urbanSTL

bencharif wrote:As for community opposition, you'll find me on the opposite side on that one, too. Community opposition is what saved New Yorkers from near-blunders that have become near legendary in urbanism:



Moses's Lower Manhattan Expressway

Koch's Westway

Proposed demolition:

Carnegie Hall, Grand Central and Cass Gilbert's Surrogates Court Building, among many, many others

Good for you. I commend you. I love New York City and its old buildings fused with the new, but it is still not perfect. No city is.



Although some blunders have been made, St. Louisans are very astute in preservation, it could probably give New York a lesson or two, but this is not what this thread is about.



St. Louis is not New York, and New York is not St. Louis. Design, preservation, and development trends are going to be different in cities because of a host of reasons. Comparing St. Louis to New York is like comparing Peoria to St. Louis. Histories, politics, geographical location, built environments, educational, social, economic dynamics, all play a role in local decision-making. The amazing thing is that change is constant and that includes St. Louis. The best thing about life is that things can change. Architecture is factored into that as well.



Architecture, like artwork, is subject to one's opinion and taste anyway. Someone may love Andy Warhol Campbell Soup art while others may like paintings with The Virgin Mary with elephant dung on them. Architecture also depends on one's perspective. I say at least try to be a little informed, before making a completely subjective comment.

bencharif wrote:Are we here to cheerlead and unfailingly to agree? An exchange of opinions is what dialogue is supposed to be about. If you or I, by virtue of the strength of our arguments, persuade people to reconsider their positions, isn't that an appropriate, even a desirable outcome?

No, people do not have to cheerlead or unfailingly agree. However, people should strive to have the best information possible before making uninformed opinions. I don't think it is prudent to be unfailingly subjective especially when you don't have all or most of the information to at least consider a more objective point of view. You have ripped into this project without knowing lots of dynamics.

bencharif wrote:In my response to Arch City, I spoke of opposition--meaning citizen activism, really--as a constructive force that prevented some appalling blunders, such as the Lower Manhattan Expressway. That assertion had little to do with the design of Park East Tower per se--only the right of individuals and groups to criticize and mobilize against it and/or any other project they deem unworthy or ill-advised.

bencharif, people do have the right to criticize and mobilize no matter how serious or frivolous the complaint. I've never suggested otherwise. This is America. My point all along has suggested that critical folks of this project get more information before they make hasty conclusions about its intent. Get all information possible then criticize if you wish.



Anyway, I find it interesting that there are more people on this board complaining about the project than actual stakeholders (businesses, property owners, residents, Washington University, churches, etc.) in the neighborhood. There were more neighborhood stakeholders concerned about Maryland Plaza's (CWE) redevelopment than this project.



Believe me, the CWE is the most powerful community in the city, if stakeholders were not collectively satisfied, this project would not be happening. In a nutshell, that's all that really matters.

bencharif wrote:A building is judged, once completed, on a variety of considerations by a variety of audiences. But what we're talking about here is a building that exists only as a concept--a concept represented by a drawing or drawings. How nice or committed or hard-working or community-minded the architect or developer may be is not represented in those drawings, just the design. And in my opinion that design, whatever its symbolic or historic importance may be, whether you plop it down on a site on Euclid Avenue or Central Park West, doesn't cut it.

bencharif, you are more than entitled to your opinion about the building's architecture, but when all is said and done, you know neither the architect nor developers so your attack on them is imprudent IMO. Furthermore, we all know that concepts are ultimately judged by the finished product and sometimes they come out looking better or worse once finished. Either way, PE will look different than anything built in St. Louis in recent years.



Ultimately, we simply have to agree to disagree.

Today is the big day!



High-rise condos get off the ground

By Tavia Evans

Of the Post-Dispatch

03/07/2005



Construction trailers at the corner of Laclede and Euclid avenues in the Central West End are a good sign that work will begin soon on the luxury high-rise condominiums planned for the site.



