will be slightly above the trestle," Rodgers said. The trestle won't block views, he said, but "you will see the top of trains go by. "

The building also will have sound-resistant windows to block noise from outside. And it's being specially designed to withstand floods, earthquakes, vibration from trains and anything else that comes its way.

"We will go to bedrock with our piers," Rodgers said. "Everybody's best guess is 20 feet down ... so structurally, it will be a very sound building."

If flood waters do rise, the condos should be high and dry. "We know some parking will at times be flooded," Rodgers said, "but we're making sure the residential is above the flood plain."

He and his twin, John Rodgers, own the development firm that is planning its first project downtown. They got involved after Jo Ann Keeney, a broker and owner at Independent Brokers Network LLC, called to suggest that they take a look at the undeveloped block in Laclede's Landing.

Keeney, a broker for Landing properties for years, said she was impressed with the high quality of the Rodgers' Shaw Park Villas condo project in Clayton. She said she wanted to see something similar in the Landing, now that the market for it finally is there.

Mark Rodgers said he and his brother didn't take long to go for it once they saw the vacant block. They own part of the land and have contracts to buy the rest.

"The river is St. Louis' best asset. It has the best views," he said. "We couldn't believe there wasn't something on that land."

Rodgers said construction should start later this year or in early 2006, as soon as about half the condos are reserved. Construction will take about two years.

As of this week, Rodgers said, 14 would-be buyers - from in town and out of town - have signed on.

Among them is Mary Jean Russell, development director for the Wings of Hope organization. She said she "can't wait" to move to Port St. Louis from a duplex she owns in University City, now that her daughter has grown up and moved away.

Russell, 50, said she looked at some renovated residential buildings downtown, but none was a good match. Then she heard about Port St. Louis, checked out the design and found what she was looking for.

"I'll have the history of St. Louis, the beauty of the river, the excitement of the riverfront, all right there," she said. "I wanted to find a place overlooking something beautiful. My unit will overlook the Eads Bridge, the (Gateway) Arch ... and I'll even be able to see the bend in the Mississippi to the north from my wrap-around balcony."

Rodgers Group LLC

Address: 7401 Maryland Avenue, Clayton
Founded: 1988 by twins Mark and John Rodgers
Specialty: Builds and renovates houses, mainly in west St. Louis County, Clayton and University City. It currently is building Shaw Park Villas, a 12-unit luxury condominium project at 50 and 60 Brighton Way in Clayton, and planning Port St. Louis, a condominium project on Laclede's Landing in St. Louis.


Port St. Louis
Cost: About $25 million.
Details: 49 condominiums on seven floors above three levels of parking.
Condo prices: About $628,000 to $698,000 for units with 1,800 to 2,000 square feet, respectively.

I want to see renderings of those proposed 32 story towers for the, "Bottle District"!
Please, anyone?........... :?

Trust me if they where available they would have been posted. :wink2:

New downtown lofts stay 'true'
By Tavia Evans
Of the Post-Dispatch
05/31/2005

http://images.stltoday.com/stltoday/resources/loft01big.jpg
Building at 1635 Washington Ave.

Developer Andy Hillin says "true loft spaces" - spacious floor plans, high ceilings and open ductwork - are in the works for his newest property, 1635 Washington Avenue.

Hillin bought the building Tuesday from developer David Jump, who owns a handful of properties along the street. Hillin declined to say how much he paid.

At 1635 Washington, 96 residential condominiums are planned; units will range from 1,000 to 1,500 square feet. Upgrades will offer buyers the option of creating an office or an extra bedroom from parts of a larger living space.

"It's a slightly different approach, as the cost of buildings and acquisitions goes up," said Vince Ebersoldt, project architect for Rosemann & Associates, which will design the units.

"It allows the buyer to really personalize it, so if people want a true loft or want to have several bedrooms, they can have it," he said. "Developers are saying, 'Let's leave the upgrades up to the owner and let them buy it,' to keep base costs down."

Paric Construction will build the units. U.S. Bank will provide financing for the $25 million development, including a $14.5 million construction loan and a bridge loan until the project is approved for state historic tax credits. Hillin said he has applied for $4.2 million in state historic tax credits as well as tax increment financing from the city.

Built in 1918, the building once housed Central Shoe Co.

Units will list from $150,000 for one bedroom to $225,000 for larger, corner condos. Most units will include balconies; a rooftop pool and clubhouse will be added. The building also will have 99 parking spaces in the basement, ground floor and mezzanine levels.

"This new building complements other projects (Hillin is) doing on the street, and he's been on the forefront of getting stuff done on Washington Avenue," said Walker Gaffney, assistant vice president at U.S. Bank Community Development Corp.

Hillin partnered with developer John Carroll and McGowan Brothers Development to renovate the Rudman Building, 1228 Washington. He also completed the Garment Row Lofts, 1312 Washington, and is working on the Window Lofts, 1601 Washington.

Farther west beyond the loft district, Hillin is partnering with McGowan & Walsh LLC to turn the former Guth Lighting complex of five buildings into 60 rental apartments.

Apartments will vary from 800 to 1,200 square feet. Inside, a full-size gym is planned.

Hillin's firm, Jacob Development, and McGowan & Walsh co-own the property. For now, the building is being called the George E. Walsh Building, named for the father of Nat Walsh, a partner in the firm.

Financing for the renovation, projected at $20 million, has yet to be worked out, Hillin said.

The apartments will be aimed toward young professionals and students, because of the proximity to St. Louis University.

"We're pushing the area with one of the first projects on the other side of Jefferson (Avenue), and it lays out perfect for rental units," he said. "It's farther west and not in the core of loft development. I think we can create a community for the old Guth buildings."

Reporter Tavia Evans
E-mail: tevans@post-dispatch.com
Phone: 314-340-8159

H&M and Urban Outfitters are opening here this summer and fall, but they are openning up in the Gallieria and West County Center. Why are they not going into the Loop,CWE, or Downtown closer to the college studants that shop at these stores? Also these stores in other cities tend to go in street facing storefronts. Why not here?

^They have changed their business plan. Urban Outfitters is no longer opening free standing stores in urban areas (ironically). They are now unilaterally opening all new stores in malls.

More condos will nest on Washington Avenue
By Charlene Prost
Of the Post-Dispatch
06/14/2005
http://images.stltoday.com/stltoday/resources/edwards15big.jpg
Joe Edwards, the owner of Blueberry Hill.

What's coming next to Washington Avenue is more condos - and likely a bowling alley operated by developer Joe Edwards.

The bowling alley, similar to Edwards' Pin-Up Bowl in the Delmar Loop, would be on the ground floor of an empty, seven-story building at 1123 Washington Avenue. Developer Patrick Stanley plans to renovate the structure with 103 condos and call it the Lucas Lofts.

As for the bowling alley, Edwards said: "I'm very interested, and we are negotiating. I think it is an exciting time on Washington Avenue." He has been a driving force behind development of the Loop area along Delmar Boulevard in University City and St. Louis.

"It would be a boutique bowling alley, a small, one-of-a-kind place," he said. "It would be somewhat like the Pin-Up Bowl but with a different theme and a different look. There would be food there and excellent martinis."

Edwards said the bowling alley on Washington would be in addition to another he plans to open in the Bottle District, planned just north of the Edward Jones Dome.

Stanley, owner of Chastan Properties LLC, intends to start construction next month on one of the last large, undeveloped buildings left on Washington downtown. He expects the $23 million Lucas Lofts to be finished in about a year, with the condos opening next May and the bowling alley after that.

The condos will range from $114,900 for a 770-square-foot unit to $490,000 for a two-level unit with 2,600 square feet. All will have ceiling heights of 12 to 15 feet and other amenities designed by Rosemann & Associates to preserve some of the building's original character.

Designed by Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge, it was built in 1896. The Levis-Zukowski Mercantile Co. made hats there in the early years.

Stanley said the most recent tenant was a greeting card company that made and distributed cards there until about six years ago. Stanley bought the building for $4.8 million earlier this year.

"It's a beautiful, beautiful building, and the first day I saw it I knew it was right for this," he said. "It has tons of windows, wood-beam ceilings that we will sandblast and an old stairwell that we will retrofit to get from one floor to another in the two-level condos."

Stanley also plans a martini and cigar bar, called the W.A. (for Washington Avenue) Sky Bar, on the top floor; a rooftop swimming pool and 106 parking spaces in the basement and part of the ground-floor level, next to the bowling alley.

To help soundproof the condos, he said, new concrete floors will be poured on all the residential levels. Stanley said he also has an acoustical engineer at work on a plan "to make sure the sound from the bowling alley goes out the back and side of the building, and not up."

Stanley said Edwards got involved "after I called him, out of the blue," and proposed the idea of a bowling alley for downtown.

National City Bank is financing the Lucas Lofts project; Stanley also is using state historic and brownfield tax credits.

So far, he has done two other smaller projects since he formed his company more than four years ago. He renovated a five-story, former moving company building in the Benton Park neighborhood for 13 condos, all now sold. More recently, he renovated a four-story building at 1521 Washington Avenue with the Europe nightclub on the first floor and three custom lofts scheduled to be built on the upper floors.

At Lucas Lofts, he said, half the condos are already sold.

"Primarily, we're selling to young professionals, 22 to 35 years old. We have a bunch of 22- to 23-year-olds," he said, "plus 55- to 65-year-olds, empty-nesters."

Barbara Geisman, deputy mayor for development, said city officials are happy to see large vacant buildings along Washington filling up. She also welcomes the bowling alley as another attraction for downtown.

"Joe (Edwards) seems to be very excited about it," she said, "and so are we."

Reporter Charlene Prost
E-mail: cprost@post-dispatch.com
Phone: 314-340-8140

The Building.
http://builtstlouis.net/washington/images/1115-overall2.jpg
http://images6.fotki.com/v74/photos/5/50550/231553/P1010106-vi.jpg

http://img296.imageshack.us/img296/3524/dsc084665vm.jpg

http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/4506/dsc085828cd.jpg

http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/272/dsc086392xo.jpg

Guys, I am returning to STL (for a wedding) for the first time in over a year. I understand a lot is going on, so I wanted some tips on the hottest areas to view (streets and or hoods). I am excited to see if some of the Loft development on Washington that I noticed last year has picked up and how many projects they have finished. Has anything changed at Laclede's Landing? How about Delmar/Loop? Soulard even looks more gentrified from pics than I remembered it.

I definetly thought STL looked different for the Final Four (from your pics) in April than I had rememberd--or maybe it was bc shit tons of people were on the streets, which you dont see every night. Anyways, let the tips and hotspots roll!

Guys, I am returning to STL (for a wedding) for the first time in over a year. I understand a lot is going on, so I wanted some tips on the hottest areas to view (streets and or hoods). I am excited to see if some of the Loft development on Washington that I noticed last year has picked up and how many projects they have finished. Has anything changed at Laclede's Landing? How about Delmar/Loop? Soulard even looks more gentrified from pics than I remembered it.

I definetly thought STL looked different for the Final Four (from your pics) in April than I had rememberd--or maybe it was bc shit tons of people were on the streets, which you dont see every night. Anyways, let the tips and hotspots roll!

Damn dude, you almost made it through your first post without slamming Saint Louis.

Damn dude, you almost made it through your first post without slamming Saint Louis.


Dude you guys have such a complex about that. Does everyone have to get on here and say STL is the geratest city on Earth? I will eat my words if at 10 PM on Thursday I see tons of people roaming downtown. Why cant you guys deal with the truth?

Chill out, honestly I like STL and asked for new development since I havent been in a year (and I know how drastically my own city has changed in a year), but if you dont want to answer, thats fine.

I notice that you no longer display "Location : Louisville", and you simply refer to it as "my own city". Good choice.

I notice that you no longer display "Location : Louisville", and you simply refer to it as "my own city". Good choice.


You my friend, are a dick.

......

Where do I start gych....

Alot has happened in St. Louis over the past year. What specifics are you looking for. I know there are tons of restaraunts that have openned. Depending upon your flavor, I will be able to give some advise.

Are you serious about visiting our city to get the most out of the visit, or are you coming to critique whats wrong with a place that isn't your beloved Louisville?

