Plans for the corner of Locust and 10th Streets in downtown St. Louis have taken another turn. While demolition of the historically significant reclad Tudor building has been sought by more than one developer, what might replace it has changed and changed again. Now, TWG Development of Indianapolis is proposal five townhouses. The scale and massing closely mimic the existing building.
The plan for townhouses that would appear at first glance more at home in a city neighborhood like Dogtown, Benton Park, or elsewhere, is interesting. Townhomes as shown would introduce a new housing option in the heart of the central business district. The expectation on a lot such as this would more often be to build taller. That may be limited by the desire to have windows on the adjacent building and the small dimensions of the lot.
NEXT STL was the first to report on the larger TWG project comprised of four buildings from 913-921 Locust. The properties were purchased from UrbanStreet, which had acquired the properties as part of a package deal with that included the Orpheum Theatre and the Roberts Tower. The Orpheum was recently sold to Jubilee World. The Roberts Tower has been converted into apartments.
In March we learned that work on the larger buildings would commence soon, but the fate of the corner building remained unknown. An earlier rendering by TWG of new construction mixed-use building to replace the existing Tudor structure (NEXT STL story):
913-921 Locust:
From our previous reporting:
Initial plans call for the replacement of the corner building at 923 Locust with a new retail building. The existing building is well known for its late 1940s Tudor style makeover. nextSTL has chronicled the building’s interesting history as an art gallery in this profile: When the Art World Came to St. Louis.
Planning is at an early stage, but if all the benchmarks are met, work could begin in Spring 2017. TWG recently completed an historic renovation project with some similarities in Indianapolis. The 14-story Penn Street Tower opened after a 20-year vacancy as 98 apartments last year. The 185,000 sf, 1913 building was renovated at a reported cost of $14M.
Several years ago, the Roberts brothers planned to demolish the two Locust Street buildings nearest 10th Street (919-921, and 923 Locust) and construct a two-story lobby and entrance for a Hotel Indigo. The plan represented a reasonably urban corner, though introducing a guest drop-off driveway as well. Needless to say, that plan disappeared along with the Roberts empire.
Roberts brothers Indigo Hotel rendering:
