Recladding St. Louis' Towers

arch city · PostAug 11, 2015#12015-08-11T18:51+00:00

There are cities such as Indianapolis, Houston, Toronto and others that have recladded large office towers in their business districts. Those recladdings have further-modernized and glossed up those skylines.

While St. Louis has done a good job of "decladding" low-rise and small commercial buildings that have revealed beautiful historic facades, not much has been done with late 60's, 70's, 80's era buildings.

Which mid-to-high-rise buildings in metro St. Louis could use a modern recladding?

moorlander · PostAug 11, 2015#22015-08-11T18:54+00:00

Our best example?

arch city · PostAug 11, 2015#32015-08-11T19:00+00:00

My first vote goes to Westport's 'Gold Tower'.

The glass on this building used to be a clean GOLDEN, the glass on this building appears to have been beaten down by the sun and weather.

It is time for an update. They could even keep it "gold", but now it looks very dated and worn.

PostAug 11, 2015#42015-08-11T19:01+00:00

moorlander wrote:Our best example?

I think so, I was very impressed with the modern changes.

DogtownBnR · PostAug 11, 2015#52015-08-11T19:16+00:00

Would the SLU Law School renovation go down as a recladding?

I'd like to see the main building on the Barnes-Jewish campus, recladded. That may be in the works as part of the campus renewal, if I'm not mistaken.

arch city · PostAug 11, 2015#62015-08-11T19:17+00:00

One Indiana Square in Indianapolis went from this..........

to this...............

PostAug 11, 2015#72015-08-11T19:24+00:00

DogtownBnR wrote:Would the SLU Law School renovation go down as a recladding?

In my opinion, maybe just a partial reclad.

I personally wish they had done a full or greater recladding than they did.

Nonetheless, it is better looking than it was.

framer · PostAug 11, 2015#82015-08-11T19:40+00:00

Well, the problem with re-cladding, is, of course, tastes change over time. As we have seen, earlier re-claddings are now considered ugly failures. Undoubtedly, 50 years from now our kids will be undoing the current wave of re-claddings, and revealing the "beautiful historic facades" of the 1960s, 70s, and 80s.

That said, I've always wondered how best to treat the Bank of America Tower's unbuilt twin on Market Street. If it ever gets built, should they match the original intent, and just build an exact twin? Or should they tweak it slightly; maybe the same massing and the same bronze glass, but with a "twisting" shape? Or should they build something completely different (remembering that the foundation piles have already been driven)?

roger wyoming II · PostAug 11, 2015#92015-08-11T20:01+00:00

Two 50's-60's era office buildings were reskinned the past few years in Cleveland by government agencies... one is a federal building and the other became the new administrative building for Cuyahoga county. I'll try to post pics.

PostAug 11, 2015#102015-08-11T20:22+00:00

I agree the (Contegix?) data center building on Tucker is a strong candidate... others on my list would be the Hilton Ballpark towers, the Hyatt Arch (which I believe would be a modern re-skinning of a 70's era cladding of a historic facade) and the Wells-Fargo complex.

urban_dilettante · PostAug 11, 2015#112015-08-11T23:40+00:00

I actually prefer this one:

I think 1015 Locust could use some freshening up. I kind-of like its "modern" curtain wall but up close it's looking a little weary:

http://vanishingstl.blogspot.com/2010_1 ... chive.html

jcity · PostAug 12, 2015#122015-08-12T00:33+00:00

Imagine 1015 Locust with Centenes curtain walls.

debaliviere · PostAug 12, 2015#132015-08-12T14:14+00:00

There were plans to reclad 1015 Locust several years ago, but all the owners ended up doing was painting the facade and making some improvements to the lobby.

rbb · PostAug 12, 2015#142015-08-12T19:12+00:00

My vote for a reclad is for the St. Louis Place building:

I've never been a fan of the brick panels; they look obviously fake to my eye. And I think the dark brown louvers over the street-level retail could have been done better.

-RBB

arch city · PostAug 12, 2015#152015-08-12T20:19+00:00

The best "de-clad" to ever happen downtown, in my opinion.

It's hard to imagine why it was ever recladded in the first place.

chaifetz10 · PostAug 13, 2015#162015-08-13T01:33+00:00

My vote:

jcity · PostAug 13, 2015#172015-08-13T16:09+00:00

I agree with Magic Chef! how sad they did that..
Am i the ONLY person in St. Louis that actually likes St. Louis Place? I think the dark red brick is a nice nod to St. Louis...

