urbanSTL

urbanstlouis wrote:I will see if I can find the article where I read this, but...



I recall it having something to do with the type of tax credits they were able to receive. I think they wanted to do condos or some type of owner-occupied space, but the tax credits chosen for the project dictated apartments.



Again, someone more knowledgeable on the availability of tax credits, etc... might be able to shed some more light on this.

This is true...whatever tax credits they recieved they were forced to do rentals. The same thing happened for the Board of Education building. (my cousins wife works for BoA construction lending) She said don't be surprised in a couple of years there will be a nice condo conversion boom going on. The Roberts bros. were planning on doing one for the BOE when the tax credit agreement expires.

A new blurb from the Post:



UN-CUPPLED: One of the historic Cupples Station warehouse buildings near Busch Stadium has been sold, but the future of the remaining four buildings is still up in the air.



New Orleans-based HRI Properties had planned to buy two buildings and turn them into apartments. The owner of the buildings, Bank of America, planned to donate a third one to Downtown Now, a nonprofit group aimed at revitalizing the business district. Downtown Now proposed to demolish the building, in hopes of spurring more development.



However, everyone retrenched. HRI acquired one building, not two. Downtown Now decided to drop out of the project. Now, Clayton-based Conrad Properties is looking at acquiring the other building HRI was to buy, says Mary Campbell, a senior vice president at the bank. So far, there is no deal.

The 3rd bldg still looks like its in trouble. hmm....

I was driving through downtown today and saw what seemed to be a new fence around one or two of the Cupples Station buildings (at least more fencing than I had remembered seeing recently). It looked like work would begin soon on rehabbing them.

It would be nice if they could do some work on that Cupples building closest to 40 -- it's the most visible from the highway.

I was driving through downtown today and saw what seemed to be a new fence around one or two of the Cupples Station buildings (at least more fencing than I had remembered seeing recently). It looked like work would begin soon on rehabbing them.

I noticed that as well - definitely a sign of progress!



There was a mention a few months ago that the old power plant across the street from HRI's Cupples building is supposed to be renovated, but apparently nothing has been happening with that project. Once those two projects are done, it will really create an improved entrance to downtown for people getting off Hwy 40.

m2tbone wrote:I was driving through downtown today and saw what seemed to be a new fence around one or two of the Cupples Station buildings (at least more fencing than I had remembered seeing recently). It looked like work would begin soon on rehabbing them.

The project has started. A fence is up, and a construction elevator was assembled last wee. I was going to take some pics, but did not have enough time.

The Cupples warehouses can take a hint from the EPA building in Denver with a glass structure built into the present building. An OPUS development.





Downtown needs highrises but low highrises are a necessity too such as this building by OPUS located in Seattle. This building gives a person a comfortable feeling and is more geared to the pedestrian scale.

I agree about the mid-rises. They add a lot to the city at street level. I would rather have a few midrises filling out blocks, then one tower dominating one block. Especially around the edge of downtown. They would help fill it in.

Interesting that you should mention that. Back in 2000, there was a proposal to build a large, cross-shaped, arched glass "dome" in-between the two existing Cupples buildings on the 10th, 11th, Clark, and Spruce block. Two new buildings were to be built on the vaccant sections, filling out the block. It was gonna be kind of like the Galleria Vittorio in Milan. I don't know who the developer was, but Trivers was the co-architect.



That could have been really cool.

Framer wrote:Interesting that you should mention that. Back in 2000, there was a proposal to build a large, cross-shaped, arched glass "dome" in-between the two existing Cupples buildings on the 10th, 11th, Clark, and Spruce block.

Here is a rendering of that cross-shaped, arched glass "dome" you mentioned in case there is someone who hasn't seen it before. Not quite the same as the EPA building in Denver, but it shows people have thought about incorporating glass into the Cupples warehouses. Recently, I think the closest we have come to truely incorporating new materials into the exteriors of older buildings may be what has been proposed for the <A HREF="http://www.urbanstl.com/viewtopic.php?t=444">Powel Square Building</A>

That dome proposal was really cool.



Anyone know if there are still plans to build the fountain and the other landscaping near the highway ramps?

I don't know that the plan still exists, but looking at that design, it still frustrates me that there needs to be a park infront of the courthouse. Such a waste of space. People coming off those highway ramps should know they are in a city and confronted and surouded by buildings, not open land. The upside witht he cupples project now is that since some of the buildings pictured there are missing, there is potental for some new towers if the makret would support it.

I'm not a fan of that park either. At least, if we have to live with the park, the city should allow new construction on its eastern edge (just south of the Valley Building) facing the Stadium West garage. The park isn't even symmetrical right now.



Was that park the city's idea, or was it some sort of stipulation for building the federal courthouse?

I don't know where, but i could swear that it won't be taken out now ebcause of security reasons.

It was a federal program for art in their buildings. Supposedly it is landbanking for future federal construction, but I don't know for sure.

MattnSTL wrote:It was a federal program for art in their buildings.

Yes, you are right, the Filippine Garden was part of the General Services Administration's "Art in Architecture" Program and was designed by Valerie Jaudon. The GSA program commissions fine art for Federal buildings nationwide. I hadn't heard the speculation about landbanking, but I guess anything is possible. Here is an image of the plaza/garden from a satelite photo.

I hope they build on it. From high up the design looks like it would make a nice armband tattoo, but I don't think it would make an interesting place to be at street level. Especially since it appears to be surrounded by nothing.

The problem is that we already have TOO many urban plazas downtown. What a total waste of space.. This entire block, except for the one building, is a total vacant/ waste of space. How much better served would tenants in 1010 Market, BOA Plaza, and the Courts building if there was street level retail around this block. Greenspace is definitely a good addition at times, such as Kiener Plaza and the Arch grounds, but the entire mall west to Union Station and this new addition are total wastes.

JCity wrote:The problem is that we already have TOO many urban plazas downtown. What a total waste of space.. This entire block, except for the one building, is a total vacant/ waste of space. How much better served would tenants in 1010 Market, BOA Plaza, and the Courts building if there was street level retail around this block. Greenspace is definitely a good addition at times, such as Kiener Plaza and the Arch grounds, but the entire mall west to Union Station and this new addition are total wastes.

Agreed it doesn't even feel like a park. I always seem to notice people looking over at it with blank stares trying to figure it out, it looks like a maze. It's nothing but some sidewalks with a few benches set around it. Too much wasted space in that area, considering all the development going on around there with cupples and the village coming up.

The HRI building is really coming along nicely. The exterior looks great - don't know how far along they are on the inside though.

DeBaliviere wrote:The HRI building is really coming along nicely. The exterior looks great - don't know how far along they are on the inside though.

Which one is the HRI building? I assume one of the Cupples buildings, but what is planned for this site? Thanks for the insight.