Sorry if mentioned already. According to plans on LCRA agenda, northwestern corner of first floor is a planned “sports bar” and the southwestern corner is “future retail”.
Wasn't this whole hotel a Sheraton like 20 years ago? When it first re-opened?addxb2 wrote: ↑Aug 23, 2023Sorry if mentioned already. According to plans on LCRA agenda, northwestern corner of first floor is a planned “sports bar” and the southwestern corner is “future retail”.
at the time of opening, there was a sports bar in the NW corner that was kinda cool.
Yes it was a Sheraton and it was a decent hotel for a while. But the whole chain was poorly run and it was reflected here.soulardx wrote: ↑Aug 23, 2023Wasn't this whole hotel a Sheraton like 20 years ago? When it first re-opened?addxb2 wrote: ↑Aug 23, 2023Sorry if mentioned already. According to plans on LCRA agenda, northwestern corner of first floor is a planned “sports bar” and the southwestern corner is “future retail”.
at the time of opening, there was a sports bar in the NW corner that was kinda cool.
It was Jacques from 1999 to 2006. (I watched the Rams lose Super Bowl 36 there.) Then it was a Federkos and something else.
I knew people that worked there during the Jacques time and I was poorly run, plus the hotel wasn't interested in the space. On top of that they had serious cash and inventory control issues.
Jacques...yes! LOL. RIP Jacques.dweebe wrote: ↑Aug 23, 2023Yes it was a Sheraton and it was a decent hotel for a while. But the whole chain was poorly run and it was reflected here.soulardx wrote: ↑Aug 23, 2023Wasn't this whole hotel a Sheraton like 20 years ago? When it first re-opened?addxb2 wrote: ↑Aug 23, 2023Sorry if mentioned already. According to plans on LCRA agenda, northwestern corner of first floor is a planned “sports bar” and the southwestern corner is “future retail”.
at the time of opening, there was a sports bar in the NW corner that was kinda cool.
It was Jacques from 1999 to 2006. (I watched the Rams lose Super Bowl 36 there.) Then it was a Federkos and something else.
I knew people that worked there during the Jacques time and I was poorly run, plus the hotel wasn't interested in the space. On top of that they had serious cash and inventory control issues.
Need hotel recommendations! Haven’t been to STL in two years (no one is more disappointed than I)! Considering booking a flight down next Monday just for a change in scenery while working. Amtrak home on Tuesday evening.
I’d like to stay in one of the recently opened hotels (2019-2023), good for working, natural light, maybe a view, and coffee within walking distance. Reasonable nightly rates ($200).
Best ideas?!
I’d like to stay in one of the recently opened hotels (2019-2023), good for working, natural light, maybe a view, and coffee within walking distance. Reasonable nightly rates ($200).
Best ideas?!
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My wife and I are doing the Cards game tonight, then staying one night in the Loews across the street. Then breakfast and the afternoon game tomorrow before returning to the suburbs.
But I’d probably pick the 21C. Haven’t stayed there but I have stayed in the one in OKC.
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But I’d probably pick the 21C. Haven’t stayed there but I have stayed in the one in OKC.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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I'll be staying at the 21C in a bit over a week. Not sure if that's quick enough for you, but I'll gladly give a review come then.
Ended up getting a great price on Lowes for Monday night. A pretty basic reason but love that there’s a Starbucks around the corner that I can work from Monday morning.
I’ll be getting the full St. Louis Transportation circuit. Southwest In, MetroLink around, Amtrak (higher speed) Lincoln Service Out!
I’ll be getting the full St. Louis Transportation circuit. Southwest In, MetroLink around, Amtrak (higher speed) Lincoln Service Out!
Definitely the 21C. Angad Arts is cool but you've probably already seen that. Or The Last if the others don't work out.
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^Well, I can at least review the Lincoln service. I absolutely hate Amtrak's new boarding procedures, and the food and amenities are . . . mediocre at best. But the ride is quick and the on-time performance is good. Also, the Gateway station is still awful, but at least there's food there now. I'd really like to give the person that decided we needed to cue up for the train as though it was a stinking airplane a piece of my mind. (My head exploded when I was in line, so maybe they want to keep something as a souvenir.)