Let me know so I can respond.

^^^^Wow, I am glad someone doesnt have an ego about mighty STL. I am going to come with an open mind like I always have. Like I said, I have visited STL on several occcasions. There are many good things, but also many bad things. Every city is this way and every town has its weakness. Smaller cities may lack the culture, nightlife, and jobs they have in LA, but they sure dont have to fight as much traffic, crime etc. Even the biggest and "best" cities have problems.

So, therefore, I am not visiting to bag on a city. Never have, never will. I am really going for a wedding, and since I like STL (especially its architecture), I am asking for some insider info on the "hot areas" of town. Dont read anything more into it. Maybe I missed some stuff the last few times I went (although I have ecplored a large chunk of th emetro) or maybe there is an area of town that has really boomed since I was there last over a year ago. Thats all I am asking is to get an insiders view on those areas.

St Louis has been through it's fair share of insults, perhaps more than most places in the country. Yes, basically you can't insult the city, because it's cliché, boring, and pretty much annoying; like a pesky fly, a mosquito or an ant.

St Louis has been through it's fair share of insults, perhaps more than most places in the country. Yes, basically you can't insult the city, because it's cliché, boring, and pretty much annoying; like a pesky fly, a mosquito or an ant.

i dont think st. louis is a cliche city at all if any think its a unique midwestern city there is no city in america that is exactly like st. louis its one of a kind much like new york la chicago miami or any other american city that was a bad diss

you misunderstood me. read again.

you misunderstood me. read again.

i dont get it sounded like an insult to me

It's annoying and cliche to talk bad about St Louis. St Louis isn't annoying and cliche, the insults are. I worded that badly, I know.

It's annoying and cliche to talk bad about St Louis. St Louis isn't annoying and cliche, the insults are. I worded that badly, I know.

im sorry i assumed i guess im just a defensive st. louisian

Does any one know how many Bosnians live in STL? I heard that there was something like 50,000.

There are more Bosnians in STL than anywhere else in the US. I don't know the number.

Isn't the St. Louis Bosnian community centered in the Bevo Mill neighborhood. Somebody should post a pic of Bevo Mill. You don't see a building like that everyday!

I'm a first time poster... long time lurker. :)

I just returned home to Milwaukee from a two-day trip to Saint Louis, and I'd like to share my thoughts. I had a couple vacation days to use up, so I thought I'd see a city I've never been to and check out a Cardinals game. I stayed at the Millennium Hotel downtown.

It amazed me how many tourists were there to see the Cardinals play. It also amazed me how many people were at the arch. I never though of Saint Louis as a tourist town, but it really is.

Downtown was easy to get around, not too crowded, and clean. Although the heat was almost unbearable, I grabbed a water bottle and walked around, snapping photos of anything interesting. In general, building architecture wasn't anything spectacular, but downtown has a good grouping of buildings.

I was really impressed by the arch. I really wish Milwaukee had some kind of cool world-famous landmark like that. However, I wasn't too impressed with the riverfront in general. The park seemed detached from the river, and the road on the bottom of the steps doesn't help. Although much smaller, La Crosse, WI has a great Mississippi riverfront where people can walk right up to it. I think Saint Louis should try something like that. I'm kind of spoiled having my city on Lake Michigan. :)

Before I left I decided to take a spin on 55 south, and loop back up on 270. Wow. Saint Louis has quite an extensive freeway system, and incredibly populated suburbs. I am definitely not accustomed to constant suburban traffic - 5 lanes across!! Did all the freeways spur the suburbs, or did the suburban expansion initiate the freeways? (chicken or the egg?)

Anyway, I zipped down 170 and took 64 back into downtown, and then headed home. The view of downtown from 64 wasn't that great, but the double-decker freeway was kind of cool.

Sorry for the long post, but I had a great time in Saint Louis, and would recommend it to anyone. I would love to return and spend more time there - but maybe in the fall when it's cooler outside!

Thanks for your observations, Rogee. I'm glad you had a good time in St. Louis. It's too bad you didn't take a drive around the city streets (outside of downtown), because that's where the true soul of St. Louis lives. There are definitely lots of busy highways throughout the metro area. I have a feeling you didn't get into the meat of downtown, around Olive, Locust or Washington Ave., because the buildings that line those canyon streets are quite beautiful and surprisingly intact. It sounds like you stayed around the southern portion of downtown and the Arch grounds.

Anyway, I hope you come back and spend some more time. There are plenty of forumers here who would be happy to show you around!

Interestingly enough, I too was in St. Louis this past week and am also from Milwaukee. My trip however was more business than pleasure, although in my field it's very hard to differentiate the two if you are a lover of cities. Spent three days in your city from Wednesday till Friday, thought you might enjoy an outsiders perspective. Some observations:

St. Louis has the greatest concentration of old first tier suburbs of any rustbelt city I've ever visited outside of Chicago. Far more than Milwaukee, Cincinnati, Cleveland or Detroit. It is a seemingly never ending arc of gorgeous early 20th century homes from the Clayton/University area through Ladue, Frontenac, Kirkwood, parts of Webster Grove, and Crestwood. Unbelievably enjoyable areas to drive though. The old money concentrated there is quite impressive.

Even more staggering is the amount of wealth found in the "true" suburbs. I was amazed driving through O'Fallon (MO), St. Peter, Chesterfield, Ellisville and Ballwin. At times, I honestly felt like I was driving through parts of the western suburbs of Washington DC. The Chesterfield/O’Fallon area is booming. Is that a strictly Biotech office park development off Hwy 64 & Hwy K in O'Fallon? Much more suburban office space in metro St. Louis than I expected to see. How much of this is can be attributed to the biotech initiative, how much is excess capacity from the late 90's and how much is due to plain old economic growth/expansion of existing major corporations within the market? I'm not really up on the major employers of the area although my brief observations lead me to believe that St. Louis is a far more diversified economy than Milwaukee, far less reliant on manufacturing ( although Boeing and Chrysler have a major presence) and is much further along in attracting and developing life science and high tech employers.

Your suburban wealth has certainly caught the attention of national retailers/restaurateurs. Although I'm sure it didn't hurt to have May CO. headquartered there.

Interesting to see the multiple high density office nodes extending out of the urban core. You have the CBD, then another high density collection around the AG Edwards building. Another concentration around University of St. Louis, yet another around Washington University Medical College off Kingshighway and then a major one around Washington University in Clayton.

Went to the Hills for Italian one night. I didn't really know where to go so I just drove around a bit till I found a restaurant that didn't have a shitload of cars parked in front of it. Honest question, how many restaurants are in this little district? I'm not sure I was in the heart of it, on the edge of it or what. People I talked to in the city kept telling me I had to eat there, so I'm assuming it is a pretty big collection of Italian places, but I never found a "restaurant row" so to speak. Are they all just neighborhood corner type places?

Downtown, not sure how to begin. Lot's of vacant ground level retail space. Far more than in Milwaukee. Far more than what I can remember of Cleveland or Cincinnati as well. Was unable to get into the mall/Famous Barr. Was closed when I got there, although from the exterior it did not look too prosperous. Are there any major redevelopment plans in the works? What is the development taking place on 9th? I saw work being done on the main elevator shaft so it looks like it will have some height to it. However, it also looks like it will have a major ground level retail presence. Not sure how that will fly given the amount of vacancy already in the CBD. Did not like how the city seems to turn its back to the river. Having I-70 run in front of the river doesn't help much. I also expected to see more residential development than I did. The two areas of focus appear to be along Washington St. and immediately west of the Busch Stadium area. Washington St. was an interesting drive. Looks like condo conversion taking place in just about every building along the street. The bad thing is that when driving the area it seems like all the buildings are focused on Washington St. and there is no depth on either side. Hopefully, as your CBD continues to add more residents, these areas will fill in. It is also possible, nay probable, that I missed much of what is taking place in the CBD. While I managed to make it down there twice, I didn't have much time to spend either time. I do think the new ballpark will be fantastic. Will the bottle district be directly south of the Stadium on the other side of 64? What are the plans for the old stadium? Forgive my ignorance, I haven't read through your St. Louis threads, just thought I'd drop by and post some of my observations.

KDS, interesting post, because most people visiting STL see downtown and often don't get out to the neighborhoods. Sounds like you did the opposite. That is good, because you got to see the beautiful inner suburbs of St. Louis. It is a pleasure to drive through these neighborhoods --and to live in these neighborhoods. Did you get a chance to see some of STL City neighborhoods, like the Central West End, Lafayette Square, Soulard, and many others. They are loaded with charm and incredible architecture. The Hill is an Italian neighborhood with many good restaurants, but they are not lined up on one street as you might expect. So, you didn't miss anything. But, there are plenty of areas around the city that have the type of urban restaurant row experience you were looking for. Your take on DT is fairly accurate, but as a visitor you may not have gotten a sense of forward movement that is taking hold. A lot of things are in the works that will address many of the weaknesses you mention, such as linking river and city. The city is aggressively developing residentual DT at a rate I have never seen before, as well as expanding its rail transit system. Old Busch stadium will be imploded soon (i have mixed feelings about this), but the new stadium and Ballpark Village development surrounding the stadium will be great. To answer your question, the Bottle District will be built in the area north of the convention center. It is supposed to have a residential component with high-rise residential towers, which may address some of the "depth" on Washington you mentioned. Nearly every historic building in DT STL has been renovated, or is in active planning stages - many converted to condos. There will be no choice, but to begin infill with new buildings, again addressing the depth issue. I live in the DC area and recognize what you mean about the similarities of DC & STL suburbs. Lots of wealth. Much of it is old money. I cannot comment on economy & business aspects of STL, because I don't know much about it.

Great recap, KDS. I think the Hill is one of the most impressive neighborhoods in STL-- a true old-world ethnic enclave. Restaurants do not line one single street, but there are dozens upon dozens of Italian trattorias, markets and bakeries interspersed throughout the neighborhood.

It is a shame you missed some of the best neighborhoods in the city (mentioned by Expat), but that should be on your list for next time.

I am totally 100% against the new ballpark. The old Busch is a million times cooler and more original. Oh well.

I am very proud of St. Louis' ability to remain an important city, despite decline. It's diversified economy has enabled it to stay relevant in the modern world.

Curtain's up: Breckenridge signs Kiel deal
From the September 2, 2005 print edition
Christopher Tritto

Developer Don Breckenridge got the green light to move forward on his $45 million redevelopment of Kiel Opera House and an adjacent garage.

The go-ahead appears to indicate a local buyer is in the wings for the St. Louis Blues.

Mark Sauer, president of the Savvis Center and the Blues, agreed to lease the Kiel Opera House to Breckenridge and assured Breckenridge that he could proceed with his planned parking garage next door, Breckenridge said.

The Kiel Opera House, which includes a 3,500-seat main auditorium and four adjoining smaller theaters, was closed in 1991 when construction of Savvis Center began. Breckenridge's renovations will include constructing a sound-proof wall between Kiel and the Savvis Center and expanding loading docks.

Breckenridge has been trying for three years to redevelop Kiel as a venue for Broadway shows. The Savvis Center and the Opera House are physically connected, and Savvis Center holds the long-term lease on the building.

Sauer's move indicates team and building owners Bill and Nancy Laurie are confident they will find a new owner who will keep the Blues in St. Louis.

When the Lauries put the Blues and Savvis Center up for sale June 17, parking became an issue for Breckenridge, who plans to convert the former L. Douglas Abrams Federal Building at 15th and Market streets into an 800-space garage to serve Kiel.

"There's no need for two parking garages," he said. "It depended on whether the team would stay and use their garage or not. If it would, we'd build another parking garage (in the Abrams building). (The Lauries and Sauer) certainly have to know where they are going for them to give us the go-ahead."

Sauer and the Blues declined to comment for this story.

Breckenridge said several local parties remain interested in buying the Blues. The Business Journal reported Aug. 19 that local groups being assembled by Michael Shanahan Sr. and his son Michael Shanahan Jr., Shaun Hayes, Tony Sansone Jr., and Tony Novelly and his son P.A. Novelly II have emerged as potential buyers of the Blues.

