CORTEX: St. Louis' Life Sciences and Technology District

roger wyoming II · PostJul 09, 2014#5262014-07-09T19:12+00:00

Presbyterian wrote:My hunch has been that Launchcode would do a residential campus in the Crescent building.

Was that something you heard or just instinct?

Going back to the what-to-do with the Railway Exchange, such a project would have been interesting for RR Exchange if that building had kept T-Rex. How cool would it have been if T-Rex were to have committed there, Tech Shop went in as well as a live/learn/work Launchcode incubator.... along with data centers, tech companies and market rate "Live above the Cloud" apartments? Maybe even put in a Harris-Stowe or UMSL computer science department. Oh well.... the building is all but empty.

terence d · PostJul 12, 2014#5272014-07-12T21:48+00:00

One of the two hours of last Thursday's "On Point" (NPR) focused on "Innovation Districts: Reshaping Our Cities, Changing Our Economies". Dennis Lower, president and CEO of Cortex was one of the guests.
Link to the show.

Presbyterian · PostJul 13, 2014#5282014-07-13T01:00+00:00

roger wyoming II wrote:
Presbyterian wrote:My hunch has been that Launchcode would do a residential campus in the Crescent building.
Was that something you heard or just instinct?

A hunch. But based on a convergence of factors. Denis Lower mentions that LaunchCode is considering a residential concept and looking at a historic building within CORTEX. The Crescent building shows up mysteriously in regional development documents labelled "residential" ... and then a version of the state buget has a mystery line item for millions to go toward a "business incubator" attached to UMSL but rumored to be located within CORTEX. That leads to a simple hunch. But it's just a hunch. Sometimes 1 and 1 and 1 is 3. Sometimes it's 111.

urban_dilettante · PostJul 13, 2014#5292014-07-13T05:02+00:00

^ and sometimes it's 7 (base 2) or 273 (base 16), etc.

arch city · PostJul 13, 2014#5302014-07-13T08:05+00:00

terence d wrote:One of the two hours of last Thursday's "On Point" (NPR) focused on "Innovation Districts: Reshaping Our Cities, Changing Our Economies". Dennis Lower, president and CEO of Cortex was one of the guests.
Link to the show.

Thanks so much for posting. Excellent show.

I'm even more impressed by Dennis Lower now. Cool, intelligent, knowledgeable and articulate. St. Louis is lucky to have him as an ambassador. He seemingly is the go-to person on the topic of urban innovation districts - and that can only bode well for CORTEX.

And by the way, that John Summers was such a "Donald Downer" antagonist. Please shoot yourself already, dude.

roger wyoming II · PostJul 17, 2014#5312014-07-17T16:27+00:00

Interesting stuff out of CMT's TOD study for Cortex just released recommending the Boyle Metrolink stop....

couple of take-aways:
Included in 2015 numbers:
-- Silo Lofts project is listed at 225 units; it looks like it won't have a huge retail component as just 8 jobs are listed.
new
Included in 10 year horizon:
-- it looks like Crescent (200 jobs) no longer is slated for residential... so probably non-residential LaunchCode incubator
-- 100 units are listed for an identified project at the Commerce Bank site on Manchester
-- Besides Custom Steel (1,500 daily jobs), big new office/research components are identified as:
1) Cortex Clean Cities site on Clayton (1,050 jobs)
2) WUMC building on Clayton (700 jobs)
3) BJC building on Sarah (1,000 jobs)

The Clean Cities and WUMC buildings on Clayton would be developed across from each other just east of Newstead. The BJC building would be just south of the tracks on the surface lot of its new office building. Of course some known stuff like the GRG trail and TechShop are also in there.... Exciting stuff!

urban_dilettante · PostJul 17, 2014#5322014-07-17T21:49+00:00

arch city wrote: And by the way, that John Summers was such a "Donald Downer" antagonist. Please shoot yourself already, dude.

