THE PARKING LOT IS NOW CLOSED, AND THERE IS A CONSTRUCTION TRAILER ON THE SITE. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE PARK EAST HAS ARRIVED.
I'm so excited.
I'm so excited.
Oooooh, I'll have to go by and take pics tommorrow. Finally!!!!!!! 
YIPPIE SKIPPIE!!! FINALLY!!!!
ya gatta love this thing!
Also, I think Jive posted a photoshop picture of the Central West End skyline with the Park East brushed into it - but the link is not working... anyone still have that and can post? Thanks in advance!
ya gatta love this thing!
Also, I think Jive posted a photoshop picture of the Central West End skyline with the Park East brushed into it - but the link is not working... anyone still have that and can post? Thanks in advance!
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matguy70 wrote:YIPPIE SKIPPIE!!! FINALLY!!!!
ya gatta love this thing!
By the way, that is an out-dated rendering... it has been modified a bit since then. Here is the updated rendering next to the old one. If you look, the balconies have changed, and the towers (cylinders) on the top and at the corner near ground level both look squattier. Who knows, this one may even have been updated since it's release.
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The original plans called for a 22-story tower. The latest plans are for 26 stories-- a lil' closer to Heaven.
Here's that pic, btw:
![]()
Here's that pic, btw:
[exhale] I hope it doesn't take this long after their next project announcement.
Great news!
urbanstlouis, great constrast renderings!
Great news!
urbanstlouis, great constrast renderings!
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JivecitySTL wrote:The original plans called for a 22-story tower. The latest plans are for 26 stories
Yep, I can count four more floors on the newer rendering.
I actually like the new rendering better!
How sweet it will look.
How sweet it will look.
Drove by today, but genious me forgot to put my camera back in my backpack last night, so no pics to share. I wonder when the actual ground breaking will be.
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Never have i been so excited to see an empty parking lot. I drove my girlfriend to show her...she thinks im insane. Hope they do that deal with the american heart assoc.! Vive le CWE!
First, the preamble, just as a self-protective measure:
I've been posting here long enough now for the collective YOU to know that, even though I'm a long-distance lover, even though I've got a lot, lot, lot to learn about St. Louis, I'm an urbanist to the core, which is why, with my wife, I'll be one of you before the end of the year--hopefully, well before. I just want to understand what seems to be the collective state of mind among you.
Okay. With that established, here goes:
I understand that St. Louis has been dealt a decades-long blow to its pride, its physical integrity, its sense of self, and its sense of its own future. Further, I understand that large, highly visible brick-and-mortar investments in StL City--as well as the aggregate effect of the many smaller projects now going forward--are sources of immense pride and hope.
What unnerves me a bit is what I perceive as a fairly uncritical acceptance of, even cheerleading for, building size and height for their own sake. I refer specifically to the adulation of this Park East Tower, which at least in the drawings seems striving and anxious and even dated in an H.G. Wellsian sort of way. If it ends up looking like this in the flesh, so to speak, it will be almost painful to look at, IMO, as so much of early 60s architecture--to cite only one example--has become.
Is my vision clouded or obscured by the skyscrapers I grew up with as a born-and-bred Manhattanite? Do I take them--and what they represent historically--too much for granted? Do I fail to comprehend what they represent now and for the city's future?
What am I missing here? And please don't be offended; I mean no insult to anyone. Just trying to understand from slightly less than half a continent away.
Thank you all.
I've been posting here long enough now for the collective YOU to know that, even though I'm a long-distance lover, even though I've got a lot, lot, lot to learn about St. Louis, I'm an urbanist to the core, which is why, with my wife, I'll be one of you before the end of the year--hopefully, well before. I just want to understand what seems to be the collective state of mind among you.
Okay. With that established, here goes:
I understand that St. Louis has been dealt a decades-long blow to its pride, its physical integrity, its sense of self, and its sense of its own future. Further, I understand that large, highly visible brick-and-mortar investments in StL City--as well as the aggregate effect of the many smaller projects now going forward--are sources of immense pride and hope.
What unnerves me a bit is what I perceive as a fairly uncritical acceptance of, even cheerleading for, building size and height for their own sake. I refer specifically to the adulation of this Park East Tower, which at least in the drawings seems striving and anxious and even dated in an H.G. Wellsian sort of way. If it ends up looking like this in the flesh, so to speak, it will be almost painful to look at, IMO, as so much of early 60s architecture--to cite only one example--has become.
Is my vision clouded or obscured by the skyscrapers I grew up with as a born-and-bred Manhattanite? Do I take them--and what they represent historically--too much for granted? Do I fail to comprehend what they represent now and for the city's future?
What am I missing here? And please don't be offended; I mean no insult to anyone. Just trying to understand from slightly less than half a continent away.
Thank you all.
Bencharif,
Your observation is on target. St. Louis is a great town but unfortunatly its no where near or will it ever be anything like Manhattan.
Park Tower East is a step in the right direction for St. Louis. For San Francisco, Chicago or New York, it wouldn't be looked at through the same glasses of a St. Louisian.
I wish they would develop more modern highrises within the area. Not everyone wants to live in a loft in a 100 year old warehouse. IMO, Park Tower East is exciting and is a token for a new begining not only for Central West End but for the entire Central Coridor.
Your observation is on target. St. Louis is a great town but unfortunatly its no where near or will it ever be anything like Manhattan.
Park Tower East is a step in the right direction for St. Louis. For San Francisco, Chicago or New York, it wouldn't be looked at through the same glasses of a St. Louisian.
I wish they would develop more modern highrises within the area. Not everyone wants to live in a loft in a 100 year old warehouse. IMO, Park Tower East is exciting and is a token for a new begining not only for Central West End but for the entire Central Coridor.
I think you raise good questions, bencharif.
Personally, I am not a height enthusiast nor do I believe most of us are. Look around St. Louis and you'll see the region isn't height obsessed. The only St. Louis height enthusiast I know of on these boards is 2taall on the SSP forum. What I do find ironic however, is that the tallest buildings built in the region recently have been by outsiders (Plaza in Clayton & Park East).
With that said, we are excited about this project because it is the ultimate confirmation that a rebirth is underway in the CWE. There hasn't been a new residential tower built in the CWE in the last 20 years or more. PE is the CWE's "Phoenix" tower ? symbolic of a new era in the making.
Also, I spoke to Steve Anrod of Baker Development Corporation, a Chicago-based company, when this project was getting off the ground. He told me that Park East Tower was designed to be a modern version of Art Deco towers that anchor the Central Corridor. The Continental Building (restored 2003), and Chase Park-Plaza Tower (restored, year unknown) are the tallest buildings in the Central Corridor at this time. Park East Tower was designed to pay homage to the corridor's Art Deco heritage.
The Continental Building, Midtown photo by matguy
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The Chase Park-Plaza, CWE photo by Citylover
Anrod told me the CWE is a dynamic place already and projects like Park East facilitate recapturing it. Baker Development was the initial lead developer of Park East before Opus took the lead on the project.
Park East Tower was designed to look modern, but not so modern that it looks out of balance with the rest of the architecture in the surrounding neighborhood.
St. Louisans can be very critical and reserved when it comes to avant-garde architecture especially when it doesn't fit in with surrounding architecture. Take for example the new convention center hotel ? Marriott's Renaissance Grand new tower. The project went through three design changes because preservationists called for better unification with the existing building, which was renovated as a part of the complex.
![]()
Image by urbanstlouis
Anyway, while St. Louis certainly isn't New York, where it seems like designs are bolder, I personally feel PE is a good-looking tower at least in rendering. PE is not as cutting-edge like the new Ernst and Young Tower in Manhattan, but it certainly looks better than some buildings in NYC too ? at least in rendering.
Personally, I am not a height enthusiast nor do I believe most of us are. Look around St. Louis and you'll see the region isn't height obsessed. The only St. Louis height enthusiast I know of on these boards is 2taall on the SSP forum. What I do find ironic however, is that the tallest buildings built in the region recently have been by outsiders (Plaza in Clayton & Park East).
With that said, we are excited about this project because it is the ultimate confirmation that a rebirth is underway in the CWE. There hasn't been a new residential tower built in the CWE in the last 20 years or more. PE is the CWE's "Phoenix" tower ? symbolic of a new era in the making.
Also, I spoke to Steve Anrod of Baker Development Corporation, a Chicago-based company, when this project was getting off the ground. He told me that Park East Tower was designed to be a modern version of Art Deco towers that anchor the Central Corridor. The Continental Building (restored 2003), and Chase Park-Plaza Tower (restored, year unknown) are the tallest buildings in the Central Corridor at this time. Park East Tower was designed to pay homage to the corridor's Art Deco heritage.
The Continental Building, Midtown photo by matguy
The Chase Park-Plaza, CWE photo by Citylover
Anrod told me the CWE is a dynamic place already and projects like Park East facilitate recapturing it. Baker Development was the initial lead developer of Park East before Opus took the lead on the project.
Park East Tower was designed to look modern, but not so modern that it looks out of balance with the rest of the architecture in the surrounding neighborhood.
St. Louisans can be very critical and reserved when it comes to avant-garde architecture especially when it doesn't fit in with surrounding architecture. Take for example the new convention center hotel ? Marriott's Renaissance Grand new tower. The project went through three design changes because preservationists called for better unification with the existing building, which was renovated as a part of the complex.
Image by urbanstlouis
Anyway, while St. Louis certainly isn't New York, where it seems like designs are bolder, I personally feel PE is a good-looking tower at least in rendering. PE is not as cutting-edge like the new Ernst and Young Tower in Manhattan, but it certainly looks better than some buildings in NYC too ? at least in rendering.
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I agree people have been very uncritical of this project even though there are many issues that could be debated (especially the context question, about its scale compared to the immediately surrounding buildings ((in terms of both height and general mass))). In general it does seem people laud height almost fetishistically not realizing height alone does not make a city great. Skylines usually look better on postcards than on the ground if you ask me. If you look at the great european cities you find that highrises have little to do with why they are awesome places.
I'm not saying we shouldn't have height at all, but there are only certain places where it's appropriate, and many places where it's not. I think highrises should always be along larger streets (where the traffic and activity below makes the height a necessity in terms of privacy and noise buffering) or "edges" (be it parkland, water bodies, etc) where they can maximize their "view" appeal without outscaling or shadowing the surrounding context (which i think this project might do). Seeing as we have some great arterial streets and plenty of view worthy parks and rivers there are plenty of opportunities for highrises....... but i don't know if this was the most appropriate location.
I'm not saying we shouldn't have height at all, but there are only certain places where it's appropriate, and many places where it's not. I think highrises should always be along larger streets (where the traffic and activity below makes the height a necessity in terms of privacy and noise buffering) or "edges" (be it parkland, water bodies, etc) where they can maximize their "view" appeal without outscaling or shadowing the surrounding context (which i think this project might do). Seeing as we have some great arterial streets and plenty of view worthy parks and rivers there are plenty of opportunities for highrises....... but i don't know if this was the most appropriate location.
I think a highrise is good in this location. This intersection does not currently have any high-rises, but just one block away there is. And the corner is only six stories, compared to 26 for the tower part. I don't think height will have a negative impact here.
Arch, I also like height, but I also like shorter buildings like 4545 Lindell, and neighborhood structures too. I don't really care for a supertall in St. Louis at the present time though. Maybe in 50-100 years. Iwould have liked the first design for the Rennaissance Grand though, not just because of the height, I just like it.
Arch, I also like height, but I also like shorter buildings like 4545 Lindell, and neighborhood structures too. I don't really care for a supertall in St. Louis at the present time though. Maybe in 50-100 years. Iwould have liked the first design for the Rennaissance Grand though, not just because of the height, I just like it.
Scale? The Chase Park-Plaza Tower is a couple of block northwest of this project. And while it does sit on a major street, the Chase, shown below, is a huge building surrounded by condos, homes, and retail.ComandanteCero wrote:I agree people have been very uncritical of this project even though there are many issues that could be debated (especially the context question, about its scale compared to the immediately surrounding buildings ((in terms of both height and general mass))).
I'm not saying we shouldn't have height at all, but there are only certain places where it's appropriate, and many places where it's not. I think highrises should always be along larger streets (where the traffic and activity below makes the height a necessity in terms of privacy and noise buffering) or "edges" (be it parkland, water bodies, etc) where they can maximize their "view" appeal without outscaling or shadowing the surrounding context (which i think this project might do). Seeing as we have some great arterial streets and plenty of view worthy parks and rivers there are plenty of opportunities for highrises....... but i don't know if this was the most appropriate location.
Furthermore, there are highrises - old highrises - along West Pine near where Park East is being constructed. The Chase is about 27-stories so Park East won't be that much taller if at all.
MattSTL, I agree too the location is fine. Go to NYC, Chicago, or any other city where large projects like these take place, and they are scattered throughout established older neighborhoods. St. Louis' built environment is different than lots of cities. Park East wouldn't be appropriate in Soulard or Lafayette Square, but it is more than appropriate for that CWE intersection.
Also, I never knew you were a height enthusiast. You never talk about height like 2taall. He seems like the "ultimate" height fanatic. I think he drew most of the diagrams on skyscraperpage.com for St. Louis buildings.
I like height, but I guess many of you haven't noticed because I don't bring it up often. Massive is grand. Massive speaks power. Take a low angle photograph of anything and you will understand the power of skyscraper height. I keep quiet, because I know many of you don't care to hear it. Honestly though, I'm very liberal when it comes to urban issues. I feel that at this point for St Louis, being too picky about design and so forth, only slows down the ability for the city to progress. I think that form of conservatism is only something bigger cities, with many projects, can act out. I view it like the saying, "Beggars can't be choosers." I'm sure many of you disagree, but, whatever will be, will be.
Once again, I have to thank you all for your generosity and your willingness to consider a point of view not all of you share.
