What's happening in Downtown St Louis?

[Xing]

I was just there today. I hadn't been in a little while.

There was this momentum that existed a few years ago, a momentum of growth, and eagerness for evolvement. Today, I saw so many businesses that were part of that momentum, and they had boarded up windows. The Mayfair Hotel, The Roberts Tower, Mosaic, Dorsa. Then I saw laclede's landing had dug up a hole (please tell me this was absolutely necessary), removing some ancient cobblestone for some kind of construction project, or possible sewage upgrade. Is there something I don't know? Is it because I'm no longer keeping up with things?

[summit street]

Originally Posted by Xing

I was just there today. I hadn't been in a little while.

There was this momentum that existed a few years ago, a momentum of growth, and eagerness for evolvement. Today, I saw so many businesses that were part of that momentum, and they had boarded up windows. The Mayfair Hotel, The Roberts Tower, Mosaic, Dorsa. Then I saw laclede's landing had dug up a hole (please tell me this was absolutely necessary), removing some ancient cobblestone for some kind of construction project, or possible sewage upgrade. Is there something I don't know? Is it because I'm no longer keeping up with things?

The Roberts Tower and Mayfair hotel were sold... Roberts Tower is expected to be ready in spring 2014, and the I think the Mayfair Hotel will reopen in April as a Magnolia brand hotel.

Mosaic closed the downtown restaurant, their website says it is due to personal reasons, and nothing to do with business reasons.

There are 'streetscape improvements' happening in Laclede's Landing. The Community Improvement District has stated the cobblestones will be replaced, and will have a smoother surface.

(I don't know what Dorsa is.)


St. Louis still has some momentum in the downtown, and should continue to improve.

[Xing]

Originally Posted by summit street

The Roberts Tower and Mayfair hotel were sold... Roberts Tower is expected to be ready in spring 2014, and the I think the Mayfair Hotel will reopen in April as a Magnolia brand hotel.

Mosaic closed the downtown restaurant, their website says it is due to personal reasons, and nothing to do with business reasons.

There are 'streetscape improvements' happening in Laclede's Landing. The Community Improvement District has stated the cobblestones will be replaced, and will have a smoother surface.

(I don't know what Dorsa is.)


St. Louis still has some momentum in the downtown, and should continue to improve.

That's all good to hear. I forgot to mention the Robert Orphium Theater is also closed and on that same block.

I think the cobblestone replacement sounds like a mistake. That's part of the character. The bumpy ride is unique.

I was there taking photos for my boss' location archives. She works on films and tv. I was trying to sell that unique look. Remove the cobblestone and that "character" I went there for is taken away. The neighborhood is no longer as interesting. Bummer.

[summit street]

'Replaced' meaning that they will be placed again. There will still be the cobblestones.

[TexasRE]

St. Louis will do just fine in the yrs. ahead. Old industrial cities, such as St. Louis take visionary proposals with confident locals to pull it off.

[LouisVanDerWright]

PS, I've heard rumors that embryonic plans are in the works for a complete renovation/redevelopment of the Orpheum.

[Xing]

Originally Posted by summit street

'Replaced' meaning that they will be placed again. There will still be the cobblestones.

My bad. You said "smoother" surface, suggesting to me that there would be some kind of faux cobblestone , not resembling the original surface that was there prior. I read an article in the post dispatch that also emphasized smoother surface. To me this implies the priority is to create a smoother surface, not to recreate the original cobblestone.

[Arch City]

Hey Xing, to get back on track you should follow the St. Louis construction thread for the latest updates.

-The Mayfair is undergoing a $15-million renovation. It will become a Magnolia Hotel - a boutique brand based out of Denver. They have hotels in Dallas, Houston, Denver, Omaha etc.

-The Renaissance Suites is about to undergo a $15-million renovation into a Marriott Courtyard.

-The LaClede's Landing historic cobblestones are being removed then put back into place after a resurfacing/re-evening project. The district is making the cobblestones more compact as separation between them has occurred over the years. See video here.

-The Roberts Tower, as mentioned already, is undergoing a build out of 132 luxury-units. It is scheduled to open in the early summer 2014. (Source)

-The Mosiac restaurant closed all locations - not just downtown. Restaurants and businesses tend to come and go. There are a lot of new establishments downtown. Flying Saucer Draft Emporium beer hall, St. Louis Cinemas, Robust wine bar, the new Alpha Brewing Company, etc. etc. More restaurant and entertainment options are planned with Phase I of Ballpark Village nearing completion.

-Roberts Orpheum Theater is slated for a renovation by the same Chicago build-out developers of Roberts Tower.

-The Dorsa lost a ground floor tenant, I believe, but residential lofts remain.

[DeBaliviere]

The Dorsa space has been vacant since the building was renovated.

On the plus side for downtown...

Plans to renovate the Arcade and Chemical buildings in Old Post Office Square are plodding forward. Hopefully renovation work on both will commence in 2014. Same goes for the Alverne on Locust, plans for which were just announced recently.

Ballpark Village is moving forward. Not really my cup of tea, but it's nice to see construction on the site.

[Xing]

They need to put some kind of sign up for all those buildings expecting renovation. You see how a persons perception can change just from a few days of a few businesses being closed? The boarded up windows and doors on the Roberts Tower and the Mayfair hotel really put a damper on that block. It looks really bad. It's a relief to hear the situation isn't as bad as it looks. The boarded windows, vacant building signs, the general lack of any sign of commitment to those structures, can really leave a bad impression on a tourist just driving through, for a minute even.

I haven't been keeping up at all, and I feel bad. I've been way too busy, until now, and the nextstl site keeps changing. It looks like its back as urbanstl.com.

Again, another relief as far as the Landing goes.

[goat314]

Originally Posted by Xing

They need to put some kind of sign up for all those buildings expecting renovation. You see how a persons perception can change just from a few days of a few businesses being closed? The boarded up windows and doors on the Roberts Tower and the Mayfair hotel really put a damper on that block. It looks really bad. It's a relief to hear the situation isn't as bad as it looks. The boarded windows, vacant building signs, the general lack of any sign of commitment to those structures, can really leave a bad impression on a tourist just driving through, for a minute even.

I haven't been keeping up at all, and I feel bad. I've been way too busy, until now, and the nextstl site keeps changing. It looks like its back as urbanstl.com.

Again, another relief as far as the Landing goes.

I agree, one of biggest problems in St. Louis is perception. I have said this for the longest.

Downtown is still growing at good rate about 500/yr, but this has been somewhat of an odd ball year for development. There were a lot of developments announced in 2013, that will begin in 2014 (particularly residential). I still think one of downtown's biggest impediment is the 1970s streetscape and lack of big local companies making a commitment to downtown. I expect downtown to continue to modestly improve, I think we are still about 5-10 years away from a critical mass, because many developers seem to still be weary of the market. Meanwhile, the Central Corridor from Grand Center to Forest Park is about to explode in comparison, due to the proximity to the Medical Center and Cortex. Neighborhoods like the Central West End, Forest Park Southeast (The Grove), Midtown, and The Loop are going to see the most rapid development and gentrification in the region in the very near future.