Speaking of downers, I don't understand people like JohnThomas52 (in the linked show's comments). He complains regularly on the local blogs now too, including NextSTL. It's all negative all the time with him. And then he cuts and pastes his diatribes so that people across the country can read them. Why not just leave if you hate the place so much? How does one not realize that telling young people to stay away just perpetuates the problems you b*tch about? Here's just a sample of his BS:

Innovation is not likely to take off in a rust belt city like St. Louis just because it is an old and stodgy city where the old farts don't embrace innovation, diversity (non-white people), new ways of thinking, and progress. It's an unattractive and unfriendly city for young innovators and I do not recommend that young folks put down roots in this high crime town. St. Louis has a large senior population so in about a decade, there will be vast numbers of people gone. The population will decrease significantly and it will look a lot more like Detroit (though people won't admit to this fact). There will be more dyers (people who die) than there will be home buyers. A lot of the housing stock is old (just like its people) and it will be very expensive to rehab. If you are a "cheap bastard", then this is the town for you but beware: there will be a housing crash in 2020 as the vast baby boomer population start to leave their homes. I strongly advise young people not to buy property in St. Louis because they will lose equity.

For the love of God… so much bitterness. And it's all stuff that he repeats over and over and over again, linking the same handful of "evidence" ad nauseum. For example, BBC claimed (without evidence) that St. Louis is one of the most segregated cities in the US, therefore in his mind St. Louis is the most segregated city in the US and he's gonna shout it from our decaying old rooftops. I'm not saying it's not segregated (like many other cities) but he's going out of his way to sh*t all over everything.

Okay sorry about the rant. I'm just sickened and perplexed by his absurd negativity.

Ebsy · PostJul 18, 2014#5332014-07-18T03:53+00:00

Northern Cities like St. Louis are typically rather segregated. But I would argue that Milwaukee is more segregated than St. Louis, and certainly much more politically polarized.

TheNewSaintLouis · PostJul 18, 2014#5342014-07-18T12:49+00:00

Sounds like he should jump into the Mississippi & drown in it for all i care.
& if he don't like it here then move to Detroit or even Memphis.
Saint.Louis is doing some good things & we don't need arse lickers like him here

arch city · PostJul 18, 2014#5352014-07-18T17:13+00:00

urban_dilettante wrote:
arch city wrote: And by the way, that John Summers was such a "Donald Downer" antagonist. Please shoot yourself already, dude.
Speaking of downers, I don't understand people like JohnThomas52 (in the linked show's comments). He complains regularly on the local blogs now too, including NextSTL. It's all negative all the time with him. And then he cuts and pastes his diatribes so that people across the country can read them. Why not just leave if you hate the place so much? How does one not realize that telling young people to stay away just perpetuates the problems you b*tch about? Here's just a sample of his BS:

I read his comments too. I was thinking he was from Kansas City.

I've said before, St. Louisans are their own worst enemy. While constructive criticism of St. Louis is healthy, many born and bred St. Louisans can be downright hateful towards the region - the city in particular.

I am familiar with Houston, Dallas and Atlanta. Those cities have explosive economies because for the most part locals BELIEVED in those cities. St. Louisans, on average, DO NOT BELIEVE in St. Louis like they should. Atlantans, Houstonians and Dallasites/Dallasonians believing in their cities, trust me, has made an impact on how these regions have grown in population and economically. Most of us on this board are on here because we BELIEVE in and want nothing but the best - at times obsessively - for St. Louis.

Despite so many positive assets, for many St. Louisans like JohnThomas52 and including people I know personally in St. Louis, other cities just seem bigger and better. It's unfortunate but they are a drag on St. Louis. Fortunately, as the city rejuvenates, BELIEF in the city is slowly returning.

Quickly...... I recently ran into an older white lady who visited Missouri - including St. Louis - for vacation with her family and grandchildren a few weeks ago. They are originally from Wisconsin and Texas. Although in her early 60's, she had only driven-through or flown-through St. Louis in the past.

She expressed that she was "blown away" with St. Louis. She talked about the brick houses, clean streets, Sweetie Pie's, free attractions etc. etc. of St. Louis. She was thoroughly satisfied when visiting and even called Missouri, "the most beautiful state she has ever visited". Seriously!?!.....I thought.....

