^ i don't keep up with the design world so i'll defer to your experience re design schools. i still don't think one poorly-designed interior by one small developer represents an overall lack of good design in St. Louis, though.
Design is just somewhat off the radar here. Until the companies in Cortex get to the phase of making things, this is a real nuts and bolts, cost driven town, and that translates to a lower overall average level of design.
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Meanwhile, still ZERO progress on the Chemical Building front.
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^^ does product design necessarily translate to architectural design though? cleveland, chicago and minneapolis are definitely ahead of us in terms of contemporary architectural design, but chicago and minneapolis are also building way more than we are. cleveland is an interesting case, and maybe there the design culture does make the difference. i haven't seen much out of Cincinnati that has WOWd me architecturally. hopefully as we start to build more a respectable fraction of our new structures will be forward-looking design-wise.
$2.689M building permit application submitted for 119 more residential units
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Is this the space Spire vacated a few years ago to move to the Phillip Johnson building?
There is so much hand-ringing about "too many apts being built." We just can't fathom growth that isn't on the edges of the region.
Yeah, even with the problems downtown has. It seems to be chugging along. St. Louis is a slow growth region, but I'm sure it will hit critical mass eventually. I think infrastructure is the biggest issue right now.
^ Time for City kick in some money to stabilize and do additional rehab on Railway Exchange. Make it a very low interest loan, building buyback or minimum number of affordable housing units. Something.
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For real.dredger wrote: ↑Dec 09, 2023^ Time for City kick in some money to stabilize and do additional rehab on Railway Exchange. Make it a very low interest loan, building buyback or minimum number of affordable housing units. Something.
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St. Louis developer owes $800K in property taxes. It’s causing problems at City Hall.dredger wrote: ↑Dec 09, 2023^ Time for City kick in some money to stabilize and do additional rehab on Railway Exchange. Make it a very low interest loan, building buyback or minimum number of affordable housing units. Something.
https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/gov ... f2346.html
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We were pretty close to critical mass in 2019, but the office apocalypse snatched that away. Glad to see residential continue to grow, but we need MUCH more to carry the water lost by office workers.
I know people don't like the idea of tax breaks in the central corridor, but I am fine throwing the house at developers in DT/DTW. We probably need to double the population in the two neighborhoods to achieve the kind of downtown vibrancy that can turn a region around.
I know people don't like the idea of tax breaks in the central corridor, but I am fine throwing the house at developers in DT/DTW. We probably need to double the population in the two neighborhoods to achieve the kind of downtown vibrancy that can turn a region around.
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This article is about Green Street. That's not the same developer as the Laclede Gas Building at 720 Olive.stlurbanist wrote: ↑Dec 11, 2023St. Louis developer owes $800K in property taxes. It’s causing problems at City Hall.dredger wrote: ↑Dec 09, 2023^ Time for City kick in some money to stabilize and do additional rehab on Railway Exchange. Make it a very low interest loan, building buyback or minimum number of affordable housing units. Something.
https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/gov ... f2346.html
I actually live in the Laclede Gas Building right now. 119 is a really high number of apartments to be additional. I wonder if some are just being renovated.
I do know that some floors that were previously commercial have sat vacant since the covid years. It seems like some of those might become new apartments.
I'll see if I can get a lease manager drunk and find out.
I do know that some floors that were previously commercial have sat vacant since the covid years. It seems like some of those might become new apartments.
I'll see if I can get a lease manager drunk and find out.
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What has been your experience of these apartments so far? Did they live up to the hype? Do you like living there and the amenities and surroundings?fatsheldon wrote: ↑Dec 11, 2023I actually live in the Laclede Gas Building right now. 119 is a really high number of apartments to be additional. I wonder if some are just being renovated.
I do know that some floors that were previously commercial have sat vacant since the covid years. It seems like some of those might become new apartments.
I'll see if I can get a lease manager drunk and find out.
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I can't speak for the hype you mentioned. They have been here for a while, but the building lobby is fancy. The elevators are well maintained, and security is higher than any other place I have ever lived (24 hour personnel at the desk, locked doors with code access after 6pm, key cards only allow access to your own floor, etc).stlurbanist wrote: ↑Dec 11, 2023What has been your experience of these apartments so far? Did they live up to the hype? Do you like living there and the amenities and surroundings?fatsheldon wrote: ↑Dec 11, 2023I actually live in the Laclede Gas Building right now. 119 is a really high number of apartments to be additional. I wonder if some are just being renovated.
I do know that some floors that were previously commercial have sat vacant since the covid years. It seems like some of those might become new apartments.
I'll see if I can get a lease manager drunk and find out.
Our apartment is on the SW corner of a high floor so the view is absolutely stunning. I think we pay a little extra for being up higher. Inside everything is nice, but not crazy. For example we have an insane oven that sings to you when it's done and it has more features than I would ever need, but then the loudest damn dishwasher I have ever met. Above average bathroom facilities.
The most interesting part of the building is how it has its own powerplant and they left most of the existing HVAC thing that pumps air throughout the building. It runs 100% of the time and actually adds a nice white noise and controls the temperature pretty accurately. If you're a person that absolutely has to set your own temperature then you may not like it. The flexing from the windows during periods of high sun or cold can be irritating to some, but it doesn't bother me or my wife.