X, with respect, I have to disagree. I think a city with a built environment as singular as St. Louis's has to preserve that singularity. I think you do that by demanding not rigid conformity to the existing built environment but by demnding a design whose underlying seriousness of intention is the equal of the buildings that will surround it. That singularity and underlying quality are what attract new investment and settlement in the first place.
I think the beggars-can't-be-choosers admonishment may apply to a place like East St. Louis, but if it ever applied to St. Louis, surely that time is long past.
X, with respect, I have to disagree. I think a city with a built environment as singular as St. Louis's has to preserve that singularity. I think you do that by demanding not rigid conformity to the existing built environment but by demnding a design whose underlying seriousness of intention is the equal of the buildings that will surround it. That singularity and underlying quality are what attract new investment and settlement in the first place.
I think the beggars-can't-be-choosers admonishment may apply to a place like East St. Louis, but if it ever applied to St. Louis, surely that time is long past.
I respect your comment as well, but let me clarify, just in case. I'm not saying, destroy what is there. I'm saying, don't be quite picky with what is being offered. I'm all for keeping most of what is in place. I'm just against this fear of being edgy with designs, and concepts.
Outside of that, I also still think we should be the first place to legalize marijuana and public nudity.
Outside of that, I also still think we should be the first place to legalize marijuana and public nudity.
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I don't think the location is awful, i'm just saying it's not ideal from an urban design stand point. The CWE is an appropriate neighborhood for highrises seeing as it has plenty of tall buildings along Lindell, West Pine, and Kingshighway. I'm just saying there are plenty of spots in the CWE where a 20 some story tower would have probably been more appropriate (Forest Park Parkway would make a great high rise street because of how wide it is and the fact that people would probably get really rad views north/south/west/east), but regardless this is better than a parking lot, and the psychological and economic benefit it'll have on the area is more than worth a less than ideal location. However I think it would be best if from now on the city tried to put in some urban design guidelines and incentives to try to create more midrise/context buildings inside the secondary streets of the CWE, and more landmark buildings along empty or crappy-60's-should've-never-been-in-the-CWE-in-the-first-place lots/buildings on Lindell and Forest Park Parkway.
Arch City wrote:Also, I never knew you were a height enthusiast. You never talk about height like 2taall. He seems like the "ultimate" height fanatic. I think he drew most of the diagrams on skyscraperpage.com for St. Louis buildings.
Like xing, I don't often draw attention to it, but not for the same reason. I really do like tall buildings, but I also like the smaller buildings, especially buildings like the Lindell high-rises/mid-rises, South Side National Bank, the Coronado, Lindell Towers, various downtown structures, etc. Those are all buildings I don't consider to be "tall", but I still like them for their architecture. Basically, if a building is appealing to me architecturally, I like it regardless of it's height. Things like houses and small apartment buildings included. I just enjoy the built environment that surrounds me, whatever that may be (except suburban crap, but I'll just leave that alone for right now). Height is a bonus, but not a necesity. I'm not on SSP just for the urban discussions, although I don't typically opine in the scraper threads.
This came in my email today from the ParkEast Tower's email list:
------
PARKEAST TOWER - LIVE WELL!
HIGHLIGHTS THIS MONTH.
CONSTRUCTION IS UNDERWAY!
This officially completes our Pre-sale Phase! This is your last chance to get pre-construction pricing. Please call or stop by for details before we initiate price increases. We are charging forward with construction! Look for our upcoming newsletter containing more details and Spring Celebration information.
YOU HAVE MADE THE DIFFERENCE!
Thank you to everyone who has purchased a new home in Park East Tower and to those who have helped along the way. Your support has been instrumental in our success!
MAKE A FRIEND - YOUR NEIGHBOR!
Don't forget to refer a friend to Park East Tower and both of you will receive $1,000 towards upgrades pending contract completion.
PARKEAST TOWER
4906 Laclede Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri 63108 (314) 367-6500
------
PARKEAST TOWER - LIVE WELL!
HIGHLIGHTS THIS MONTH.
CONSTRUCTION IS UNDERWAY!
This officially completes our Pre-sale Phase! This is your last chance to get pre-construction pricing. Please call or stop by for details before we initiate price increases. We are charging forward with construction! Look for our upcoming newsletter containing more details and Spring Celebration information.
YOU HAVE MADE THE DIFFERENCE!
Thank you to everyone who has purchased a new home in Park East Tower and to those who have helped along the way. Your support has been instrumental in our success!
MAKE A FRIEND - YOUR NEIGHBOR!
Don't forget to refer a friend to Park East Tower and both of you will receive $1,000 towards upgrades pending contract completion.
PARKEAST TOWER
4906 Laclede Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri 63108 (314) 367-6500