urbanSTL

BellaVilla wrote: ↑

May 12, 2021

I may have spoken too soon. This is an incredible re-use. Major kudos to the Hoffman family for taking this on. 

Here is a link to the auctioneer's website that has 50 photos: https://www.trophypa.com/properties/mis ... -iauction/

This place is going to be a premiere wedding venue in the region.

This is a big deal - I toured these buildings in 2006 and again in 2019 - The residents were still there in 06 - though it was about 50% capacity - in 19 everyone had been vacated for years and the buildings were beginning to show the affects of deferred maintenance.

The buildings are almost all stone and look like they belong in European village. 

Missouri Alliance for Preservation put them on their most endangered list with no buyers on the horizon a few years back. 

I was thinking this would be a great pick up for the Hoffman's when they announced their plan a few months ago. I hope they keep all the historic buildings, with the stream and stone bridge and the land they could almost build their own little town like Serenbe  

Big story in the PD today:

https://www.stltoday.com/business/local ... op-story-1

^  I saw that story yesterday, was skeptical when I read the headline but it's clear they are are going to sink a lot of money into this project while still trying to maintain the charm of the area.

dweebe wrote: ↑

May 17, 2021

framer wrote: ↑

May 16, 2021

Big story in the PD today:

https://www.stltoday.com/business/local ... op-story-1

Is it just me because I'm a grump, or did that read like a paid puff piece?

I thought it was really informative on what is going on. I didn’t get puff piece at all.

^Yes and no. It's certainly newsworthy that someone is investing that much money and acquiring that much property. But it was perhaps lacking in skepticism. It seemed to accept the "This will be the next Napa" talking point a little more readily than it deserves. I didn't see any discussion of how well they've performed in Winnetka, Avon, or Naples beyond the parade marshal bit. I expect they'll make money off their investment, but I'm not sure I'd expect it to contribute to our national recognition any more than Avon, Winnetka, or Naples did for Colorado, Illinois, or Florida.

framer wrote: ↑

May 16, 2021

Big story in the PD today:

https://www.stltoday.com/business/local ... op-story-1

Always exciting to see more attractions in the area.  I doubt that this investment will turn us into the next Napa Valley and draw international attention, but I could absolutely see it being a regional / Midwest attraction for wine lovers.  I'm not the biggest wine enthusiast, but I love a good view and a day getaway, so I'm sure I'll give it a shot once it opens down the road.

symphonicpoet wrote: ↑

May 17, 2021

^Yes and no. It's certainly newsworthy that someone is investing that much money and acquiring that much property. But it was perhaps lacking in skepticism. It seemed to accept the "This will be the next Napa" talking point a little more readily than it deserves. I didn't see any discussion of how well they've performed in Winnetka, Avon, or Naples beyond the parade marshal bit. I expect they'll make money off their investment, but I'm not sure I'd expect it to contribute to our national recognition any more than Avon, Winnetka, or Naples did for Colorado, Illinois, or Florida.

Seeing I’ve never heard of Avon or Winnetka I agree with it not being some national recognition maker. And talk about a Napa comparison is silly, but I would hope everyone realizes that.

I just didn’t know many details on it so I appreciated the updates and map of where things were. I also didn’t realize there was some head butting with the county government.

This project does not need to approach Napa's level of notoriety to be wildly successful. 

^Oh, don't get me wrong. I absolutely believe it can be a success without bringing a single new person to town. I expect it'll get more locals going out and hitting the wineries. It might possibly steal a bit of attention from St. James or Herman, but it doesn't even need to do that. I expect it will be a moneymaker. And it will be one more thing for out of town tourists to do while here, even if it doesn't really increase their numbers all that much. If it convinces them to stay for three days rather than two it's still a winner. Some of the hyperbole is a tad over the top, but I'm happy to see the investment, just the same.

beer city wrote: ↑

May 14, 2021

The buildings are almost all stone and look like they belong in European village. 

Missouri Alliance for Preservation put them on their most endangered list with no buyers on the horizon a few years back. 

I was thinking this would be a great pick up for the Hoffman's when they announced their plan a few months ago. I hope they keep all the historic buildings, with the stream and stone bridge and the land they could almost build their own little town like Serenbe  

It would make an even better cheesery. And what would be better suited next to a winery?

Lots of room to roam for the cows, goats, sheep, alpaca, llama, camels, and whatever else from which one can make . And then maybe they wouldn't have to clear cut all of that forest...

symphonicpoet wrote: ↑

May 18, 2021

^Oh, don't get me wrong. I absolutely believe it can be a success without bringing a single new person to town. I expect it'll get more locals going out and hitting the wineries. It might possibly steal a bit of attention from St. James or Herman, but it doesn't even need to do that. I expect it will be a moneymaker. And it will be one more thing for out of town tourists to do while here, even if it doesn't really increase their numbers all that much. If it convinces them to stay for three days rather than two it's still a winner. Some of the hyperbole is a tad over the top, but I'm happy to see the investment, just the same.

I wouldn't worry about Herman or St. James much. This seems like a rising tide raises all ships situation. 

BellaVilla wrote: ↑

May 18, 2021

I wouldn't worry about Herman or St. James much. This seems like a rising tide raises all ships situation. 

Not sure if this is true for the entire state but I had a friend who opened a winery in St. James. The other wineries helped him out. The more wineries an area has, the more of a destination it becomes. But again, can we say that the more wineries Missouri has, the more of a destination it becomes? Are wine regions competing with each other? Or is the wine industry competing with other weekend activities? Sorry, this is something I think about a lot. 

Btw, my friend ended up opening a restaurant and wine store (rather than a winery) in St. James called "Just A Taste" and apparently it's doing really well. I never got the chance to go. You should check it out if you're looking for a spot though. 

I agree with the first statement. I would guess it would at first compete with other weekend activities in a predominantly local/regional market. Only when it really gains national projection (which probably won't happen in the next decade or so even if everything goes right) will it start competing with other wine regions.

Luxury boat cruises coming to the Hoffman wine development. Hope to start this year.

https://www.kmov.com/news/luxury-riverb ... -autopilot

This isn't a new article, but it's one I ran across recently and holds some interesting tidbits - some new to me, some not: https://martincitytelegraph.com/2019/12 ... ris-vines/

Among them:

• Pre-prohibition, Stone Hill Winery was the second largest winery in the nation and the third largest in the world.
• Missouri is responsible for saving France's wine industry.
• A man who learned his craft in Hermann, MO is responsible for fathering Napa Valley's wine industry
• Because the Adam Puchta Winery (barely) didn't shut down during prohibition, it is the oldest continuous family-run winery in the United States.

It's a good read if you've got a few minutes to go through it.

-RBB

^It was a fun little article. Thank you. There's a lot I've heard anecdotally, but it goes into a little more detail.

https://www.emissourian.com/local_news/ ... 9d01d.html


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^Nice to see someone reading the Missourian. I have a bit of a soft spot for the thing as I had a neighbor that taught journalism there and I did a brief stint in their mailroom.

Renders for those who don't want to click on the link. It doesn't say what the materials are; I'm assuming this will be a quality project, though.

Another rendering - It will be connected to the town via a walking path (this is looking north) 






 

I'd prefer 18 holes, but Rees Jones is a great architect. The Jones family responsible for some of the great courses around StL including Bellerive, Old Warson, and The Legends. Rees has designed many great courses and been entrusted with re-designing some of the finest courses in America including The Counrty Club in Brookline, Mass, the Atlanta Athletic Club, Torrey Pines, Cog Hill, Oakland Hills CC, and Beth Page Black.