urbanSTL

chaifetz10 wrote:Everytime I drive downtown I can't help but dream of what St. Louis should be. I always imagine this image:



It's nothing more than a daydream at this point though.

Personally, I always envision more density as opposed to supertall buildings. A corridor of buildings connecting downtown to Soulard, new buildings on the vacant lots on all sides of Busch Stadium, etc.

Also, what always stands out to me as I cross the Mississippi is how ugly the Hyatt (former Adam's Mark) is. It's an awful building in possibly the most prominent spot downtown.

debaliviere wrote:Also, what always stands out to me as I cross the Mississippi is how ugly the Hyatt (former Adam's Mark) is. It's an awful building in possibly the most prominent spot downtown.

It used to look a bit nicer.



-RBB

I remember when the Pierce Building was originally renovated, Fred Kummer, Adam's Mark's CEO, bragged about how this would be the premier hotel in St. Louis. He even compared it to the Peachtree Plaza, a 73-story contemporary glass cylinder in Atlanta. The local office of the American Institute of Architects called his bluff and demanded a better design. The only improvement we got was a brick facade.

STLEnginerd wrote:

Personally, I always envision more density as opposed to supertall buildings. A corridor of buildings connecting downtown to Soulard, new buildings on the vacant lots on all sides of Busch Stadium, etc.

Agreed. If the equivalent square footage was spread across several mid-rises all over downtown I think it would be even more beneficial to downtown. Because it would spread the prosperity to all corners raising property values and spurring interest in investment over a larger area.

^ I think we need a mix. Mid-rise infill in Downtown West, Landing/Near North Riverfront, and an emerging mixed-use Downtown South neighborhood, but in the core CBD we need to go higher.... we need as much density there as possible and I also believe modern towers offer a type of urban product that appeals to many and one we need to have available.

And getting the Railway Exchange, Mercantile, LaSalle and Chemical buildings activated would provide immense gains for the CBD as well... and of course we'll get a newly vacant skyscraper available to market shortly as well. I think together these buildings add up to around 3 million square feet of space and have the potential to add thousands to the daytime population count if brought back to life. And Jefferson Arms and Butler Bros would add almost 1 million square feet to Downtown West.

Anyway, I hope we can make good progress in all those areas over the course of the next year or two.... announcements on a couple of high quality Arcade-Wright type rehabs, some mid-rise infill, and a decent tower or two in BPV and/or Landing. And in due time a couple impressive additions to our skyline rising from some current CBD surface lots.

^ I'm also not giving up hope on the Drury lot yet, either.... Lawrence Group was talking of 30 stories last year and that would be great if they can move forward with it; even if a few floors are dropped.

I don't think One ATT would work as residential because the floor plates are just too big; each unit would be shaped like a long, narrow tube, with windows at one end only.

15 Tallest Buildings in Saint Louis Slideshow:

http://www.stltoday.com/gallery/news/lo ... 884.html#2

One word...demand. St. Louis doesnt have a beef with heights, it has a serious demand issue and has for some 50+ years. Even suddenly boomed, I personally would like to see a series of hi rises in the 300-600 ft range.

It's move-in time for Pittsburgh's 33 story PNC tower:

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/b ... ebuts.html

Supposedly one of the greenest building in the world.

Amazing that only one person died (apparently). They must have done a great job evacuating everyone. The photos I saw showed the whole building engulfed. It's hard to understand how the fire could have spread so much, what with modern sprinkler systems and all.

^Also, the fire was mainly in the exterior cladding, thus the rapid spread and frightful appearance.

In recent weeks, I've traveled to Los Angeles and Dallas for summer fun and vacation.

While visiting, I witnessed an explosion in Los Angeles and Dallas with numerous new towers under construction - including The Wilshire Grand in downtown L.A. - which will be a mixed-use project - as well as the new tallest west of the Mississippi River once completed. But it will then be overtaken by SF's, Salesforce Tower, which is under construction.

While St. Louis is experiencing a boom of her own - particularly in the Central Corridor - needless to say, many cities are now building some of their newest tallest. In Philly, Los Angeles, SF, Boston, Milwaukee etc. there are new towers rising - whether those new tallest are office, residential or mixed-use.

When will St. Louis join the club? Will it happen at BPV with DIII's "tall skinny" tower?

Can St. Louis do a mixed-use (residential, office, hotel and retail) in a single building like The Wilshire Grand?

I personally think a new tallest in downtown St. Louis is doable. STL deserves a new tallest tower.