Minneapolis-based developer Opus Northwest will break ground today on Park East Towers, after legal issues delayed the project for several months.



The high-rise residential building might be among the city's largest in nearly 30 years. The project will have 26 floors and 90 condo units at a cost of $50 million. Opus said 60 percent of the units have been sold. Prices start at $200,000 each, with the penthouse suites listing for nearly $1 million. The site served as a parking lot until last week.



The development has had to overcome several hurdles since its inception nearly two years ago. Construction was supposed to begin last fall. Opus settled a lawsuit recently with West End Chouteau Condominiums, a neighbor building, over the use of sewer lines near the construction site.



The company closed on the property Friday with the St. Louis Treasurer's office after having an option on the site for nearly 18 months. Opus paid $600,000 for the site, said William Kuehling, an attorney representing the Euclid-Laclede Community Improvement District.



Opus bought out the interests of two developers, Steve Saller of St. Louis and Steve Anrod of Chicago. Saller and Anrod launched the idea of a luxury high-rise in the Central West End two years ago.



"They got it started but didn't have the financial resources to pull it off, and we were looking for residential projects in St. Louis to complement the ones we have in Minneapolis," said John Pitcher, director of real estate development for the development company's St. Louis operation.



U.S. Bank will provide the construction loan. Financing will come also from tax abatements and special assessments issued through the Euclid-Laclede Community Improvement District. The district will finance $6.8 million in bonds for the project, Kuehling said. The complicated arrangement allows condo owners to pay an assessment in lieu of property taxes. The assessment, in turn, will be used to pay the principal and interest on the bonds.



Great Southern Bank, based in Springfield, Mo., purchased the bonds. Piper Jaffray, an investment firm based in Minneapolis, is underwriting the bonds.



"This will be a landmark building in that area, and it's the ideal project to increase our lending in the St. Louis market," said Henry Heimsoth, commercial lending officer for Great Southern Bank. "We think the Central West End is a stable, viable area. And we have confidence in the developer, Opus, to get the job done."



The condos are the developer's first residential project in the metro area. The firm has invested nearly $65 million in commercial and industrial projects, including One Chesterfield Place, a 150,000-square-foot office building. Opus owns an industrial building at Fountain Lakes Industrial Park in St. Charles. Work will start soon on the Dardenne Town Center in St. Charles County.



Reporter Tavia Evans

E-mail: tevans@post-dispatch.com

Phone: 314-340-8159

Citylover wrote:
Hank Loeffler of St. Louis Parking goes about his business of dismantling the parking booth occupying the corner lot at Euclid and Laclede Sts. which is about to be the site of a multi-story building called Park Tower East.

Leave it to the Post to print the wrong name on THE day. Bet thdeveloppers love that: We're investing 50 million into the city and its sole paper can't get our name right. They are soooo lazy...

You know that was probably nicest landscaped parking lot in the city I really think I am going to miss it. Thanks for the pics Matt.

Nice photos, Matt.



They were not joking when they said March 8th.



I would hate to be a resident in the southern end of the Forest Park Apartments now.

There will be retail space available on the first floor of the building. Does anyone know what merchant will occupy this space? And is anyone here considering living or will be living in Park East?

BTW, I noticed you're a student at slu. What year are you in?

No, I go to WashU. It's your first year in college and you are a sophomore? That's interesting. Did you have enough A.P. credit to skip your freshman year?

If the world catered more to the creative, I would have had more 1818 credits, but alas, I only had 6 from art.

That's interesting. "1818" as you called it must be one of those college programs that offer high school students a chance to earn college credit (i.e. to experience the rigors of college work). Very cool. So, how is life at SLU? I applied and got in there as well. I'm interested to know how you like it.

:Getting back to the subject of this forum:

Are you planning on buying a condominium at the Park East or are you just doing research for your Urban Crisis class (a class I heard is very interesting, aside from the material that seems to be repetitive according to some friends I know who are taking that class there)?





Xing, do you go to SLU as well? What year are you in?