Michael Shanahan Sr., chairman emeritus of Engineered Support Systems Inc., helped build the St. Louis Blues franchise in the 1990s until he was forced out by Civic Progress leaders. His son, Shanahan Jr., owns the Huntleigh/McGehee Inc. insurance agency and an area minor league hockey team, the Missouri River Otters. That team plays in the St. Charles Family Arena. When the Lauries announced they were selling the Blues, Shanahan Jr. was among the first to express an interest in buying the club.

Hayes is regional president of National City Bank. Tony Novelly is chairman of Apex Oil Co., while his son is an executive with Stifel, Nicolaus & Co. Sansone is a principal in his family's commercial real estate firm, The Sansone Group.

Breckenridge also said Los Angeles-based AEG remains interested in buying the long-term lease on the arena. AEG owns and operates entertainment venues and sports teams around the country but would be prohibited from buying the Blues, because the company already owns the Los Angeles Kings hockey team.

Boston-based Game Plan LLC is managing the sale on behalf of the Lauries. Bob Caporale, Game Plan's chairman, said AEG is one of a few venue owner-operators that have expressed interest in the Savvis Center.

"We don't comment on any deals that are in negotiations," said AEG spokesman Michael Roth. "I can't even give you a gauge of our interest. But we own and operate venues as part of our core business."

Breckenridge said his architects were scheduled to arrive from Washington, D.C., and visit the building Sept. 1 to complete final measurements of the space and designate the formal division between Savvis Center and Kiel. "Once we do that, we can execute our leases with Central Parking and Clear Channel."

San Antonio, Texas-based Clear Channel Communications Inc. agreed in 2003 to sign a 20-year lease for an undisclosed amount to manage Kiel and bring Broadway shows and other cultural events to the historic building. Central Parking Corp., based in Nashville, Tenn., signed a letter of intent in 2003 to lease Breckenridge's planned parking garage for more than $1 million over 10 years, Breckenridge said.

ctritto@bizjournals.com

Further details emerge of 28-story condo project in CWE
By Tim Woodcock
Posted Wednesday, September 14, 2005
West End Word

A second new high-rise for the Central West End is in the works. So far the plan appears to have the backing of Alderman Lyda Krewson and the mayor’s office — but as yet the neighborhood has not had a chance to weigh in on the issue.

At a Sept. 7 Tax Increment Financing Commission meeting Opus Northwest, the same company that is building Park East Tower, outlined its plans for a 28-story building at the intersection of Euclid Avenue and Lindell Boulevard.

The $92 million building would be at the northeast corner of the intersection, in a building opposite Schlafly Library that the American Heart Association owns. Opus has an option to buy the property.

As with nearby Park East Tower, the company would want to sell half the units before it breaks ground, said John Pitcher, Opus’ director of real estate development.

The 200 units would range in size from 875 to 1,575 square feet, he said. The average sales price of a unit would be approximately $360,000, compared to $600,000 at Park East Tower at Euclid and Laclede avenues, where the typical condo is much larger.

The idea of having 28 stories could be revisited, but Opus is committed to a 25- to 30-story building, Krewson said.

“I am concerned by the height,” said John Berglund, a member of the Central West End Association’s Planning and Development Committee. It would be no problem closer to Kingshighway, but in this location it might crowd out the smaller-scale buildings of Euclid Avenue, he said.
The committee has not formally looked at any plans for the building yet, Berglund said. The group meets each month and the project was not on the agenda at its Sept. 10 meeting.

The committee has an advisory role only, and it attempts to influence the city’s Cultural Resources Board and the aldermen if it is unhappy with elements of a project, Berglund said.

When the Park East Tower project was first announced it created controversy, with some residents complaining it would be out of proportion with the rest of the neighborhood. The committee did not have a chance to review that proposal until a deal was already sewn up, making its concerns moot, he said. That building, now under construction, is in Alderman Joe Roddy’s ward, whereas this one is in Lyda Krewson’s. To date Krewson has been much more forthcoming with information about the project, Berglund said.

“Sometimes we are more influential with smaller projects than with bigger ones,” Berglund said.

Pitcher said that it is important for Opus to get community input on the project at an early stage but the renderings are not ready to be released to the public. The proposed building would use brick and pre-cast panels on the outside and would be more conventional in look than Park East Tower, which is dominated by glass, Pitcher said.

“It makes our job much easier,” if a project has the backing of the neighborhood, he said. But “everyone has their own tastes and desires” and Opus would not submit to “design by committee,” he said.

The project, which has the working name Lindell Condominiums, has the backing of some key figures in city government.

“We are excited by this project,” said Barbara Geisman, speaking on behalf of the mayor’s office at the TIF meeting. “Opus has a good reputation across the country.”

Offering incentives now makes sense in the long run, Geisman argued — a large high-density building filled with residents who will patronize local businesses will replace a small building that is tax-exempt because of its ownership by a charity.

The company is asking for $9.5 million in TIF assistance. That amount is under negotiation, and the mayor’s office is hoping that the final figure will be “something under $9.5 million,” Geisman said.

“With the TIF the redevelopment project is not financially feasible and would not be developed,” states Opus’ application for TIF assistance.

However the same argument was made for Park East Tower, which went ahead without TIF assistance. Instead a community improvement district was set up and tax abatement was offered with a total value of $6.5 million to the company.

TIFs divert a portion of future taxes to pay for upfront redevelopment costs, and whether they work effectively is dependent on accurate projections about how much tax revenue a project will be generating five, 10 or 20 years from now.

The proposed timeline for paying back this TIF bond is unusually short at 11 to 12 years. TIFs can legally run for up to 23 years.

At the TIF Commission meeting Veronica O’Brien wanted to know how parking would be handled. The second to fifth stories would be set aside for secured, enclosed parking, with 8,000 square feet of ground-floor retail, Pitcher said.

Questions were also asked about the company’s track record regarding minority participation, a requirement in the city for projects that receive any kind of assistance using public money.

At Park East Tower the company will not come close to meeting minority-participation targets set by the city.

“We are a Minneapolis-based company. That project started there. We weren’t aware of it when we got started,” Pitcher said. “We [now] know the system.”

“What’s plan B?” asked TIF commissioner Sandy Whiteside, worried about the possibility of the project floundering if Opus does not pre-sell enough of the homes.

“It is not like we are going to give them the money,” Krewson said.
If the incremental increases in tax revenue do not occur as planned, developers do get the full amount of TIF money. “It is their money on the line,” not the city’s, she said.

The commission voted 5 to 0 to allow the project to proceed, with O’Brien abstaining.

The TIF Commission will next look at the project Nov. 2.

A nice overview of the area made by Arch City over at Urban St. Louis.
http://www.pbase.com/image/49262423.jpg

Gateway Arch Connector / Freeway Lid (proposed)

http://www.pbase.com/stlouis_314/image/38358583.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/stlouis_314/image/38358582.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/stlouis_314/image/38358584.jpg

Chouteau Lake (proposed)

http://www.hokplanninggroup.com/projects/portfolio/3b07fa6a-fed5-43e6-8e15-d18676dccae4/projimages/mouseover1_1.jpg

The Bottle District (under construction)

http://www.pbase.com/stlouis_314/image/49153623.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/stlouis_314/image/49153624.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/stlouis_314/image/49154192.jpg

Washington Avenue (Various Projects, completed, approved, and under construction)

http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/1294/dsc087264wr.jpg

New Busch Stadium (under construction)

http://cardinals.mlb.com/stl/photo/ph_ballpark_downtownview.jpg

Ballpark Village (approved, construction starts at end of baseball season)

http://cardinals.mlb.com/stl/photo/ph_ballpark_walnutstreettownhouses.jpg

http://cardinals.mlb.com/stl/photo/ph_ballpark_ballparkvillage.jpg

http://cardinals.mlb.com/stl/photo/ph_ballpark_villageplaza.jpg

Pinnacle Casino/Hotel/Entertainment area (under construction)

http://www.ksdk.com/assetpool/images/059721048_10V%20PINNACLE%20CASINO1.jpg

http://www.ksdk.com/assetpool/images/05972111_10V%20PINNACLE%20CASINO2.jpg

Cortex Technology Corridor (under construction)

http://www.hokplanninggroup.com/projects/portfolio/3b07fa6a-fed5-43e6-8e15-d18676dccae4/projimages/full1_4.jpg

Park East Tower (under construction)

http://www.urbanstlouis.com/images/renderings/modirend005.jpg

Various Neigborhood Developments

http://www.stlcity.com/photo/ezboard/4545_Lindell.jpg

http://www.urbanstlouis.com/photos/parkave001.jpg

http://www.urbanstlouis.com/photos/parkave002.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/stlouis_314/image/48838727.jpg

http://www.cornerstone-stl.com/images/current_projects/gaslight/gaslight_large.jpg

http://www.urbanstlouis.com/images/renderings/vailplace002.jpg

http://www.urbanstlouis.com/images/renderings/1005Mississippi001.jpg

http://homepics.realtor.com/image1/http/stlouis/submit/large/015/518084a.jpg

http://www.urbanstlouis.com/photos/urbanstl/metrolofts001.jpg

http://www.urbanstlouis.com/photos/urbanstl/gladescorner003.jpg

http://www.urbanstlouis.com/photos/urbanstl/1710Carroll001.jpg

http://www.urbanstlouis.com/photos/urbanstl/1710Carroll002.jpg

http://www.culverwaycohousing.com/test.jpg

http://www.urbanstlouis.com/images/renderings/charlestonsquare.jpg

http://stlouis.missouri.org/oldnorthstlouis/pics/nmphousepic.jpg

Metrolink Expansion (cross county- under construction, others proposed)

http://www.artic.edu/~rmoran1/metro.gif

Thank you Xing. St. Louis is rockin'.

Work begins on master plan for riverfront
Jim Merkel
Of the Suburban Journals
South City Journal

Improvements may be coming to the riverfront area near the Eads and Poplar Street bridges.

An advisory committee will begin work in May on a master plan for the area along the city's riverfront between Biddle Street, Chouteau Avenue, Leonor K. Sullivan Boulevard and the river to the east. The plan is expected to take a year to complete.

The Riverfront Advisory Committee will consist of a variety of local governmental officials, the Coast Guard, the Army Corps of Engineers and developers.

"There'll be an extensive public engagement process," said Todd Antoine, senior planner for the Great Rivers Greenway District.

. . .
OMG this is freaky . . . I used to have a roomate here in Seattle named "Jim Merkel" who was from the St. Louis area. I wonder if this is the same guy!

did he study journalism?

That bottle district looks cool. Havent heard of that, and I was just in the Lou in July! Where is that, and what does the project consist of? Any plans to amp up downtown retail?...it needs some more! I know Cordish is doing Ballpark Village which will be awesome but dont count on him to bring you more than entertainment (at least thats what they did here in Louisville, not enough retail in the Cordish dev. but good entertainment).

did he study journalism?
I'm not sure, but I seem to recall that he did write a story now and then for some sort of media, I think. When he was in Seattle, he was mostly the ultimate slacker. :D So he didn't really do much of anything.

Rattling skeletons of the North Riverfront Corridor
By Tavia Evans
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
10/05/2005

http://images.stltoday.com/stltoday/resources/north06big.jpg
North Broadway still feels 5 miles from downtown St. Louis rather than 5 blocks.

A bustling industrial corridor, just north of St. Louis' central business district, may hold the next promise for redevelopment.

The North Riverfront Business Corridor extends north of downtown along the Mississippi River. The area has long been home to diverse industries and businesses, some rooted in the city's past.

They include metal-processing plants, scrap yards and fabrication companies, steel factories, food distributors and Produce Row.

The empty hulls of large warehouses and vacant lots are common here, too, remnants of companies that moved or went out of business.

But the city and some developers see the potential for adding residential and commercial development.

Developer Kevin McGowan said his company, McGowan/Walsh, owns several groupings of old warehouses, just north of the site where Pinnacle Entertainment Inc. plans to build a $400 million casino, hotel and mixed-use complex on Laclede's Landing.

"Our plans are to put residential there," McGowan said. "But for now, we're taking a wait and see what happens with the area and the buildings along Broadway and east down to the river."