Aesir · PostAug 13, 2015#182015-08-13T16:22+00:00

roger wyoming II wrote:I agree the (Contegix?) data center building on Tucker is a strong candidate... others on my list would be the Hilton Ballpark towers, the Hyatt Arch (which I believe would be a modern re-skinning of a 70's era cladding of a historic facade) and the Wells-Fargo complex.

210 North Tucker is owned by Digital Realty Trust. Contegix is just one of many data center businesses in there. They just spend the most on flashy advertising

There are a lot of tenants in that building, and a lot of those tenants have security concerns and standards they have to maintain. Outside of what was done in the last few years (adding a new facade to the street level (management) floor, that building is most likely staying as it is.

rbb · PostAug 13, 2015#192015-08-13T20:28+00:00

jcity wrote:I agree with Magic Chef! how sad they did that..
Am i the ONLY person in St. Louis that actually likes St. Louis Place? I think the dark red brick is a nice nod to St. Louis...

I'm not opposed to the idea of it; I just think the execution is poor in this instance. I'm also not sold on the proportions of the place; it just seems a little... off to me.

I think a reclad - maybe incorporating *some* use of actual brick - with a crown or a cornice of some sort to draw the eye up would help.

-RBB

PostAug 13, 2015#202015-08-13T20:29+00:00

chaifetz10 wrote:My vote:

Yes, if we're talking decladding then very much this.

-RBB

framer · PostAug 14, 2015#212015-08-14T02:04+00:00

jcity wrote: Am i the ONLY person in St. Louis that actually likes St. Louis Place? I think the dark red brick is a nice nod to St. Louis...

I like St. Louis Place. It's no masterpiece, but at least it's different. We could use more out-of-the-box thinking (er, deconstructing the box?) in St. Louis .

And yes, the Magic Chef fiasco was St. Louis at it's worst; hopefully some day it can be restored.

urban_dilettante · PostAug 14, 2015#222015-08-14T04:39+00:00

jcity wrote: Am i the ONLY person in St. Louis that actually likes St. Louis Place? I think the dark red brick is a nice nod to St. Louis...

nope. i also like it, with the exception of the horrible vents just above the sidewalk. i think it's quite an attractive form, and it actually never occurred to me that the brick is a veneer. it's nowhere near as bad as the veneer being used these days.

arch city · PostAug 14, 2015#232015-08-14T22:43+00:00

Source: OP office building will get new life, new 'skin' after Black & Veatch's exit
(Aug 11, 2015, 2:27pm CDT Updated Aug 12, 2015, 1:10pm CDT)

This building in Overland Park, KS in metro Kansas City will get new skin.

From this........

To this.........

chriss752 · PostFeb 17, 2017#242017-02-17T23:35+00:00

framer wrote: ↑
Aug 11, 2015
Well, the problem with re-cladding, is, of course, tastes change over time. As we have seen, earlier re-claddings are now considered ugly failures. Undoubtedly, 50 years from now our kids will be undoing the current wave of re-claddings, and revealing the "beautiful historic facades" of the 1960s, 70s, and 80s.

That said, I've always wondered how best to treat the Bank of America Tower's unbuilt twin on Market Street. If it ever gets built, should they match the original intent, and just build an exact twin? Or should they tweak it slightly; maybe the same massing and the same bronze glass, but with a "twisting" shape? Or should they build something completely different (remembering that the foundation piles have already been driven)?

I never knew that there was supposed to be a second tower. Maybe once the market improves we will see a proposal?

aprice · PostFeb 20, 2017#252017-02-20T17:20+00:00

As has been said, it's all about tastes changing over time.

1015 Locust and the Mercantile Library are the only buildings (that aren't parking garages) that I would even consider supporting a Re-clad. Wishing to reclad Hilton at the Ballpark or St. Louis Place is absolutely no different than those that wished to "modernize" the Old Post-Dispatch Building or 1015 Locust once upon a time. And frankly, it's not really much different than those who wished to modernize St. Louis by "renewing" the riverfront and Mill Creek Valley. Short-sighted "modernizations" to fit current taste have done enough damage already. And no, St. Louis Place isn't something at which to marvel but the problem with the 200 block of N Broadway isn't the architecture 40' above your head, it's everything below that. Great cities have streetfront retail and streets for people, not cars.