Ironically, she is not the first encounter I've had like that.

roger wyoming II · PostJul 18, 2014#5362014-07-18T19:20+00:00

^ I agree about quite a bit with the Believe sentiment.... I think this failure to believe in the city also extends to much of our corporate leadership. The more new blood the better and, trying to bring this back to Cortex, I'll just note Dennis Lower is from Louisiana.

pat · PostJul 18, 2014#5372014-07-18T20:36+00:00

A friend of mine from New York (who grew up here) brought some of her NY friends to the St. Louis over the weekend. They had never been to the Midwest. They did a biking pub crawl (their own), saw the Brewery, went up the Arch, did Forest Park, etc. She said her friends loved it and thoroughly enjoyed St. Louis. Didn't have any bad things to say. Stay positive STL.

imperialmog · PostJul 25, 2014#5382014-07-25T14:17+00:00

urban_dilettante wrote:
arch city wrote: And by the way, that John Summers was such a "Donald Downer" antagonist. Please shoot yourself already, dude.
Speaking of downers, I don't understand people like JohnThomas52 (in the linked show's comments). He complains regularly on the local blogs now too, including NextSTL. It's all negative all the time with him. And then he cuts and pastes his diatribes so that people across the country can read them. Why not just leave if you hate the place so much? How does one not realize that telling young people to stay away just perpetuates the problems you b*tch about? Here's just a sample of his BS:

Innovation is not likely to take off in a rust belt city like St. Louis just because it is an old and stodgy city where the old farts don't embrace innovation, diversity (non-white people), new ways of thinking, and progress. It's an unattractive and unfriendly city for young innovators and I do not recommend that young folks put down roots in this high crime town. St. Louis has a large senior population so in about a decade, there will be vast numbers of people gone. The population will decrease significantly and it will look a lot more like Detroit (though people won't admit to this fact). There will be more dyers (people who die) than there will be home buyers. A lot of the housing stock is old (just like its people) and it will be very expensive to rehab. If you are a "cheap bastard", then this is the town for you but beware: there will be a housing crash in 2020 as the vast baby boomer population start to leave their homes. I strongly advise young people not to buy property in St. Louis because they will lose equity.
For the love of God… so much bitterness. And it's all stuff that he repeats over and over and over again, linking the same handful of "evidence" ad nauseum. For example, BBC claimed (without evidence) that St. Louis is one of the most segregated cities in the US, therefore in his mind St. Louis is the most segregated city in the US and he's gonna shout it from our decaying old rooftops. I'm not saying it's not segregated (like many other cities) but he's going out of his way to sh*t all over everything.

Okay sorry about the rant. I'm just sickened and perplexed by his absurd negativity.

It seems like a really outdated rant that would have made more sense said in the 1970s or even 1980s. I think the age demographics issue he was mentioning already or is mostly done in the city limits. The comment about the areas are all full of older people seems out of place at least where in the city limits are concerned, it seems to be more appropriate for some other areas that have a higher older population that does present challenges and opportunities. Isn't the areas that have the high baby boomer population that he says is at risk areas like Afton/Crestwood along with some older built areas of West County and St. Charles County?

moorlander · PostJul 25, 2014#5392014-07-25T14:30+00:00

Ebsy wrote:Northern Cities like St. Louis are typically rather segregated. But I would argue that Milwaukee is more segregated than St. Louis, and certainly much more politically polarized.

I don't think it get much more segregated than Chicago. Well according to the below blurb from a NorthWestern University study.

According to the Center for Healthcare Equity at Northwestern University, in 68 of 77 Chicago communities, "50 percent of the population identifies with a single racial/ethnic group."

http://www.citylab.com/crime/2014/07/th ... ne/374484/

roger wyoming II · PostOct 03, 2014#5402014-10-03T20:07+00:00

Looks like CIC is off to a good start at its new home in the @4240 building.... it has over 20 clients already and should have about 75 when its full. RubinBrown just committed today and is on top of those mentioned in this nice update:

http://www.stltoday.com/business/column ... eff35.html

PostOct 17, 2014#5412014-10-17T19:38+00:00

I'm hoping we'll hear something soon on the Silo Lofts project.... I saw this newly opened project near Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore and think something high-end like this would be fitting for Cortex:

It is a 304 unit property loaded with amenities and first-floor retail will consist of a CVS and restaurant with patio space.

tech840 · PostOct 25, 2014#5422014-10-25T23:03+00:00

Great event last night (October 24th) for the grand opening of CIC @ 4240. Over 1,300 people attended with many people from the tech and life science start up scene along with movers and shakers from Wash U, St. Louis County and St. Louis city government. The building is a great addition for the start up community and will not only house many growing companies but host many start up events. Great job by Cortex and Dougan from CIC.

roger wyoming II · PostNov 12, 2014#5432014-11-12T15:34+00:00

Nice tidbit from BizJournal:

LaunchCode, celebrating their one year anniversary on Tuesday, is now leasing office space in the Cambridge Innovation Center in the Cortex district. In its first year, LaunchCode placed 115 people in jobs with an average salary of $50,000.

PostNov 13, 2014#5442014-11-13T16:47+00:00

Harvard Business Journal includes Cortex as one of America's iconic innovation districts:

Globally, Barcelona, Berlin, Copenhagen, London, Medellin, Montreal, Seoul, Stockholm, and Toronto all contain emerging innovation districts. In the United States, the most iconic districts can be found in the downtowns and midtowns of Atlanta, Cambridge, Detroit, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis. In each, advanced research universities, medical complexes, and clusters of tech and creative firms are sparking business expansion as well as residential and commercial growth.

https://hbr.org/2014/11/the-rise-of-urb ... -districts

stlien · PostNov 13, 2014#5452014-11-13T18:21+00:00

Anyone know why Launch Code chose to be in Cortex instead of downtown closer to TRex?

flipflopju · PostNov 14, 2014#5462014-11-14T02:20+00:00

Dennis Lower and Jim McKelvey were in talks a while. Lower really pushed the idea of offering some sort of housing pairing or assistance for those who join the mentoring aspect of LaunchCode. I know some of the original plans for funding Metrolink also involved funding that housing assistance. After that failed I know talks stalled a bit but when CoderGirl started using the @4240 space it was just a matter of time before the whole team came down.

I'm hoping an announcement about housing in the area is coming soon or maybe just all the road construction at Boyle (and now Sarah) calm down a bit. No restaurant wants to move into @4240 when it's impossible to access and I think securing finals tenants is also stalled because of it. The covered parking in the building is being converted to leased office space due to demand.

arch city · PostNov 14, 2014#5472014-11-14T14:47+00:00

While there has been Gateway Commerce Center, Missouri Research Park and the unfortunate flop of Aerotropolis, CORTEX is clearly the best economic driver St. Louis has delivered in decades.

TheNewSaintLouis · PostNov 14, 2014#5482014-11-14T15:05+00:00

arch city wrote:While there has been Gateway Commerce Center, Missouri Research Park and the unfortunate flop of Aerotropolis, CORTEX is clearly the best economic driver St. Louis has delivered in decades.

I completely agree with you. I remember when this was pretty much nothing and now all of this explosive development has put us on the map for being one of the most innovative cities in the country perhaps around the world. Theres still lots to accomplish but i definitely think this is a big game changer for all of St.Louis.

roger wyoming II · PostNov 14, 2014#5492014-11-14T17:10+00:00

^ I second your agreement. I also think what you see with the accelerating growth of Cortex will happen with the start-up tech programs like t-rex... it'll take probably a few more years before we really see in-your-face success like what Cortex has shown this past year or two but I am confident it will happen. Cultivation Capital e.g. just announced more funding plans today and those types of investments are going to pay off nicely.

arch city · PostNov 14, 2014#5502014-11-14T19:02+00:00

Although homegrown firms (Answers/Lockerdome/StationDigital.com) are great, St. Louis needs a bigger tech name to come and validate what's going on, in my opinion....

A Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, Amazon would give major validation - especially if one or two of them came with hundreds of jobs.

I also feel St. Louis' status as a mini-hub for video games needs to be more concentrated.

Current gamers seem spread out throughout the metro area. Imagine if they were more concentrated in CORTEX, downtown, Clayton, Downtown West, Westport, Grand Center or The Loop.

CORTEX: St. Louis' Life Sciences and Technology District

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