Stan Meoli said he almost sold his building at 2000 North Broadway last year. He runs American Warehouse, a shipping and receiving company that also leases storage and selling space in its 160,000-square-foot building to other companies. He's waiting now to cash in on the area's potential growth.

"We decided to hold onto the building when they said we'd have to update the sprinkler system for about $30,000" in order to sell it, Meoli said. "With everything going on downtown, if we sell it, it will be for $850,000."

The Missouri and Illinois transportation departments have proposed a new bridge to span the Mississippi River. It will cut a huge swath through several blocks of businesses in the area.

Barbara Geisman, deputy mayor for development, said "the area between the highway and the new bridge would be mixed-use going south, with new retail, office, and business and industrial continuing north."

Even with construction of the bridge, there still would be room to expand, said Carol Perry, president of the North Broadway Business Association.

"We have roughly about 110 businesses as part of the association, and most have indicated they want to grow and acquire more land in the area," Perry said.

That includes Anthony Tocco, president of M&L Foods Inc., who's looking to buy property next to his business at 1717 North Broadway. The company moved to its present location in 1985 after being displaced by construction of America's Center. Now, the food distributor sits in the path of the proposed bridge.

More recently, businesses have moved to the area for its large warehouse spaces, inexpensive land and easy access to transportation routes.

In search of more space, Walter and Marti Hauck moved their company, Zymo Sculpture Studio Inc., to 1520 North Broadway from the Central West End five years ago.

"It's been an interesting neighborhood to watch," said Marti Hauck, who handles the administrative side of the business while her husband sculpts and molds. "The area feels separate from downtown. But when you see the Arch, you definitely know where you are and you realize all the projects going on (downtown) aren't that far away."

Jack and Scott Larrison said they felt that someday, the downtown renaissance would creep farther north, so they bought two dilapidated buildings on North Broadway.

For 15 months, they gutted the insides, salvaging old wood from Mexican cedar, mahogany and maple fence posts left in the buildings to build a bar and adjacent garage. In September, they opened Shady Jack's at 1432 North Broadway.

"The area is up and coming, there's a lot of great potential here and we see it coming this way," Scott Larrison said.

Couple is brewing new life into beer factory
By Tavia Evans
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
10/06/2005
http://images.stltoday.com/stltoday/resources/real07big.jpg
A bicyclist passes by the former Centennial Malt House for Schnaider Brewery.

Wendy Hamilton thinks it was the arched entryways in the basement that caught her eye first, wide enough for the horse-drawn wagons that might have passed through the building in the late 19th century. Today, she thinks the space would be perfect for a lower-level wine shop.

Her husband, Paul Hamilton, can envision the views of the Arch and downtown St. Louis' skyline from the future rooftop terrace of a new restaurant - Vingt Dix Sept - the building's address in French.

At the moment, the building at 2017 Chouteau Avenue, bears little resemblance to their visions.

Built in 1876 and formerly home to the Centennial Malt House, it was an annex of the Joseph Schnaider Chouteau Avenue Brewery that lined the block of Chouteau and Mississippi avenues in the 1870s.

The Hamiltons are turning the two-story building into a banquet hall with a rooftop restaurant. Some office and retail space also might go into the 35,000-square-foot building, which they expect to have ready by April.

After several reincarnations, including storage for auto parts and a shade manufacturing company, the structure suffered from years of neglect and has been open to the elements.

It will cost $4 million to renovate the building and make it structurally sound. "The former owner thought we were crazy; he said we should tear it down," Wendy Hamilton said.

The couple has experience handling old structures. The Hamiltons renovated and own 1111 Mississippi, the Lafayette Square restaurant named for its address. It's housed in the former brewery's main building.

The Hamiltons paid $400,000 for the property on Chouteau in April.

Spiegelglass Construction Co. is the general contractor.

National City Bank is financing the project; a mix of state and federal historic tax credits also might help fund it.

With that in mind, the couple has applied for the building to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

"Their restaurant has been successful, and the location and facility they're proposing dovetails nicely with the other projects in the area" said Brian Davies, who brokered the deal for National City.

The building will need new electrical wiring and plumbing. Wooden structural beams made of rare Douglas fir hold up the inside of the building, but many will need to be replaced because of rot from exposure to water and weather.

On the rooftop, the couple say they'll build a deck and repair an L-shaped building that will become part of a French, bistro-style restaurant. An old grain chute, along with pieces of slate, wheels, pipes and parts scattered from a century ago will be incorporated into the building's design, Paul Hamilton said.

But the 129-year-old building is still revealing surprises, such as the bricked-up archways the couple found throughout the structure. A once-hidden tunnel in the basement leads to a bricked-up wall under Chouteau Avenue. The Hamiltons believe the tunnel might originally have been at street-level, back when the neighborhood bustled with business at the old brewery.

Any plans to amp up downtown retail?...it needs some more!

The are plans. Rumors have Boarders moving in within the next 2 years on St. Charles street. Nothing major has been confirmed like marshalls or tj max. With the loft district moving into advanced stages of development and as the Old Post Office district starts taking form next year, we should begin to see better selection of retail.

Is there any talk of a more full service grocery store than the one on Olive St (city grocer?)

Yes, there are talks of two full service grocery stores. One is planned for the Bottle District. They are also talking to Schnucks or Dierbergs, so the rumors say...

Below are renders for a nrw riverfront plan.


http://img448.imageshack.us/img448/6513/grandriverfront7ly.jpg

http://img448.imageshack.us/img448/2614/allplans1bk.jpg

http://img448.imageshack.us/img448/6724/islands10lc.jpg

http://img448.imageshack.us/img448/1791/islands41gm.jpg

http://img448.imageshack.us/img448/8404/fountain1ls.jpg

http://img448.imageshack.us/img448/2813/waterfront39at.jpg

http://img448.imageshack.us/img448/8006/cooling0cl.jpg

http://img448.imageshack.us/img448/8366/islands30qr.jpg

http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/3093/islands62yb.jpg

http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/3093/islands62yb.jpg

http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/3786/walkway0cr.jpg

^That would be unbelievable.

Another High Rise for the Central West End. This one may be the tallest, at 30 floors. It doesn't look incredibly tall, but it's nice and plump.

http://i.pbase.com/v3/53/366053/1/51060934.millstw.jpg

b]By Jane Henderson[/b]
POST-DISPATCH BOOK EDITOR
10/23/2005

http://images.stltoday.com/stltoday/resources/library1023.jpg
Plans to renovate the downtown public library would include a 300-seat auditorium, an atrium, a cafe and a screening room. Backers hope the $50 million project can respect the building's architectural heritage.

When the St. Louis Public Library turns 100 in seven years, its director hopes it will serve readers like never before.

He plans for the Beaux Arts beauty to add more wireless technology, a 300-seat auditorium and a new plaza for reading, people-watching and drinking coffee.

Its historic ceilings will be restored and humdrum offices moved out. It will offer more space for the public, including bigger areas for genealogy, regional history and children's literature.

And, not least, it'll provide restrooms with 2012's amenities rather than 1912's.

"We want to give the city the cultural centerpiece it deserves," Waller McGuire says.

A man marking his one-year anniversary as executive director this month, McGuire is moving forward on a "concept design study" for the central library - considered one of the most important and architecturally significant buildings in the city.

And there sit the potential land mines:

As downtown's cultural centerpiece, McGuire says, the central library must preserve its architectural heritage. But to serve 21st-century readers, it also needs to meet modern fire and earthquake codes, update technology and welcome new residents.

The cost to restore ceilings, keep the marble and add modern plumbing: perhaps $50 million.

"That price may be a bargain for a city's main library," McGuire says.

The concept

As deputy director under executive director Glen Holt, McGuire helped organize the building or restoration of 12 library branches, with two more to go. Plans to renovate Central Library developed under Holt, who retired last year, but no capital campaign got going. Now, McGuire says he's pushing for a solid date to start renovating the Italian Renaissance building, designed by Cass Gilbert and completed in 1912.

The library's board of directors has approved the design study by Hillier Architecture (http://www.hillier.com/portfolio/), based in Princeton, N.J.

Hillier's plans show an atrium and "winter garden" on the north side of the building, facing Locust Street and bustling Washington Avenue, making the building more inviting. When McGuire had lunch at a new restaurant on Washington, he says, a waiter divulged that he thought the building's rear facade, with its tall, narrow windows, looked like "a jail."

Inside the library, plans call for transforming the lackluster ground floor (derided by workers as resembling the "Greyhound bus station") by adding, among other things, a Center for the Reader, cafe bookstore and screening room.

On the main floor, plans include restoring the magnificent ceilings of the fine-arts room (decorative plugs of plaster were taken out in the 1950s for fluorescent lights), the Great Hall and other area. A new computer center might triple the number available. Twenty are in the Great Hall; eventually, there might be 200-300 throughout the building.

The library would keep the same number of books and materials but make more accessible to the public, McGuire says. Old offices and meeting rooms would become rooms for special collections, genealogy and St. Louis history. Staff offices and a parking garage would be built across the street in another building the library owns.

"Right now the building is designed around the research collections," McGuire notes. That was part of the early 20th-century theory of a library. The massive staircase on Olive Street leads readers up into the aristocratic world of art, literature, poetry. Readers of popular fiction and children's books found themselves on the more utilitarian ground floor until they were good enough readers to ascend the marble staircases, McGuire says with a laugh. "We don't think that way anymore."

What he wants is "a whole new, in effect, general-interest, browsing, popular library on the first floor of the building. It will be both convenient and easy-to-use and bright and beautiful."

(long article)

continued (http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/entertainment/stories.nsf/books/story/2BB1495D4DEBB8CA862570A10032B58B?OpenDocument)

Mills doubles Renaissance to $115 million
Heather Cole

Bruce Mills more than doubled his bet on the Central West End, remaking his $50 million apartment project into a $115 million, 30-story condominium and apartment development

"We are lucky enough to have the largest site down there, and we're sold on both the rental and condo market," said Mills, chairman and chief executive of Mills Properties.

Called the Renaissance on Euclid, the proposed development at North Euclid and West Pine now includes 317 units: 179 apartments and 138 condominiums, including six four-story townhouses to be constructed along Euclid. Pre-selling of the condos will start in January; construction is expected to start in May.

Mills plans to seek $15 million in tax increment financing (TIF) for the project from the city. He said he is in talks with three possible lenders and had a lot of interest from pension funds, because "it's the size that they like."

Mills Properties' projects typically have a 75 percent/25 percent debt/equity ratio, but the Renaissance will have more equity according to Mills, who said he already has invested in the seven figures. While private investors have backed some of Mills Properties' previous projects, Mills is the sole developer on the Renaissance so far.

The Renaissance would be the largest of recent condominium and apartment projects in the city neighborhood. The Central West End has 12 other projects with more than 500 units planned or under way, according to Central West End/Midtown Development, a nonprofit development corporation. Of those units, 400 are condominiums.

Projects include the $50 million Opus Park East Tower at Euclid and Laclede avenues, and the recently announced Park East Lofts, a $20 million project. The Park East Tower condominiums, which range in price from $225,000 to $2 million, are 85 percent sold, 11 months before construction will be finished, said John Pitcher, director of real estate development and head of the St. Louis office of Opus Northwest.

The Central West End market for apartments is one of the strongest in the St. Louis area, with growth at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and the Washington University School of Medicine driving it, said Keith Kramer, president of real estate consulting firm Keith M. Kramer Associates Inc. "The whole neighborhood is becoming almost 24 hour, with an urban dynamic in the neighborhood similar to what you find back east."

The Renaissance will face stiff competition on the apartment side, Kramer said. While the occupancy rate for Central West End apartments is 90 percent, Conrad Properties' 213-unit Metro Lofts is being leased, as is Balke Brown Associates' Highland Lofts across Interstate 40 from the Central West End. Two other projects are proposed in or near the neighborhood: the 205-unit University Village in the Warehouse of Fixtures buildings at Spring and Laclede avenues and the 197-unit Villas of St. Louis at 3949 Lindell. "The bad news (for a new apartment development) is there's a lot happening," Kramer said.

