"The McGowan Brothers are rumored to be purchasing the Famous Barr / Macy's warehouse. I believe Ameren has purchased part of the complex." from a different blogging site.

here is the story when it was bought.

http://interact.stltoday.com/blogzone/b ... ouse-sold/

Can anyone speculate what would go in there? And who would be the real buyer? I can't imagine it would be anything industrial and I can't imagine it being any housing. Anyone think SLU has a hand in this?

Warehouse. Local Buyer. No SLU involvement.

The activity I have noticed is the fact that their is occassionally a moving truck or multiple moving trucks present. It is certainly getting some use. However, that is the extent of my limited knowledge

So I walked past it a few times this past week. There's been a lot of moving trucks and it makes me think it will become a huge storage facility.

We'd hear more info if it were truly for the greenway.

The thing is, its right next to the armory and a bunch of other railroad track. If anything is going to be developed down there it has to be one huge cohesive effort. Nothing will do well down there next to vacant buildings and torn up streets.

Are they storing books from the Central Library there?

owner is listed as Birch llc, 1314 Washington.

"Most of the 800,000 books and magazines, 1.4 million government documents, 82,000 rolls of microfilm and other holdings are headed for the old Famous-Barr warehouse at Highway 40 and Vandeventer Avenue. That building will not be open to the public...

McDonald said the library will need about a month to unpack and sort the books and other materials headed for the Famous-Barr warehouse. The St. Louis Public Library Board of Directors has hired library-moving specialist Carney McNicholas Inc. of Lorain, Ohio. Assisting will be Brown-Kortkamp Moving & Storage of St. Louis."


http://more.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/ ... enDocument

So its becoming a storage for a library??? Pretty weak.

lukethedrifter wrote:owner is listed as Birch llc, 1314 Washington.

That's the address of the Fitness Factory.

And McGowan owns Fitness Factory. The circle is complete.

bk18 wrote:So its becoming a storage for a library??? Pretty weak.

More like a prominent developer bought the place for a song in a down economy. By housing the central library's collections they get a guaranteed tenant until 2012, at which point it might be more feasible to redevelop than it is now. That's not weak, it's smart.

Well now that I know that they are a developer its different and i never would have thought they'd need to store books for only 2 year. But whatever. Chouteau Greenway please come true.

The Famous-Barr Warehouse at 3728 Market St is on the Preservation Board Sep 26 agenda for nom to the National Register, which would make is eligible for historic tax credits. It seems that Green Street is planning a rehab. Looks like Gs bought it for $22M 08/06/2021.

A renovation of this building would be absolutely incredible for Midtown and the Central Corridor. 

I think it would really help change the perspective of the city for highway drivers if that ugly, painted building could be cleaned up and given new windows. It would also be awesome if that parking lot could be developed as well. 

I'd love to see the old JJ's building revived with something new, too. 

I would love to see the lowrise rear of this building demolished eventually to allow for another connection across the Metrolink tracks to Sarpy. Perhaps would allow for further development in that every underused section.

Makes total sense for the future of Armory, City Foundry, and Brickline. That’s an enormous sqft and a tower would look great on the parking/logistics lot directly to the west.

Potentially controversial thought… I’d be open to a Vandeventer MetroLink stop which is more feasible now that most of the surrounding property is owned by same developers.

addxb2 wrote: ↑

Sep 23, 2022

Makes total sense for the future of Armory, City Foundry, and Brickline. That’s an enormous sqft and a tower would look great on the parking/logistics lot directly to the west.

Potentially controversial thought… I’d be open to a Vandeventer MetroLink stop which is more feasible now that most of the surrounding property is owned by same developers.

Within a 5 minute walk of two other stations??

aprice wrote:

addxb2 wrote: ↑

Sep 23, 2022

Makes total sense for the future of Armory, City Foundry, and Brickline. That’s an enormous sqft and a tower would look great on the parking/logistics lot directly to the west.

Potentially controversial thought… I’d be open to a Vandeventer MetroLink stop which is more feasible now that most of the surrounding property is owned by same developers.

Within a 5 minute walk of two other stations??

Yep. I wouldn’t hate it if MetroLink operated with greater station density in the central corridor.
Vandeventer could be a great bus corridor with transfer points under the existing MetroLink bridge, Chicago L style.

So basically Green Street is now going to control the entire area with this building plus the Armory. The optimist in me wants to believe this makes the new apartment buildings proposed for the Armory more likely to happen, ie Green Street is doubling down on this area. Does anyone see the opposite happening, ie Green Street ditching the Armory apartments to instead put apartments in the Famous Barr warehouse building?