The St. Louis Business Journal reported that John Steffen has St. Louis Centre is under contract with plans that include 120 luxury condominiums and will rename the development 600 Washington. Redevelopment plans include removing the roof to give the building an open air atrium, removing the current exterior skin and demolishing the skybridge. Construction is to begin this summer, with a completion date of two years. The condominiums will range from $155,000 to $800,000. A few of the amenities would inlcude a swiming pool, a dog run and 80,000 square feet of retail space.
600 Washington (aka St. Louis Centre) - 120 luxury condos
600 Washington (aka St. Louis Centre) - 120 luxury condos
- 1,649
Bout time.
Downtown is getting out of control(!), and I mean that in a good way.
Downtown is getting out of control(!), and I mean that in a good way.
Okay, I don't know what to think at this point. Not at all what I expected, but much better than doing nothing. I really can't picture how this will turn out.
- 182
It'll be cool to see how they reskin the building. Anything is better than green and white. Good news!
Jeff wrote:Okay, I don't know what to think at this point. Not at all what I expected, but much better than doing nothing. I really can't picture how this will turn out.
Not only will downtown finally have this monkey off its back, but I feel this plan is better than almost anything I've heard proposed. I think this project alone will change a lot of people's thoughts about what downtown can become. So many negatives wiped away in one stroke...this is nothing short of a home run.
St. Louis Centre is sold for condos
By Martin Van Der Werf
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
02/17/2006
St. Louis Centre.
The nearly vacant St. Louis Centre has been purchased by a local developer who plans to remake it with up to 120 condominums, some office space, and stores on the ground floor.
The building, opened to great fanfare 20 years ago as the rebirth of downtown St. Louis, has declined as retailers fled to the surburbs. Originally built for $95 million, the centre sold in 2004 at a foreclosure sale for $5.4 million.
John Steffen, owner of Pyrmaid Construction, who agreed to buy the building, also plans to tear down the skybridge over Washington Anenue to the former Dillard's building. Steffen also has agreed to buy that building, and plans to convert it to apartments and condominiums. The present owner, Coldwell Banker Gundaker, had planned a mix of offices and a hotel in the building, but the project has dragged on for years with little progress.
Steffen also agreed to buy the 25-story One City Centre, the office building above the St. Louis Centre.
By Martin Van Der Werf
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
02/17/2006
St. Louis Centre.
The nearly vacant St. Louis Centre has been purchased by a local developer who plans to remake it with up to 120 condominums, some office space, and stores on the ground floor.
The building, opened to great fanfare 20 years ago as the rebirth of downtown St. Louis, has declined as retailers fled to the surburbs. Originally built for $95 million, the centre sold in 2004 at a foreclosure sale for $5.4 million.
John Steffen, owner of Pyrmaid Construction, who agreed to buy the building, also plans to tear down the skybridge over Washington Anenue to the former Dillard's building. Steffen also has agreed to buy that building, and plans to convert it to apartments and condominiums. The present owner, Coldwell Banker Gundaker, had planned a mix of offices and a hotel in the building, but the project has dragged on for years with little progress.
Steffen also agreed to buy the 25-story One City Centre, the office building above the St. Louis Centre.
- 10K
This must have been a last-minute addition to the web site, since it wasn't in the print edition this morning. The P-D got scooped!
I have known people for year who complained that the P-D friday busines section was always nothing more than the big stories from the Biz Journal.
okay, now that I read <A HREF="http://www.urbanstl.com/viewtopic.php?t=2037">the other thread on this project</A>, I'm pumped too. Besides, with pyramid working on this, I've gotta expect the best! Thank god for John Steffen!
Great news!! It's only a matter of time before a new office tower is constructed.
- 1,054
Wait, they are renovating the current 1980s building for condos?
Why can't Pyramid level the 1980s building for a quality high rise, that would be the better use of the land real estate wise?
Either way (repeating sentiments), it is better to be residential than a languishing retail mall.
Why can't Pyramid level the 1980s building for a quality high rise, that would be the better use of the land real estate wise?
Either way (repeating sentiments), it is better to be residential than a languishing retail mall.
by opening up the roof they would be creating a really fantastic courtyard space. I wonder if they would incorporate the retail into that somehow?
SMSPlanstu wrote:Why can't Pyramid level the 1980s building for a quality high rise, that would be the better use of the land real estate wise?
Why would you do this when there are already two quality structures there? There are tons of vacant lots to build on. No more demolition. Plus, creatively converting a property is a heck of a lot better than new construction w/ no history.
- 10K
From the P-D:
Pyramid Construction Co., which is about to become the new owner of St. Louis Centre, the desolate downtown shopping mall, says it plans to knock down the sky bridge over Washington Avenue to the former Dillard's building in January or February. "That's when it would cause the least disruption to downtown," says Matt O'Leary, Pyramid's senior vice president.
Pyramid also is looking to tear down the sky bridge that links St. Louis Centre, which it plans to renovate into condos, to the U.S. Bank Building across the street.
It's good to have a set date of when the bridge is coming down. At least we'll know that by next spring it will no longer be there.
I read a blurb in the Sunday paper that the developer is opening up a contest of sorts for firms to design the place.
- 1,768
Does anyone know/think that steffen will prioritze the Dillards building project over the Mall? I can't imagine he would try to retrofit the mall, before Dillards is underway/'done. To do them simultaneously also seems a massive undertaking. Also considering the taz credits and other public sources of monies already allocated to the dillards building, I would imagine it would be done first. Anyone know?
^Good question! Personaly, I hope the Mall is the priority. We've GOT to get that thing fixed ASAP.
- 687
TheWayoftheArch wrote:Does anyone know/think that steffen will prioritze the Dillards building project over the Mall? I can't imagine he would try to retrofit the mall, before Dillards is underway/'done. To do them simultaneously also seems a massive undertaking. Also considering the taz credits and other public sources of monies already allocated to the dillards building, I would imagine it would be done first. Anyone know?
I wouldn't be surprised if they don't know yet. He still doesn't have financing for the whole project.
- 622
????????? Going East on Washington this morning the Sky Bridge looked to have a huge banner with a question mark on it. Was I dreaming or has this been here a while. I turned N on 14th, so I didn't get a real good look.
It says designs from 2 different firms will be unvieled sometime today.