Designed by Dallas-based HKS Architects, the Renaissance will feature one- to three-bedroom units. Apartments would rent from $1,000 to $2,500 per month; condominiums would cost from $225,000 up to $1.1 million for some townhomes and the 21 penthouses

The apartments, which would be on the first through 16th floors, will be converted into condominiums in about five years. Mills said he opted to start with apartments since it's easier to find financing for rental-producing properties.

A six-level parking garage would be at the back of the building and wouldn't be seen from Euclid and West Pine, Mills said. Owners of penthouses and townhomes would have private garages set into the larger garage. Every unit would have a patio, with the townhomes' patios including hot tubs.

Plans also call for a 6,000-square-foot restaurant with outdoor seating on the first floor; a 4,000-square-foot exercise room; indoor and outdoor pools; and possibly a cocktail lounge/restaurant on one of the upper floors. Mills said he also is considering installing a subterranean wine cellar. A large fountain would be installed at Euclid and West Pine.

One of the catalysts for the project is the renovation of nearby Forest Park, whose proximity will appeal to the active people who would be tenants of the Renaissance, Mills said. The Renaissance also would fill out development from Barnes-Jewish Hospital north to Delmar along Euclid, where Koplar Properties' mixed-use Maryland Plaza redevelopment and Opus Northwest's 26-story Park East Tower are under construction. "The only place we've got in St. Louis that could become a 24/7 area is the Central West End," Mills said.

Mills Properties paid $5 million last year for the 12-story medical office building that currently sits on the 1.7-acre site. The building will be demolished to make way for the development. A locally based construction company will be selected for the project this month, Mills said. Coldwell Banker Gundaker is marketing the condominiums.

hcole@bizjournals.com
Source (http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2005/10/24/story1.html?page=2)

I know this thread is for St. Louis development but just wanted to compliment your city and not sure where else to do it. I am from Louisville and visited St. Louis this past weekend for my first time and loved your city. I am a four year voyeur on this site a do not get involved in many threads because I like learning about what is being built in each city and seeing the pictures of each city. I have my own opinions and could care less about getting involved in some of the pissing contest that go on.

My wife and I had a blast at Lacledes Landing and the football game Sunday and seeing as much of the city as we could. Forest Park is pretty cool and the view from the arch is spectacular. We stayed downtown and I saw a lot of signs for new lofts under construction and the future looks very promising. We rode the light rail to get around all weekend and there were always a lot of people on the trains which suprised me. Since I am in a development thread I do have one question...when are they expected to finish the new line that connects at Forest Park stop?

We are definitely going to try and go back with a couple friends next summer and check out the new baseball stadium and check out the Budweiser brewery. Wish I could have seen more outside the downtown area but just wanted to compliment St. Louis. Can not wait to get back!

The riverfront plan looks really incredible. With the Arch I think St. Louis has one of the world's most beautiful and recognizable skylines, and this will just make the riverfront beautiful and more popular for St. Louis residents. (For instance, the little rendered shadow-jogger.)

Buckeye Bob, I am glad you enjoyed your visit to St. Louis. Be sure to go back and experience more of the wonderful neighborhoods. It is worth it. Shane, I agree, there is nothing like the Arch.

Is it true that there are alot of people moving out of STL instead of moving in and the crime rate is getting higher? I don't know if this has been discussed here before or I'm in the wrong thread for that?

I've just heard in the local news that THE Arch is supposed to be the tallest momument in noth america, it's even taller that the washington monument, I thought that it's very interesting to know.

No :moods:

Is it true that there are alot of people moving out of STL instead of moving in and the crime rate is getting higher? I don't know if this has been discussed here before or I'm in the wrong thread for that?

I've just heard in the local news that THE Arch is supposed to be the tallest momument in noth america, it's even taller that the washington monument, I thought that it's very interesting to know.
The Arch is almost twice the height of the Washington Monument.

The Arch is almost twice the height of the Washington Monument.

The Washington Monument is 555 feet tall. The arch is 630 feet, or NOT twice as tall as the Washington Monument.

A little exaggeration never hurt anyone. :)

The Arch is more than twice as tall as the Statue of Liberty.

And the Arch is twice as exciting to experience than the Washington Monument.

Anyway you look at it, the Arch is double the fun & double the pleasure :)

Arch 630 feet
Washington Monument 555 feet
Statue of Liberty 305 feet

The Arch is more than twice as tall as the Statue of Liberty.

And the Arch is twice as exciting to experience than the Washington Monument.

Anyway you look at it, the Arch is double the fun & double the pleasure :)

Arch 630 feet
Washington Monument 555 feet
Statue of Liberty 305 feet

It can be fun, you would just hate it when it starts swaying to sides when a strong wind blows..LOL Better make sure that you have motion sickness pills in your pocket and motion sickness bag. It's definitely beautiful when you are on top of the arch to be on the positive side... :)

Is it true that there are alot of people moving out of STL instead of moving in and the crime rate is getting higher? I don't know if this has been discussed here before or I'm in the wrong thread for that?


Old News. The city has made a complete U-turn.

Is it true that there are alot of people moving out of STL instead of moving in and the crime rate is getting higher? I don't know if this has been discussed here before or I'm in the wrong thread for that?
while it is true (according to the u.s. census) that the city is still hemorrhaging people, this fact is extremely misleading considering all of the progress that has been made in the face of what st. louis has had to deal with.

i hope stl has made a complete u-turn. i havent been in the city in a year. im excited to return and visit my birth city again this december.

anyone on here from stl been to cbgb's (in stl), where the heck was that place, i cant remember.

also: what has happened to the space where the rocket bar used to be? that was by far my favorite venue of all time.

St. Louis Mayor Slay said just this week that 6,000 new homes are under construction or rehab. The population of St. Louis is changing. Houses that used to be home to families of 5 or 6 people are now home to 1 or 2 people which creates a net population loss. It is the price of gentrification. Same thing is happening all over the US. Of course, cities like KC can extend their borders and capture some of their own sprawl, St. Louis has a fixed border and cannot do that. Therefore, St. Louis has a smaller, but more gentrified population than it had before. This trend will continue. I think that is why cities like Chicago, DC, Baltimore, Boston, etc. continue to experience population loss while experiencing real estate booms.

Also St Louis has a lot of urban suburbs, that in most places, would be part of the main city. U-City, Clayton, East St Louis, and so forth, are good examples.

while it is true (according to the u.s. census) that the city is still hemorrhaging people, this fact is extremely misleading considering all of the progress that has been made in the face of what st. louis has had to deal with.

i hope stl has made a complete u-turn. i havent been in the city in a year. im excited to return and visit my birth city again this december.

anyone on here from stl been to cbgb's (in stl), where the heck was that place, i cant remember.

also: what has happened to the space where the rocket bar used to be? that was by far my favorite venue of all time.


CBGB's is on South Grand.

Rocket Bar is now Nectar, a hip, trendy nightclub that is nothing like its predecessor.

those drawings of the new riverfront plan are amazing... ive never seen anything like that on a river before.

More skyscrapers!

http://www.cordish.com/images/developments/bpv_g07.jpg

http://www.cordish.com/images/developments/bpv_g06.jpg

http://www.cordish.com/images/developments/bpv_g05.jpg

http://www.cordish.com/images/developments/bpv_arial1.jpg

sweeeeet. when are thy supposed to go up?

Well, I really don't know exact dates. These are renderings of the BP village. The Cordish website claims there will be 1200 residential units, which is a lot. Residential is now in high demand downtown. Many projects are adding on units. This one started out with just one high rise, if you can remember. As far as these buildings go, information on each is still not available.

yeah it seems like every time i check the drawings there is a new building or a missing building. whatever the case, im sure it will look great when all is said and done. i wonder how prices will compare with other downtown housing

Wow, those are nice. I hope they get built soon!

BTW I just noticed that the pics above are a lot different from some others posted on the previous page. Are any of these "final" or is it stuff they're still debating?

??
http://cardinals.mlb.com/stl/photo/ph_ballpark_downtownview.jpg

Or??
http://www.cordish.com/images/developments/bpv_arial1.jpg

BTW I just noticed that the pics above are a lot different from some others posted on the previous page. Are any of these "final" or is it stuff they're still debating?

??
http://cardinals.mlb.com/stl/photo/ph_ballpark_downtownview.jpg

Or??
http://www.cordish.com/images/developments/bpv_arial1.jpg
I like the bottom one. Saint Louis is coming around. Hopefully these will be built soon.

The top one is the first rendering released. It's very old, before there was a high demand for residential units downtown. The bottom one is the latest release, and that is why you see more towers.

More on the Bottle District..
I've found some more pics on Bottle District

Here's a concept:

http://www.theghazicompany.com/images/future_photo_stl_large.jpg
http://www.theghazicompany.com/images/future_photo_stl_large_2.jpg
http://www.theghazicompany.com/images/future_photo_stl_large_3.jpg

Here's another rendering:

http://www.thebottledistrict.com/images/ArchitecturalRenderings2/70e_highway-view.gif
http://www.thebottledistrict.com/images/ArchitecturalRenderings2/Birds-Eye-View_new.gif
http://www.thebottledistrict.com/images/ArchitecturalRenderings2/ViewFromCircleDay.jpg
http://www.thebottledistrict.com/images/ArchitecturalRenderings2/ViewFromCircleNight.jpg

Does anyone know the final rendering on this project?

The top ones are the latest. The bottom are the oldest.

Yep, another Central West End Tower

http://www.urbanstlouis.com/images/renderings/lindellcondo001.jpg

So in these pictures I keep seeing a bunch of housing going up, and I know the city is creating many lofts throughout the city. But I was wondering if there was really a huge demand? I came home from school and went downtown on a Friday night and so much of it just seemed dead. So many StL suburbs are growing like crazy, what is to bring the people back into the city? Don't get me wrong, I love St. Louis. I just dont think I'd want to live downtown if i moved back there.

Downtown is growing residentially, but the retail isnt there yet to create the constant momentum you have in other cities. Ballpark village, the Bottle District, and the Pinnacle retail at Laclede's Landing, are all under construction. Most likely, until they're finished with these projects, it will be quiet, as it has been.

Downtown's housing is currently over 90% occupied, so the demand is very much there. There are waiting lists for several incomplete projects.

As for the new towers, the Park East (www.parkeasttower.com) in the CWE sold over 50% (pre-construction sales goals) three months ahead of projections-- faster than many of the developer's projects in Chicago. That is what prompted the subsequent highrise proposals.

What many doubters need to realize is that these developers are business people. It costs millions upon millions of dollars just to draw up plans for a new project. They would not invest the time, money and energy if they didn't feel the market could support it. St. Louis is very much coming back.

St Louis is coming back! Indeed it is, my brotha.

About the Bottle District and Ballpark Village--what IS the deal with these things? Is there not one set rendering? And what kind of a retail component is planned? The more I search and read about these things the more I am confused. Anyone have any good links or can fill me in with the details?

I was in St Louis for a business trip, and just wanted to say how impressed I was. The new Cardinals stadium looked sweet, and liked all the condo conversions. You guys have a neat city, and from what I saw, an even better future ahead.

The top ones are the latest. The bottom are the oldest.

I'm kind of undecided on the latest drawings. They sort of resemble buildings I saw in Vancouver.

Nonetheless, I'm excited about the additions to the skyline. It's about time some large (a new tallest) buildings come up.

It's too bad though that no building is allowed to be taller than the arch. From an asthetic point of view, I suppose it would look nice if the arch remains the tallest object. However, it does put an uneccessary limit on what/who can build in the city.

Yep, another Central West End Tower

http://www.urbanstlouis.com/images/renderings/lindellcondo001.jpg

Is that part of the ballpark village?

No, that is a new building proposed in the Central West End.

No, that is a new building proposed in the Central West End.

Guess I'll have to look at a map to see where exactly that is. :angel:

If I'm not mistaken, the Savvis Center is located near the south west part of downtown. I'm guessing the building you posted is not too far, closer too SLU or Wash U.

It is at Euclid and Lindell.
http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/54403116.jpg

The White and Green glass building is in the Central West End part of the city. No where near downtown. It will be built at the corner of Lindell and Euclid.
And Guy Legend, there is no limit on how high buildings can go. Everyone thinks nothing can go higher then the arch but its not true. And Mayor Slay even said something about on his webpage and a few people on here have also. And when the new Bottle District buildings are built i beleave one of them will be taller then the arch. 70 floors range, i dont remember.

