The Laurel (Stix/Dillard's Building)- 625 Washington Ave.

arch city · PostFeb 03, 2005#12005-02-03T18:39+00:00

The skybridge at St. Louis Centre might come down

By Martin Van Der Werf

Of the Post-Dispatch

02/03/2005

Could the reviled St. Louis Centre skybridge over Washington Avenue be coming down?

Gundaker Commercial Group Inc. is set to start construction by midyear on a boutique hotel, apartments and condominiums in the old Dillard's building, which sits at the north end of the bridge. The struggling shopping center is on the other end.

Gordon Gundaker, chairman of the company, says he owns 15 feet of the bridge and has been talking with shopping center owner Galveston Discount Warehouses about tearing it down. Officials from the city and groups interested in downtown redevelopment have wanted to get rid of the bridge because it interrupts the view down Washington and psychologically divides downtown from Laclede's Landing. They have taken particular interest in Gundaker's negotiations.

Galveston's agent, Barry Cohen, could not be reached for comment.

Gundaker plans retail shops and a 175-room hotel on the bottom four floors at the old department store, which shut in 2001. On the top seven floors, Gundaker intends to build about 175 loft-style housing units, split between condominiums and apartments.

The company already has sunk about $8 million into the project, clearing out the building and doing mechanical work. It plans additional demolition so that an atrium that now begins on the fifth floor can be extended down to the lobby level.

Final plans for the project, which will cost at least $40 million, should hit City Hall within a week.

Link:

Gundaker Commercial Group Inc.

xing · PostFeb 04, 2005#22005-02-04T01:12+00:00

I'm glad they're not planning too much of a hotel. We're getting too many of those.

Also guys, that skywalk offers great views of Washington Avenue. Take your pictures now while you can! Besides that, good riddance!

matguy70 · PostFeb 06, 2005#32005-02-06T17:01+00:00

great news - very great news!

10-intuition · PostFeb 14, 2005#42005-02-14T07:28+00:00

good news that this building will be put into use. I remember the hotel rumors back in 1999, suppose to use the upper floors of the Dillards, but that never came through.

I took some pictures of the sky bridge....need to go again one of these weekends to take more.

suburban lou · PostSep 23, 2005#52005-09-23T18:09+00:00

The Dillards building without the skybridge, from the Bizz Journal.

jmedwick · PostSep 23, 2005#62005-09-23T18:13+00:00

Sigh... that can't come soon enough.

debaliviere · PostSep 23, 2005#72005-09-23T18:14+00:00

^

Sweet! I noticed last night that the underside of that crappy bridge isn't even lit up. It was extremely uninviting.

brickandmortar · PostSep 23, 2005#82005-09-23T18:30+00:00

Thanks for scanning that CityLover, and bumping this thread up to the top. This brochure is on the Gundaker website:

For Lease

I did a screen capture of the rendering in the brochure, it looks to be the same as the one Citylover scanned, but in color. The city needs to force Cohen's hand on the St. Louis Centre redevelopment, the bridge HAS to go.

debaliviere · PostSep 23, 2005#92005-09-23T18:40+00:00

Thanks for posting that. Looks like they're going to cut out a drive through in the front of the building.

brickandmortar · PostSep 23, 2005#102005-09-23T18:52+00:00

I looked a bit closer at the brochure and although it's hard to read, it looks like there will be parking in the basement. The drive up will be for the hotel and probably the restaurant too. It looks like the building will be split about 50/50 between hotel and apartments. There will be offices on the second floor.

debaliviere · PostSep 23, 2005#112005-09-23T18:57+00:00

I have a feeling that once the bridge is torn down, the vacant ground floor space at 555 Washington next door will get leased. It would be awesome space for a restaurant - huge windows, tall ceilings, loft-like feel. Getting that bridge out will make such a huge difference!

brickandmortar · PostSep 23, 2005#122005-09-23T19:16+00:00

^Gundaker is leasing that building as well. I've never been inside, but it is one of my favorite buildings downtown.

Expat · PostSep 23, 2005#132005-09-23T21:24+00:00

That looks great without the bridge. When visitors come out of the subway station and walk back towards the Ren Grand Hotel/Conv Center, they don't like walking under the bridge. It feels like they are walking into the unknown. That is what a female friend told me that visited St. Louis recently. Removal of the bridge will make the immediate buildings more inviting, but also make Wash Ave more inviting from the subway station. When people come above ground at that Station, they see downtown St. Louis for the first time.

MattnSTL · PostSep 24, 2005#142005-09-24T00:57+00:00

That looks like a pretty seamless redo. Should be nice.

xing · PostSep 24, 2005#152005-09-24T01:22+00:00

That building would make a great department store. It looks a little like the Marshal Fields building.

mcarril · PostSep 24, 2005#162005-09-24T01:27+00:00

Xing wrote:That building would make a great department store. It looks a little like the Marshal Fields building.

How ironic that it was a great department store at one time Stix Baer and Fuller. I Remember going there as a kid when I was younger. Both my parents worked for Stix when I was younger and they were head-quartered downtown before Dillards bought them out. It was a shame when they closed the store downtown, but they have been doing that all across the country

loulou · PostNov 23, 2005#172005-11-23T21:41+00:00

this one has been quiet lately. any word on how the renovation is going?

debaliviere · PostNov 23, 2005#182005-11-23T22:15+00:00

I work pretty close to it and walk by it frequently - doesn't look like any work is being done right now.

gerwitz · PostNov 23, 2005#192005-11-23T23:26+00:00

Yah, no sign of movement around there since Gundaker took over.

They do list it on their brokerage site for retail lease, though: PDF

PostFeb 17, 2006#202006-02-17T16:03+00:00

As reported by the business journal: This building is now under contract to John Steffen (Pyramid) who is planning "mixed use" with LaSalle Bank funding and BSI as general contractor.

buckethead · PostFeb 23, 2007#212007-02-23T16:08+00:00

Earlier this week they started doing some demo work in the Dillards building.

I've seen the bobcat going in and out and filling the construction dumpsters around the back of the building daily.

stlmizzoutiger · PostFeb 23, 2007#222007-02-23T17:53+00:00

buckethead wrote:Earlier this week they started doing some demo work in the Dillards building.

I've seen the bobcat going in and out and filling the construction dumpsters around the back of the building daily.

Is that the same bobcat that was seen in the Bottle District?

buckethead · PostFeb 23, 2007#232007-02-23T18:20+00:00

No.. this one was actually doing something!

stldtfan · PostFeb 23, 2007#242007-02-23T18:30+00:00

You guys are bad....... Just bad.....

debaliviere · PostFeb 23, 2007#252007-02-23T18:50+00:00

stlmizzoutiger wrote:
buckethead wrote:Earlier this week they started doing some demo work in the Dillards building.

I've seen the bobcat going in and out and filling the construction dumpsters around the back of the building daily.

Is that the same bobcat that was seen in the Bottle District?

I saw a couple of cougars walking out of The Dubliner. Meow!