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I’m in Loews right now. Got a cup of Starbucks around the corner while the better sleeps in. Walked across the street to the Cards game last night. Wi-Fi was so good in Busch that we could stream the soccer match on our phones during the game.
Left game a bit early and we had a glass of wine at the Loews bar while we watched the rest of the match on our phones. Loews didn’t have the match on any of their numerous TVs in the bar or in the room. Guess they need an Apple TV deal.
After breakfast downstairs we’ll check out, walk to the afternoon game and putter home to Kirkwood.
Loews is a very comfortable hotel. Had a room facing Busch and I love the floor to ceiling windows.![]()
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Left game a bit early and we had a glass of wine at the Loews bar while we watched the rest of the match on our phones. Loews didn’t have the match on any of their numerous TVs in the bar or in the room. Guess they need an Apple TV deal.
After breakfast downstairs we’ll check out, walk to the afternoon game and putter home to Kirkwood.
Loews is a very comfortable hotel. Had a room facing Busch and I love the floor to ceiling windows.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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I heard the Mark Twain will be a Marriott.
I heard the same thing. Same owner as Chemical Building.leeharveyawesome wrote: ↑Sep 21, 2023I heard the Mark Twain will be a Marriott.
Normal Marriott or something in the brand?leeharveyawesome wrote: ↑Sep 21, 2023I heard the Mark Twain will be a Marriott.
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I’m surprised that the Mark Twain hotel (now low-income apartments) would be converted back into a hotel. I knew it was for sale a while back though. Does anyone know if any old details are still inside of it or were those removed years ago?
Wow, that's interesting. It indeed is the same owner. It's a beautiful building. I still can't believe some people on this forum were in favor of demolition to construct a parking garage for 909 Chestnut....but anyways. I kind of feel bad for the current residents, assuming this comes to fruition, although I know that there is a substantial population of sex offenders living there. Anyways, this seems like mostly good news.
Who here wanted to demolish the building?Tim wrote: ↑Sep 22, 2023Wow, that's interesting. It indeed is the same owner. It's a beautiful building. I still can't believe some people on this forum were in favor of demolition to construct a parking garage for 909 Chestnut....but anyways. I kind of feel bad for the current residents, assuming this comes to fruition, although I know that there is a substantial population of sex offenders living there. Anyways, this seems like mostly good news.
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^Oh, I don't remember, but it was a thing in the 909 Chestnut thread for a while two or three years ago. How to get more parking. Some folks said rent space. Others said tear down Sara's Twain . . . or just move it temporarily and put a garage underneath. Still others said put a garage on the block immediately north of 909. (Extending to the alley, if I recall correctly.) There were even debates about whether you could just do it on the half block that's a surface lot. (I favored that option.) I'm not sure how serious or carefully thought out any of it was. Some of it was most probably tongue in cheek. (The underground garage beneath the other Twain, for instance, was probably always at least half joke.)
^ Thanks SP! That's a good summary. It may have only been one person, I don't recall. It just stuck with me because I thought it was a pretty ludicrous idea.
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Haha why would that be a joke. My idea btwsymphonicpoet wrote: ↑Sep 23, 2023The underground garage beneath the other Twain, for instance, was probably always at least half joke.
. Hall of Fame Park in Nashville was the inspiration for the idea if you'd like to check it out for reference. I also thought the idea would have been great idea for Keiner Plaza too, so that the Keiner garages could come down but i came to the realization too late to shout it into the void prior to that project starting.My question to you would be why is this a joke to you? 909 Chestnut is the second most important redevelopment opportunity in downtown IMHO (after the REX). If parking is truly the sticking point to this project (debatable) then why not this? Definitely better than tearing down Mark Twain, and the lot next to Mark Twain would be a TERRIBLE garage. WAY too small to be efficient with way too steep a grade and ultimately too few parking spots. Even with the underground garage on Serra you'd be looking at 5 stories underground to make it work.
Although putting the Serra sculpture back on top the thing post build might be considered a half joke because I hate it and would rather see it gone altogether, but if its what got the job done i would be down.
Also the way i see it the surface level should belong to people. Cars can have as much space as they want as long as its below grade.