^God, I hope that doesn't set a precedent. I think St. Louis would look so stupid if buildings downtown towered over the Arch. Even if there isn't an official ordinance prohibiting buildings taller than the Arch, I think developers should still uphold the standard. I don't care if we have 70-story towers elswhere in the city, just not close enough to take away from the Arch's majesty. I'd rather have dozens of 40-story towers than one or two 800-footers. Height is not as important as aesthetics.

I just like the fact that something is being built in St. Louis. However, those renderings of the riverfront are nice, very nice, but what would happen if we have a nother flood of '93. That whole project would be underwater. Kinda risky.

They took the floods into account. For example, the islands in one plan are made to float.

I visited 'Boulevard St Louis' last weekend.

Very nice design. But sadly, it's just another mall that tries to look like Main Street USA.

If St Louis built more of that stuff and integrated it with its streetgrid, that would be wonderful. But the area around 'Boulevard' seems far too suburban for that to ever occur

^That's because it is in a suburb. But you're right, I'd like to see that kind of development more widespread.

St Louis is coming back! Indeed it is, my brotha.


^ Hells yeah!

From the January 20, 2006 print edition
McGuire, Ghazi change plans, name for Bottle District
Lisa R. Brown

The $300 million Bottle District planned for north of downtown will begin taking shape in March with a new name and changes to its original design.

The 18.5-acre development on the site of McGuire Moving & Storage is now being marketed as the Gateway Village. The Bottle District theme, named for century-old bottles unearthed on the site, will be the name of the development's entertainment and dining district.

The changes were made after Dan McGuire, owner of the property and the driver behind the development, brought Charlotte, N.C.-based The Ghazi Co. on as a joint venture partner last fall. McGuire said that as the project gained momentum in 2005, it was time to partner with a company with experience as a lead developer. Clayco is the general contractor, and New York-based Studio Daniel Libeskind, working in conjunction with Clayco's Forum Studios, is designing the project. DMR Architects of Charlotte is also working with Forum Studios on the master planning of the site.

"We're not a developer," McGuire said. "We managed to bring it this far, and we think we've done a terrific job." The Ghazi Co. is now handling leasing at the Bottle District. "We're handling what we had in the works before they joined," said Matt Bernsen, marketing director for the Bottle District. "They have experience with mixed-use development that we don't, and they have a list of tenants that aren't in St. Louis that they work with on the East Coast."

McGuire is narrowing his choices for financing the project among three lenders. Royal Banks of Missouri financed property acquisition for the project.

"(Ghazi Co.'s) concern was being able to bring residential to the project," McGuire said. "By changing part of the name, it gives them a lot more opportunity to bring in residential developers." McGuire said it's still undetermined what amount of residential the project will contain. The new plans call for at least two 35-story residential towers and possibly a taller one, he said. Previous plans showed three residential towers, at 24, 28 and 32 stories in height.

Read More (http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2006/01/23/story5.html)

Eww, I hate the name "Gateway Village." It sounds like a nursing home for NASCAR fans.

The dumbest name ever. Who do we need to write to to tell them they're stupid?

^Funny, I thought the same thing. "Retirement Village". But, I will bet they are thinking about the popularity of "Ballpark Village". I don't mind if they change the name, we are getting too many "Districts". But, now we are getting too many "Villages". They need to try again. Having said that, I am looking forward to seeing the new towers break ground.

Some updated photos of the City Hospital rehab (Georgian Condominiums) posted over at urbanstl.

http://www.urbanstlouis.com/photos/georgian006a.jpg

http://www.urbanstlouis.com/photos/georgian007a.jpg

http://www.urbanstlouis.com/photos/georgian008a.jpg

http://www.urbanstlouis.com/photos/georgian009a.jpg

http://www.urbanstlouis.com/photos/georgian010a.jpg

Another Update.

http://img384.imageshack.us/img384/9804/downtownstl228mm.jpg

XING- nice job. :)

By the way, i keep finding different renderings of the Bottle District. Some of them don't even have any scrapers. Some of them are just drawings. Can you do some digging? Find out what is the final look on the bottle district.

Thanks

The Bottle District will have skyscrapers. The renderings you see without it, were the very first ones presented. The latest news is that there will be skyscrapers, and they will be pretty tall. Construction begins in March. Currently, the land is being cleared.

In ten years when the Bottle District is built up you won't even be able to recognize Saint Louis, except for the Arch. We'll be right up there with the second tier of midwest downtowns like Minneapolis. I'm talking in terms of skyscrapers since we're already past most when we talk about beautiful old buildings, history and atmosphere. I can't wait to see my downtown in 2015, and just rub peoples noses in it.

Another High Rise-
Groundbreaking is the 22nd of this Month.

http://www.urbanstlouis.com/images/renderings/robertstower.jpg

Would someone ban this waste of a human life already?

BARF!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh well it will probably be vacant in 15 years so guys will have a chance to make it into a parking garage.
Jealousy is humorous.

The Mayfair addition is nice, but I have a few complaints:

1) It looks a little '60s (not necessarily bad)
2) It should be taller
3) I think it's so obnoxious to brand everything with ROBERTS It looks cheesy with all those words on top of the building

It is at Euclid and Lindell.
http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/54403116.jpg

Thanks. :okay:

The Mayfair addition is nice, but I have a few complaints:

1) It looks a little '60s (not necessarily bad)
2) It should be taller
3) I think it's so obnoxious to brand everything with ROBERTS It looks cheesy with all those words on top of the building

I think the design, which is not terribly exciting, fits into the surrounding neighborhood well. And I agree completely that the ROBERTS name and other wording on the top looks very cheesy.....please, someone tell them to take it out of their design! I would look so much better and cleaner!

I think that they could do a little better to make it fit into the area, and dear god take that atrocious sign off of the top. That sign makes it look like some 60's cheap hotel like "Tommy's Lodge", or "The Escondido Inn and Pool Hall".

learn to spell and grow up!

Hey friends in St. Louis. I wanted to ask you about The Bottle District and the Ghazi Company. Ghazi has just proposed a 32-story, 400-condo, 150-room hotel in downtown Milwaukee and I've seen that he is also doing the Bottle District in St. Louis. Just curious if these guys are serious, have/are doing a good job, etc.

Thanks.

They are to break ground this month. I loved the original renderings but last I heard they scaled it back a bit and is a little less impressive. Still should look great with a 600 footer though.

what a joke.... this whole thread is proposals.

STL needs to worry about the half empty buildings. With more people leaving daily, none of these proposals will break ground.

You should be worried about crime and keeping the muds from chasing the innocents.

NO Wonder the STL forumers REFUSED to post a pic of the Central West End!
EMPHATIC PROOF
COMPARE AND BOW DOWN TO THE TRUTH BITCHES.
Central West End... the pride of STL..lol
http://www.pbase.com/citylover/image/54403116.jpg

KC's Plaza blows it away 100X
http://photos.***************/kcgridlock/aerials/IMG_6094_mod.jpg

http://photos.***************/kcgridlock/aerials/IMG_6077.jpg

Can we say insecure? First you start a KC vs. STL thread, and now you feel the need to infiltrate a St. Louis development thread which has absolutely NOTHING to do with KC? You are desperate, and it's no wonder. Your great little city is still in St. Louis's shadow and you know it. Nobody in St. Louis gives a flying fuck about any other part of the state. It's obvious the reverse is not true.

Jive,

Isn't it interesting that this LJK clown accuses you of having multiple personas on this message board when it is obvious that he and raytownthug are one and the same. I like how he started that other KC/STL comparison thread with his LJK name being the nice one that was going to politely claim that KC was better while using his raytownthug name to be the "tough guy" who would threaten people and insult the STL people. But when raytown got his dick knocked in the dirt and it was obvious that he couldn't use him anymore and he had to stick with just his LJK name, then slowly but surely his real personality (raytownthug) came out while he was using the LJK name.

If nothing else, watching the frailties, insecurities and foibles of the human psyche on this board is very amusing.

I read through the last few pages and these projects look great! Love the Bottle District plans. Sounds like St. Louis is also riding the wave of new residential construction throughout the Midwest.

A couple of questions. (If this was discussed earlier in the thread I apologize for being a bit lazy and not reading through the whole thread!) How is the general feeling in St. Louis about the overall strength of the condo market? In Minneapolis it is tapering off somewhat, especially since a few thousand new units will be coming online downtown in the next two years. However developers still keep proposing projects though. Have you heard of a lot of speculators/flippers in your market? Do you think the boom will last a few years yet?

Thanks! And keep the great updates coming!

You should be worried about crime and keeping the muds from chasing the innocents.

Seriously? Are people still this ignorant in this day and age? Thank god this waste of space was banned..

Anyways, back to STL development, I am really excited about the Bottle District as well. Hopefully it will become an exciting destination not just for tourists, but for people who live in the city and the area as well. I do have one question though - does anyone know the exact height of the proposed tower during Phase 3 of construction? Or is it an estimate/wait and see what demand is kind of thing...I could have sworn I looked at a .pdf file of the project that showed it around 650 feet. I could be mistaken as well, maybe the new renderings scrapped the tower I am thinking about. Honestly, I kinda liked the previous renderings better than the current ones on the website.

Jive, I know you've expressed this concern before about buildings taller than the Arch being so close in proximity that could take away from its stature (for lack of a better word.) I am kinda in the same boat - but, I think it would be really sweet of STL to regain the tallest building in MO title once again. If a 650 foot tower were to materialize out of this project, do you think it is too close?

So I have a couple questions for the STL forumers as well. I think this is one of the best opportunities, at least in the forseeable future, for STL to regain this title. And if it is, shouldn't we try to take advantage of it? Or should I even care about the title? :)

I personally don't care about the title. I'm not opposed to having a building taller than the Arch in the Bottle District, I just think it would look pretty ridiculous in the immediate downtown area for the post card shots. The Arch was designed to be the majestic centerpiece of the skyline and I think it should remain so. Skyscrapers are great and all, I just don't think they mean much. I'd rather have several 25-story buildings than one 55-story building.

^^ Yeah I guess titles don't really that much....still it'd be nice to bring it back to the east side of the state :)

I guess I should just hope that the final design is more functional and successful than anything...And I've read some comments that it could have kind of a RenCen effect on the skyline...I think Xing posted some renderings before that looked fantastic, especially the one looking south on the skyline from approx. 4 or 5 miles away (granted it was of the older renderings, but still great stuff nonetheless!) Anyway it gets built, it will still be good news for the city of STL regardless.

Population of St. Louis scores third straight year of growth
Associated Press

ST. LOUIS - After more than five decades of declining population, the city of St. Louis saw growth for the third straight year in 2005.

Mayor Francis Slay announced Friday that the U.S. Census Bureau's population estimate for July 1, 2005, is 352,572. That is up about 1,800 people from the previous year.

The original Census projection for 2005 was lower, but the city successfully challenged it.

For the third straight year, the Census Bureau accepted the city's numbers, Slay said.

It's easy to understand why the city is advertising the good news. For 50 years, the city had an annual average loss of 10,000 residents.

"There's new energy in the city of St. Louis, and people are starting to recognize what we offer in the city -- architecture, diversity of culture and people, entertainment and cultural attractions, tight-knit neighborhoods," Slay said.

He said the city has done a better job of processing building permits. Most are granted the same day they are sought. Slay said 20,000 new or rehabilitated homes have been brought onstream in the last five years.

"The building boom in neighborhoods shows no sign of slowing down," he said.

The Blues are finally sold (pending board of governor approval) to Dave Checketts. :banana: :rock: :righton: :applause: :cheers1:

Oh, to keep it on the subject of development....you can expect some upgrades to the Savvis Center. :)

sweet, it'll be good to see the blues get back on their feet... it's a shame they'll miss the playoffs for the first time in 25 years :down:

are these upgrades for sure going to happen? and do you know how soon?

sweet, it'll be good to see the blues get back on their feet... it's a shame they'll miss the playoffs for the first time in 25 years :down:

are these upgrades for sure going to happen? and do you know how soon?