The fourth floor has some outside space as the back of the building is only 4 stories high. It's nice. Also has a gym and work space.
The people that work for the owners (BrandonView LLC) are pretty amazing. They're knowledgeable and generally approachable.
The only real downside I would say is that the garage under the building is quite small. I'm on a waiting list. So, we currently use the parkLouie garage attached to the east side of the building. There is a skywalk on the 2nd floor. The garage itself is clean... but the people that work there are absolutely worthless and it's a complete free-for-all in there: minimum of 10 abandoned cars, thefts, catalytic converter thieves, etc. The good news is that I can go to lunch at 4 or five places, pick up a book from the Central Express library and stop off at Schnucks all in a lunch break. So, I hopefully won't have a car much longer.
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wow, thats amazing. thank you and appreciate your honest feedback. btw, i didnt know that central express was still open...fatsheldon wrote: ↑Dec 11, 2023I can't speak for the hype you mentioned. They have been here for a while, but the building lobby is fancy. The elevators are well maintained, and security is higher than any other place I have ever lived (24 hour personnel at the desk, locked doors with code access after 6pm, key cards only allow access to your own floor, etc).stlurbanist wrote: ↑Dec 11, 2023What has been your experience of these apartments so far? Did they live up to the hype? Do you like living there and the amenities and surroundings?fatsheldon wrote: ↑Dec 11, 2023I actually live in the Laclede Gas Building right now. 119 is a really high number of apartments to be additional. I wonder if some are just being renovated.
I do know that some floors that were previously commercial have sat vacant since the covid years. It seems like some of those might become new apartments.
I'll see if I can get a lease manager drunk and find out.
Our apartment is on the SW corner of a high floor so the view is absolutely stunning. I think we pay a little extra for being up higher. Inside everything is nice, but not crazy. For example we have an insane oven that sings to you when it's done and it has more features than I would ever need, but then the loudest damn dishwasher I have ever met. Above average bathroom facilities.
The most interesting part of the building is how it has its own powerplant and they left most of the existing HVAC thing that pumps air throughout the building. It runs 100% of the time and actually adds a nice white noise and controls the temperature pretty accurately. If you're a person that absolutely has to set your own temperature then you may not like it. The flexing from the windows during periods of high sun or cold can be irritating to some, but it doesn't bother me or my wife.
The fourth floor has some outside space as the back of the building is only 4 stories high. It's nice. Also has a gym and work space.
The people that work for the owners (BrandonView LLC) are pretty amazing. They're knowledgeable and generally approachable.
The only real downside I would say is that the garage under the building is quite small. I'm on a waiting list. So, we currently use the parkLouie garage attached to the east side of the building. There is a skywalk on the 2nd floor. The garage itself is clean... but the people that work there are absolutely worthless and it's a complete free-for-all in there: minimum of 10 abandoned cars, thefts, catalytic converter thieves, etc. The good news is that I can go to lunch at 4 or five places, pick up a book from the Central Express library and stop off at Schnucks all in a lunch break. So, I hopefully won't have a car much longer.
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Did the office style drop ceilings stay during the conversion to apartments?
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Not on the floors I have seen, no.dbInSouthCity wrote: ↑Dec 12, 2023Did the office style drop ceilings stay during the conversion to apartments?
I work in the building. I would mirror everything fatsheldon said. The place is clean, staff is nice, and the amenities are pretty outstanding. The 4th floor has meeting/conference rooms, a large kitchen, a huge gym, showers, lockers, a large outdoor rooftop space with a pool, grills, and a fire pit. They recently added secure bike storage on the main level, but no e-bikes due to supposed fire risk.
I'm guessing that most of the new apartments will be on level 2 and/or 3, which have double the square footage as the tower portion of the building. I saw the "creative office space" leasing sign for Arcturis's former space on level 2 being removed a couple weeks ago. They previously occupied the entire floor. That being said, I assume there is some lost square footage on those levels as far as apartments go, as giving everyone a window is slightly more challenging. Still a lot of apartments that could be squeezed in, though. There may be a couple of non-podium levels that could be converted, but the building seems relatively full otherwise.
I'm guessing that most of the new apartments will be on level 2 and/or 3, which have double the square footage as the tower portion of the building. I saw the "creative office space" leasing sign for Arcturis's former space on level 2 being removed a couple weeks ago. They previously occupied the entire floor. That being said, I assume there is some lost square footage on those levels as far as apartments go, as giving everyone a window is slightly more challenging. Still a lot of apartments that could be squeezed in, though. There may be a couple of non-podium levels that could be converted, but the building seems relatively full otherwise.
This is where my dentist office is at, and the building always seemed quite nice and well-maintained.
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It changed hands recently. This is what I mean: it is my understanding that the bank holding the loan is now in complete ownership. As such, they kept some of the security and management on staff. I personally know some of them and that is where I learned this. I would consider this a positive change as they are taking the building's rent payments and reinvesting them directly to improve the building so that they can sell it.Auggie wrote: ↑Jul 15, 2025This building is only 70% occupied.
We'll see how it goes, but rumor has it the service elevator that never worked while I was there is being reconditioned, and some attention is being paid to the aging amenities like hot tubs and treadmills.