urbanSTL

Snapped a few progress photos this afternoon. I think once completed, this will be an extremely nice urban plaza.

It's really looking good these days - I walk by to check on the progress every week. You can also see the Roberts Tower starting to emerge from the hole in the ground.

This area is going to kick ass and be a catalyst for more downtown investment. We need more areas like this, where there is a good mix of historical and modern architecture. St. Louis has some of the most beautiful historical buildings in the country and it they would look even better with some modern infill next to them.....I despise surface lots!

The plaza looks awesome. Probably around 20-25 big trees have been planted on the eastern side, with lots of new shrubs and other plants on the west side.



The framework for the video screen has gone up, and it is huge. The screen will obscure almost the entire side of the Orpheum Theater.

The plaza is really starting to take shape now. Pics are from Friday 11-21-08.

December 2007

newstl2020 wrote:Safe to say this has picked up to full pace now. Have been by 3 days in a row and they have been rocking the face off this project everyday. I'm encouraged enough to believe the March of '08 target date.

November 2008

MattnSTL wrote:The plaza is really starting to take shape now.

They've completely rebuilt 50 lane-miles of I-64 and replaced 10 overpasses in the same amount of time. From the photos, the majority of the work appears to be pavement-related. Are they working with a crew of one here?

^oucccchhhhhh. (I've learned a bit in the past year) It didn't seem like there was all that much to do back then. Maybe they are trying to keep people employed as long as possible?

The footprint of the new Roberts tower seems to be very slender and not as large as I was hoping. Am I viewing the pic incorrectly or is this a very narrow building. Haven't been over that way in a while.

^ All the renderings I've seen give me the impression that it will be a very slim building. Probably the thinnest residential tower ever built in St. Louis.



Isn't it going to be like 300 ft?

I've heard it will break 300 feet and appears to be 24 or 25 stories. Although I haven't seen a floor plan, it is likely a single loaded corridor located along the north side of the project. This will block the cold north wind in the winter and act as a buffer zone for the units to the south. The fact that the building is so slim is good both environmentally (because it allows a maximum amount of controlled daylight to enter the units), and because the small footprint helps create the urban plaza and let the Old Post Office breathe. Without such a small footprint, things would feel somewhat cramped along the street.



That plaza is going to be great. The way the backdrop of surrounding buildings are layered creates a great composition and will make for a terrific space. I'm assuming a great deal of downtown professionals will use it. I know I'm looking forward to eating lunch there.







I don't have pictures yet, but they have planted trees in the eastern portion of the plaza.

Many thanks to MattnSTL for posting all of the progress pictures. This one in particular is my favorite as it highlights the density surrounding this plaza:







I wasn't sure about a plaza here since (1) downtown already has more than its share that are underutilized and (2) the Downtown Now plan completed about 10 years ago specifically called for no open space facing OPO Square. Now that the Roberts Tower is rising adjacent to the site, though, there will still be plenty of density in the area surrounding the plaza. If anything, this plaza may work better than others because it isn't as isolated (I'm thinking primarily of Kiener Plaza, which is bordered by parking garages on one side and separated from buildings to the south by a rather wide Market Street).



I do wonder what's taken so long, but I'm not surprised it's taken so long.

^Imagine how long it - and the Roberts Tower - would have taken if they had actually built underground parking under the plaza, as was discussed.

^ The placement of caissons accurately explains what's taken so long with Roberts Tower, but it doesn't necessarily explain the delays associated with OPO Plaza.



I wasn't paying very close attention then, so I guess it's possible the land the plaza now occupies was used in some manner when the caissons were being set into place, but at any rate progress on the plaza seems to be moving as fast (actually, as slow) as the average St. Louis public works project.

^Technically, it's not a public works project, as the plaza will be privately owned (Downtown Now, Inc.).



If anybody needs a refresher on how this things gonna look, jump back to page 5 and check out the renderings. It's really pretty cool.

Framer wrote:^Technically, it's not a public works project, as the plaza will be privately owned (Downtown Now, Inc.).

I know, but my point is they're moving just as slow as the city does with, um, just about everything.



I think the plaza is going to look great!

One likely slowdown would be the unexpected removal of vast amounts of debris from the sight. When the previous buildings were demo'd, they just burried most of that sheet.

I think this park is going to be very cool, but i'd also like it to be the LAST park/green space downtown. WE HAVE ENOUGH. the mall, arch grounds, Library area, etc. They better be playing movies, art, shows, or whatever here constantly to make sure this space is actually being used by RESIDENTS/WORKERS of downtown.

Green spaces in downtowns = 1960's thinking

Green spaces in downtowns = 1960's thinking

I would tweak that statement a bit. Green spaces are good if there are a ton of people that live nearby that want some room to roam. Green spaces that exist without any demand for them suck.



For example, if the gateway mall were surrounded with towering residential skyscrapers, those residents would cherish the green space right by their front door.

^ precisely

realclear wrote:

Green spaces in downtowns = 1960's thinking

I would tweak that statement a bit. Green spaces are good if there are a ton of people that live nearby that want some room to roam. Green spaces that exist without any demand for them suck.



For example, if the gateway mall were surrounded with towering residential skyscrapers, those residents would cherish the green space right by their front door.

So...OPO plaza is good because all of the people milling about, right? Just look at the rendering; it's packed!