The only upgrade confirmed thus far is a new scoreboard (jumbotron). Expect whatever improvements are announced to be part of next season. Also, it's pretty likely that the naming rights are sold off to another company.

It's unfortunate that this season had to be thrown away due to the sale. Nonetheless, brighter days are ahead. The Blues will have some great picks in this years draft and will be an active player in the free agent market. Here's to a quick recovery. :cheers:

I was born and raised in St Louis.

I used to say that the signs on Highway 70 should read "70 WEST DENVER" because that's the next city to the west.

Go Royals...to Sacramento.

what is the progress on the new Mississippi River Bridge, just to the north of downtown?

saint fuckin' louis. i hope nothing taller than the arch gets built but then again, philly long broke the gentlemens' agree ment about not building higher than billy penn.

@ KC forumers, if you have nothing constructive to add to this topic and feel an unstopable urge to troll in this thread...do us a favor and don't...or else....

St. Louis got some good press here, so I thought you all might like to see this!
FIXING URBAN DECAY
BALTIMORE SUN
By Lorraine Mirabella
Originally published May 5, 2006

Touring Kansas City, Mo.'s Quality Hill neighborhood in the mid-1980s, Richard Baron looked beyond the crumbling and vacant former mansions and hotels built by the city's mid-19th century elite. Though residents with the means to get out had fled decades earlier, the developer envisioned a community that would attract people of all incomes.

His company, McCormack Baron Salazar, took on a redevelopment that created more than 300 restored or new apartments, plus condos and new shops. All are housed in red brick buildings with bay windows and wrought iron railings, just minutes from the commercial district. Nearby, new offices and pricey loft condos are sprouting in refurbished garment factories, and a full-service grocery store is in the works.

In Kansas City and more than a dozen other cities that will soon include Baltimore, the St. Louis developer has been drawn to gritty urban landscapes to build housing for a mix of incomes, a notion the company helped pioneer. Often, the schools are struggling; residents live in outdated and deteriorating public housing, and jobs are hard to come by.

In Baltimore, McCormack Baron will develop the housing portion of an $800 million project to reshape a section of midtown bordered by Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Howard and Dolphin streets and Madison Avenue. The complex of state-owned office buildings, which employ some 3,500 workers, is slated to become a 25-acre hub of offices, shops, a hotel and mixed-income housing centered on Metro subway and light-rail stops.

Ultimately, the State Center project could be the springboard for the 20-year revitalization of a 110-acre swath, with 3,200 homes, 1.2 million square feet of privately developed offices and 570,000 square feet of retail space. Since it was founded in 1973, McCormack Baron says it has developed 113 projects in 28 cities at a cost of $1.5 billion.

"McCormack Baron has conceivably more experience than anybody in dealing with difficult urban sites," said Charlie Duff, executive director of the Midtown Development Corp. "They have a very strong commitment to good design, and they have a very strong commitment to community employment and a national track record of getting things done."

Baron, 63, chairman and chief executive of McCormack Baron Salazar, says he relishes the challenge of tougher, urban projects. They succeed, he believes, when attractive, secure homes are coupled with programs to turn around troubled schools, to foster the arts and to provide job training for those who live there. They flourish, he says, when residents feel pride in their homes, which typically offer amenities such as washers and dryers, swimming pools and security systems.

"What we're doing in our communities is trying to create places that focus on housing opportunities for a broad cross section of the community while looking at issues related to family and kids," said Baron. He worked as a Legal Aid lawyer representing public housing tenants in St. Louis before starting what was then McCormack Associates with homebuilder Terry McCormack.

"We're trying to find ways of serving families and children that live in the community," McCormack said. In developing close to 13,000 units of mixed-income housing over three decades, McCormack Baron has built a reputation for pulling together complex financing deals; lobbying and winning support from government, private foundations and corporations; and gaining the trust and involvement of communities.

The developer sticks with projects for the long term, say those who have worked with the company, as its nonprofit affiliate, Urban Strategies, works on starting or enhancing programs in schools and the arts. "Richard Baron's projects make a huge difference, not just on the block where they're located but in an entire region," said Kathryn Schukar Bader, chairman of U.S. Bancorp's Community Development Corp. in St. Louis, which has been a lender and investor in his company's projects. "The key focus that we share is you can't put unsupported housing in the middle of nothing, or in the middle of negative influences and expect it to succeed. There needs to be an anchor, like schools, churches and employers, some kind of neighborhood center programming."

McCormack Baron will work as part of a team led by Baltimore's Struever Bros. Eccles & Rouse and including minority-owned Doracon Development and the Canyon Johnson Urban Fund, the private equity fund started by NBA Hall of Fame star Earvin "Magic" Johnson. The developers expect months of planning with the community and state and city government before a detailed plan for State Center will emerge. But the project, to start construction in 2008, will likely include both rental and for-sale housing. Bobby Turner, a managing partner in Canyon Johnson, said his fund's backers share a vision with other team members about revitalizing, rather than gentrifying, urban areas.

"Regentrification involves displacement of existing residents and changing the character of a community," he said. "We attempt to foster opportunities for existing residents and raise the quality of the amenities being provided." Baron said he was attracted to Baltimore's market and the opportunity to build a community centered around public transit. McCormack Baron has worked with neighborhood groups and residents of public housing in many of its projects and plans to do so at State Center, which is adjacent to McCulloh Homes public housing project.

Bader, of U.S. Bancorp, said McCormack Baron projects typically start at the grass roots level. "Some developers come to a neighborhood and say this is what we can do for you," she said. "Richard starts with charrettes [sessions to generate ideas] and meetings with local residents to hear what they want and what they need." The developer sees its work with schools as one way to attract families, Baron said. The company works with superintendents and principals to improve curriculum or finance upgrades. The company has helped set up after-school arts programs or summer school programs, often underwritten by other organizations.

In the late 1980s, McCormack Baron won a bid to redevelop a 20-acre burned-out section of Pittsburgh known as the Lower Hill district, an area close to downtown that had bustled with stores and jazz clubs in the 1940s and 1950s. "It had become a no man's land between the Upper Hill where people were living and the downtown Golden Triangle of the city," said George Whitmer, a former executive director of the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh, which led the redevelopment for the city.

"At that time, there hadn't been anybody in Pittsburgh who had taken a role in developing low- to moderate-income neighborhoods, outside of the typical Section 8." With the help of subsidies, McCormack Baron developed Crawford Square, the first major new housing built in Pittsburgh in years, with more than 400 new apartments and single-family homes, half priced at market rates and half for low-income residents.

"Certainly a blighted area was improved 200 percent," Whitmer said. "Though housing may not have the impact of a stadium or the Inner Harbor, you have to look at what the area was like before. Did it have an impact on the fringe? Not to the extent you would have hoped, but it made a major impact on the area."

In St. Louis, the company worked with federal and local housing officials to redevelop deteriorating public housing called Vaughn Towers, which was built in 1957. The three-phase Murphy Park project resulted in 413 units of new low-rise homes, with brick fronts, individual entryways and porches, playgrounds and a swimming pool. McCormack Baron formed a neighborhood/private sector partnership to offer day care, job training and youth and health services to residents. Baron also helped raise $4 million for the local Jefferson Elementary School. "This area was heavily blighted and very low-income and Richard Baron basically came in and re-created it," said Bader.

A newer article on the development of the Bottle district and Ballpark village projects.

Digging downtown
Is there room for out-of-town developers Ghazi, Cordish to play in St. Louis' sandbox?

St. Louis Business Journal - May 12, 2006by Lisa R. Brown
Print this Article Email this Article Reprints RSS Feeds Most Viewed Most Emailed
Developers of two multimillion-dollar entertainment, office and residential projects on opposite ends of downtown St. Louis are gearing up for a race over who can get off the ground first.

Some say the $650 million Gateway Village and Bottle District north of the Edward Jones Dome and the $650 million Ballpark Village next to Busch Stadium on the south side of the central business district can successfully co-exist. But the developers of the two massive projects are both promising to bring the first new-construction high-rise residential tower to the city in more than a decade. They both say they'll bring 360,000 square feet of retail and entertainment tenants, with construction set to begin by the end of this year. And, both are floating Borders as a potential tenant.



Along with the question of whether the pool of tenants, residents, and shoppers is deep enough to support the developments, there's also the question of whether there's enough city subsidy to go around. The Ghazi Co., the lead developer on Gateway Village and the Bottle District, is one step ahead of Cordish Co., the developer of Ballpark Village, having secured $51.5 million in tax increment financing from the city. Cordish is asking for millions of dollars in public subsidy, but has not disclosed the amount it is requesting from the city. At the same time, St. Louis-based Pyramid Cos. has requested a $34.3 million TIF from the city for its redevelopment of St. Louis Centre, which also has Borders on its short list of desired tenants.

Charlotte, N.C.-based The Ghazi Co., lead developer of Gateway Village, the residential and office portion of the development at Interstate 70 and Broadway, and the Bottle District, which will include restaurants and entertainment venues, plans to begin construction of the first $350 million phase of the project by the end of this summer. Subsequent phases, which include plans for a 45-story office tower designed by New York-based Daniel Libeskind and three residential towers, push the project past the $650 million mark.

The developers behind Ballpark Village, a 50-50 partnership between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Baltimore, Md.-based Cordish Co., say they want to begin construction this fall on the now-vacant site of the former Busch Stadium. Cordish has opened a local office at the Bank of America Plaza, and will have a staff of 15 by July.

Site work and demolition on the 18-acre Gateway Village and Bottle District site is nearly complete. The Ghazi Co. has three employees in St. Louis at an office at the McGuire Moving & Storage headquarters on the site of Gateway Village. St. Louis-based Forum Studios is the lead architect, and Clayco is the general contractor. Greg Smith of Husch & Eppenberger is the lead attorney, and Joi Niedner of St. Charles-based McKelvey Properties is the local leasing agent.

Afshin Ghazi, president and founder of The Ghazi Co., confirmed this week that 75 percent of the development's planned 330,000 square feet of retail space has been leased. New tenant signings include Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc.'s 150-room W Aloft Hotel and the lease of 60,000 square feet of space by Charlotte-based Bar Management Group for seven to 10 restaurant/entertainment venues. Bar Management Group operates several restaurant and bar chains in markets throughout the country. These new tenants join previously announced tenants, the Cabo Wabo Cantina restaurant, Grand Prix Speedways Formula One go-kart track and Rawlings All American Grille and adjoining museum, which will open locations in the Bottle District.

Bob Durkin, president of Bar Management Group, said the company is still determining the mix of tenants to bring to the Bottle District. "The Ghazi Co. is about the best in the business, and the city itself has major league baseball and football. The location is in the cross-hairs of everything that's going on."

Ghazi also announced the conversion of McGuire Moving & Storage's headquarters into 100 loft condominiums and the construction of a 250-unit apartment tower will begin this year. Owner Dan McGuire is an investment partner in the Bottle District and co-developer. The condos will start in the $200,000s.

The Cordish Co. has not released any tenant leases for Ballpark Village, which will span six city blocks, have 360,000 square feet of retail and entertainment tenants, 1,200 residential units in three towers and 300,000 square feet of office space. "Each project that Cordish does is unique to the city it's being developed in," said Kimber Goodwin, Cordish's public relations director.

Although developers of both the Bottle District and Ballpark Village say they will start construction by the end of the year, neither has announced banks that will back the projects.

St. Louis-based Royal Bank was the lender on the property assemblage and work to date at the Bottle District. Atlanta-based Noble Investment Group Ltd. will own and manage the W Aloft hotel.

Ghazi said having Gateway Village and the Bottle District north of downtown and away from the congestion during Cardinals games will be attractive to residents and retailers. "A key thing with a project like this is, it needs to be in the thick of things, but you don't want to be locked in near the front of Busch Stadium, where there are more than 70 games a year," Ghazi said. "I think we have an exceptional opportunity here, with the visibility off of I-70. We will be the first thing you will see coming into St. Louis."

lrbrown@bizjournals.com

http://stlouis.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2006/05/15/story2.html

A newer article on the development of the Bottle district and Ballpark village projects.



http://stlouis.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2006/05/15/story2.html

I drove past the Bottle District site yesterday and nothing seems to be happening. Anyone know what the delay is?