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Subsidies for downtown St. Louis hotel redevelopment move forward after labor fight
https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2024/01/17/subsidies-downtown-hotel-redevelopment-forward.html?cx_testId=40&cx_testVariant=cx_5&cx_artPos=0#cxrecs_sLegislation to provide public subsidies for a downtown St. Louis hotel redevelopment advanced Wednesday after failing to move forward last month amid a dispute between the developer and a local union.
Midas Hospitality is seeking tax incentives to fund the renovation of the 266-room hotel inside the former Edison Brothers Building at 400 S. 14th St. downtown. The project is up for 10 years of 75% property tax abatement, estimated to amount to annual taxes due of $350,000 during the abatement and $850,000 afterward, according to city filings. Unite Here Local 74 wanted Midas to sign a neutrality agreement, pledging not to interfere if employees of the OYO Hotel, which is to become a Sheraton, seek to organize. Midas refused, saying that it was clear that if it agreed the union would seek more concessions, leading to questions before the Board of Aldermen's Housing, Urban Development and Zoning Committee, which last month declined to advance the legislation.
It again considered the legislation Wednesday, and voted 5-0 to advance it to the full Board of Aldermen.
Aldermen indicated they could not force Midas, via the legislation, to sign the neutrality agreement, as they're prevented by state law from doing so. They got reassurances Wednesday from Midas' CEO, David Robert, that he would not interfere in any push to unionize the future hotel's roughly 100 workers, including by hiring consultants.
But Robert again reiterated that he would not sign the neutrality agreement, calling it unnecessary since Midas has a good relationship with its employees and pays them above union-scale wages. And Robert emphasized that the roughly $50 million project would not move forward without the subsidies: "We only ask for what we need. If there's no abatement we're going to punt on the project," he said.
161-room Hilton hotel planned in downtown St. Louis
https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2024/01/19/hilton-hotel-downtown-st-louis-planned.html?cx_testId=40&cx_testVariant=cx_5&cx_artPos=1#cxrecs_sA 161-room Tapestry Collection by Hilton hotel is planned at the current Mark Twain Hotel in downtown St. Louis, according to public documents and the property's former owner, indicating the longtime boarding house will be replaced.
An entity tied to developer Amos Harris in March sold the nine-story property, at 205 N. Ninth St., to Anchor Point Hotel LLC, tied to John Campo of New Orleans-based Campo Architecture & Interior Design, for $6.1 million, according to city records. Campo is also involved in redevelopment of the vacant Chemical Building downtown into a pair of dual-branded hotels. Campo didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Construction firm Paric has asked for bids from subcontractors to work on elevators, plumbing, mechanical and electrical at the property. It's seeking pricing feedback by Feb. 15, with a pre-bid site walk scheduled for Jan. 25. Information from Paric says the project is not tax exempt, "and taxes shall be included." It says the anticipated construction start date is the fourth quarter this year, and that diversity requirements for the project will comply with business and workforce participation mandates under city ordinance.
A Paric representative didn't respond to a request for comment.
Under Harris' ownership, the Mark Twain operated as housing for low-income residents. It had 234 rooms with weekly rates from $110 to $117, Harris said.
The people he rented to "were hard on the property" and he had to spend money every year making fixes. Still, Harris said he was "proud of the idea of creating housing for folks that are not homeless but don't have enough money to rent."
"They don't have credit to rent, they might have a prison record. I liked all that," he said, adding that he at one point contemplated redeveloping the building for student housing, but did not want to evict its current residents.
Harris said any redevelopment he would have pursued himself would have kept the building as low-income housing. Anticipating a political fight in obtaining the necessary Low-Income Housing Tax Credits for the multimillion-dollar project, he said it ultimately made sense to sell instead.
A past renovation in the mid-1990s totaled about $8 million, including tax incentives. It got later subsidies for additional work.
More than 200 Mark Twain residents were evacuated Tuesday after a broken pipe flooded the first three floors of the building amid extreme cold.
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What will happen to the residents of Mark Twain? Sure hope this doesn’t end up adding a couple hundred more homeless people downtown.
The Le Meridien downtown is closed for a month or more. Anyone know what happened? Burst pipe or something?
It would actually be strategic for the City not to allow this development because that is exactly what will happen.SouthCityJR wrote: ↑Jan 19, 2024What will happen to the residents of Mark Twain? Sure hope this doesn’t end up adding a couple hundred more homeless people downtown.