A rumor is circulating about a 71 story high rise for Downtown STL. Some people report seeing a rendering at a housing tour. It would be mixed use, and near the new stadium, possibly part of the Chauteau Lake Project.

A rumor is circulating about a 71 story high rise for Downtown STL. Some people report seeing a rendering at a housing tour. It would be mixed use, and near the new stadium, possibly part of the Chauteau Lake Project.

Holy crap...71 stories?? That could be approaching anywhere from 900-1000 feet!

A rumor is circulating about a 71 story high rise for Downtown STL. Some people report seeing a rendering at a housing tour. It would be mixed use, and near the new stadium, possibly part of the Chauteau Lake Project.

:eek:

For more information, you can go to http://www.urbanstl.com

Another render of Pinnacle Entertainment - Casino (under construction).

http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/6263/pinnacledaytimecityl0vq.jpg

The base looks like shit.

That doesn't look too bad to me.

I've seen worse bases

I recently read that this will be Missouri's first Four Seasons hotel and should be giving the Ritz Carlton and Westin some stiff competition.

Wow, this thread doesn't get updated too often.

I miss St Louis. My brother moved from there--I'm not sure how long it will be before I see it again..

because we're all over here- urbanstl.com and here skyscraperpage.com.

http://img238.imageshack.us/img238/7122/imgmwskyscraper2el7.jpg

Just wanted to show everyone the new rendering of the 71 story proposed skyscraper for downtown STL. More info can be found here! (http://www.urbanstl.com/viewtopic.php?t=2676&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0) or at the McGowan & Walsh (http://www.mcgowanwalsh.com/index.html) website. I love it btw!! :cheers:

People are gonna freak out here if something surpasses the Arch in height.

News on the ball park village:

Delay in construction on Ballpark village due to major changes View VIDEO

06:26 PM CDT on Wednesday, August 30, 2006

(KMOV) – There's a new addition to Busch Stadium construction that's raising eyebrows and causing some confusion.

We’ve reached the homestretch of the new ballpark's first regular season and still no solid answers on when the stadium's ugly surroundings will finally get their upgrade.

Ballpark village, the multi-million dollar retail, entertainment and residential district slated to be developed by the Cardinals and the Cordish Company.

But when?

Adding to the confusion is that parking lot that recently went in behind me here at Walnut and Broadway. Its left some fans wondering if there's been a snag in the execution of getting the village built.

Its also sparking rumors but Mayor Slay says the delay isn't a negative, because plans are now for the original $60 million village project to be a stellar $600 million downtown destination.

Mayor Slay says all parties have been in contact with each other several times a week for the past several weeks.

They hope to be well into phase one by 2008.

The village must be complete by 2011, or the Cardinals could pay a penalty of up to $3 million a year.

Both the city and the cardinals have confirmed that new parking lot is temporary and will be open to fans within the next few days.

Check out this video from Busch Stadium. Hopefully the person didn't wind up in the hospital: http://youtube.com/watch?v=9vVN35_hXuQ

I've seen worse bases

all of your base are belong to us

http://img238.imageshack.us/img238/7122/imgmwskyscraper2el7.jpg

Just wanted to show everyone the new rendering of the 71 story proposed skyscraper for downtown STL. More info can be found here! (http://www.urbanstl.com/viewtopic.php?t=2676&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0) or at the McGowan & Walsh (http://www.mcgowanwalsh.com/index.html) website. I love it btw!! :cheers:

I thought no tall building was to exceed the height of the Gateway Arch.

^No, that's an urban legend.

Holy crap the M&W tower is a serious proposal!? Someone has listed it on the SSP diagram as an OFFICE tower of over 340m. It would be incredible for St Louis to get a 1000 footer, but the render shows a buidling that must be 300 feet wide, either that or it is shorter than we think. Good luck St Louis and congrats on your damn world series...haha!

Very nice building.

Any updated info on that 71 story tower? I wasn't sure if it was a done deal or what.

Just a quick note that Pinnacle has almost doubled the investment of its new project in DT STL, from $450 million to almost $1 billion! Here is the article -

Pinnacle double downs its bet
By Christopher Boyce
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
11/17/2006

Pinnacle Entertainment has raised the ante on its $430 million casino and hotel project at the downtown riverfront. The Las Vegas-based gaming company announced it is expanding the project, now named Lumière Place, to add more retail and residential space, which will double the company's total investment to nearly $1 billion.

"We did this because we wanted to create a neighborhood," Pinnacle Chairman and Chief Executive Daniel Lee said during a Thursday news conference to unveil the new name. "We need to persuade people to come back downtown."

The expansion was not part of the original project and it will be considered a separate phase from the hotel and casino currently being built, Lee said. The first phase is slated for completion in late 2007.

The second-phase will contain 375 condos, encompassing more than 617,000 square feet. To help justify the space as a residential environment, Lumière Place will feature amenities such as parks and pools for residents only.

Within the total of 220,810 square feet for retail, Pinnacle has earmarked 35,258 square feet for a high-end grocery store and more than 11,000 square feet for a cafe.

Pinnacle did not set start or end dates for the second phase and only roughly estimated that the cost should at least equal its current $430 million casino project. Lee said specific dates and costs would be determined after Pinnacle surveys interest from prospective retailers and residents.

To help attract conventioneers from nearby America's Center, the gambling company announced Thursday it would build a tunnel with moving walkways to connect the Edward Jones Dome to Lumière Place.

When used in conjunction with another walkway from the casino to the Embassy Suites hotel at Dr. Martin Luther King Drive and First Street, pedestrians will be able to go from the stadium to First Street under cover.

The riverfront project has ballooned substantially since Pinnacle's original proposal for a $250 million casino, hotel and residential project was chosen by the Missouri Gaming Commission in September 2004.

From the beginning, Pinnacle agreed to build $50 million in residential development in addition to the $200 million casino and hotel. In December 2005, the company met half of that requirement when it partnered with Rodgers Group Development on the $25 million Port St. Louis 49-unit condo on Laclede's Landing.

The idea for the phase two expansion blossomed from comments made by an executive from Four Seasons Hotels, Lee told the Post-Dispatch. While observing the construction site during a meeting in a room at the Embassy Suites, the hotel executive looked out at the existing land and suggested Pinnacle should buy the rest of the area.

Lee eventually paid the city $15 million to purchase 13 acres east of what Pinnacle already owned. The company now owns the property between Martin Luther King Drive on the south and Carr Street on the north and between Interstate 70 and the Mississippi River.

Lee drafted architect Jon Jerde's firm to design phase two of the project. The Jerde Partnership was behind such projects as the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas and Universal City Walk in Los Angeles. Lee said he chose Jerde to help him give Lumiere Place its own identity.

"We didn't want to become known as part of Laclede's Landing," Lee said.

Though Lee estimated the casino at Lumière Place will draw $50 million in annual revenue, the additional development makes the investment potentially more lucrative by creating additional sources of revenue.

Due to Missouri's law that only allows gamblers to lose $500 in an hour, Pinnacle's casino is not going to be a destination for high rollers, Lee said. He said the company will lobby to get rid of that limit.

The expansion of Lumière Place may leave the President Casino on the Admiral with a grim future. Pinnacle has a preliminary agreement to purchase the bankrupt casino's assets. The boat, which is more than 90 years old, needs a new hull in the next three years, Lee said. That would cost too much to justify, considering that Pinnacle has other boats in storage that could take the Admiral's place, Lee said.

But when asked if he thought it made sense to replace the Admiral, moored at the edge of Pinnacle's Lumière Place property, with another gambling boat, Lee said "probably not." That leaves a question mark about what the company would do with the President's valuable gambling license.

Lee also said Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts is nearly set to extend its franchise to the 200-room luxury hotel at Lumière Place, but there is a snag. The Toronto-based hotel chain is butting heads with the Lodge of the Four Seasons Resort and Spa in Lake of the Ozarks.

He said that the establishment in the Ozarks is not related the hotel chain and that the two establishments are trying to work out a way to differentiate themselves in the Missouri market.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/business/stories.nsf/story/B6F6D1E1945A7582862572290010CE2A?OpenDocument

Not sure why there would be such confusion over the Lodge of the Four Seasons at the lake and the Four Seasons in St. Louis since they are about 200 miles apart.

Lumiere Place? Who the hell picked that name? What is "Lumiere" and how does it relate to the riverfront or St. Louis? Very dumb name in my opinion.

Lumiere Place? Who the hell picked that name? What is "Lumiere" and how does it relate to the riverfront or St. Louis? Very dumb name in my opinion.


who cares about the name...a billion dollar investment is a billion dollar investment! on the riverfront, no doubt! :banana:

http://img238.imageshack.us/img238/7122/imgmwskyscraper2el7.jpg

Just wanted to show everyone the new rendering of the 71 story proposed skyscraper for downtown STL. More info can be found here! (http://www.urbanstl.com/viewtopic.php?t=2676&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0) or at the McGowan & Walsh (http://www.mcgowanwalsh.com/index.html) website. I love it btw!! :cheers:


Very nice-looking tower. You could even call it kick ass! :cheers1:

Won't its position in downtown St. Louis make it look somewhat seperate from the skyline core?

It needs to sit as far west as the Eagleton Courthouse so that it won't take away from the majesty of the Arch.

Nice looking tower, but I don't think there is a market for it, the Ballpark Village, and all the other projects in the area.

Anybody have views to get an idea? That would be awesome.

M&W don't say anything about this tower on their site. How obtuse of them!

Lumiere Place? Who the hell picked that name? What is "Lumiere" and how does it relate to the riverfront or St. Louis? Very dumb name in my opinion.

Lumiere is the French word for "light," and I suppose it is supposed to refer to the glassy architecture or maybe the "light" and expansive feeling one is supposed to have from being in the development.

I don't have strong feelings one way or the other about the name. However, the French did found St. Louis, so a French name would have some connection to St. Louis.

^What I mean is that it isn't a catchy name at all. It sounds exclusive and pretentious. And as for the French connection, I can understand a reference to Chouteau or Laclede, but Lumiere? No relation to STL whatsoever. But oh well, it's just a name, and the project itself looks pretty good.

"Lumiere" is probably a word or phrase used by the founders of the area..!

It probably started from the first gas lighting lamps to ever shine in the city!
Now it's a 400+$million residential area rising next to the 400+$million Pinnacle
Casino under construction..! Next is Ballpark Village and then the the "Bottle-
District! All Downtown. The skyline will Lumiere!

^Not to be a pessimist, but I have very serious doubts that the Bottle District will materialize, at least to the extent they say it will.

Yeah, the first two projects are for sure! I put the bottle district last because I think it went back to the drawing boards... Surely something Grand
will become of this... It is some prime real estate!

^Not to be a pessimist, but I have very serious doubts that the Bottle District will materialize, at least to the extent they say it will.

Unfortunate, but true. Secretly I was hoping to get something taller than the Arch out of the BD but I don't think it'll happen (and Jive I know you don't want something that close to the Arch while still being that tall - JMHO.)

STL could sure use some new high-rises to enhance the skyline! I'm hoping after all the renovation winds down the buildings rise up!

Congrats on the banner! It looks great. Another midwestern city to represent.

^^ That's the first banner of STL I've seen in the last couple of years...
Thanks MJay! I'll send congrats also to all Midwest Cities featured on the banner! :cheers1:

I'm gonna post it on this thread just because I couldn't believe it, and I really like the pic. I wish new Busch would be in it, but beggars can't be choosers!!

*EDIT*

Evidently SSC uses the same .jpg numbers on a rolling scale? This pic was not St. Louis. Damn, I wish I woulda saved it on my hard drive!

This video was posted on KCRag forum concerning Ballpark Village and thought I'd put it on the STL thread. Here's a link to that KC thread and the video link.

http://forum.kcrag.com/index.php?topic=10360.0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-MS5l-S8yc

I remember when I was a kid heading down Highway 40 and there was the arch, so glorious. Now that view is pretty much history. I'm always conflicted about it: love the idea of a very tall building going up in D-town STL, hate the idea of anything overshadowing the thing that gives STL's skyline its world-class distinction.

And the M/W proposal looks dated to me. And way too thick...