nextSTL | Central Corridor

Central Corridor

Cambridge Innovation Center at CORTEX a Preview of Bigger Announcements to Come

Published on Thursday, 16 May 2013 08:15

Written by Alex Ihnen

(@4240's first tenant, CIC, will occupy nearly a full floor}

The official news that Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC), a premier business incubator will take up residence within the St. Louis CORTEX district is big news. The center plans to lease one floor of 4240 Duncan Avenue, a former home to Southwestern Bell. The unlikely renovation of the building, and plans to preserve others was first reported by nextSTL in January 2012. Wexford Science & Technology owns the building, which will be renamed the @4240 building. CORTEX will be CIC’s first location outside of Cambridge where it houses more than 450 companies.

“We were struck by the breadth and energy of the startup community in St. Louis,” Ranch Kimball, CIC Partners’ president and chief executive, said in a statement, as reported by the Post-Dispatch. “We saw that energy in the dynamic companies we met and the university campuses we visited. When we decided to expand, we felt we could play an exciting role in the innovation environment in St. Louis.”

Urban Chestnut Brewing Company Details Plans for The Grove

Published on Tuesday, 23 April 2013 08:02

Written by Alex Ihnen

Just last week nextSTL was the first to report that Urban Chestnut Brewing Company is moving into The Grove with a footprint eight times larger than their first location opened just two years ago. Now we have significantly more detail regarding UCBC plans for the challenging Renard Paper Company building on Manchester Avenue between Taylor and Newstead.

The oldest portion of the building was constructed in 1947 (Manchester/Taylor corner), with significant additions in 1986 and 1990. The more recent additions present a flat cinder block wall to the street. The plan by Trivers Associates shows a more open entrance at Taylor and four large windows restored on the south facade. The most significant structural change to the building will be a small outdoor area facing Manchester at the building's midpoint. Roughly the easternmost 40% of the facade will remain intact, but be painted with a bright UCBC mural.

CVS Finally Gets Its Lindell Boulevard Store, Elliptical AAA Building Remains

Published on Wednesday, 17 April 2013 07:10

Written by Alex Ihnen

After years of effort to put its stake somewhere on Lindell, CVS Pharmacy has finally broken ground on a new 13,000 square foot store located between the rebuilt 3949 Lindell apartments and the eliptical Mid-Century AAA building. While the neighborhood wasn't lacking a pharmacy, CVS has made a habit of locating as near their primary competition as possible. A Walgreens sits roughly 1/3 mile to the west.

CVS had previously persued the idea of demolishing the former St. Louis Housing Corporation building at Sarah Street and Lindell, but met neighborhood resistance. Other locations were scouted, but CVS settled on the home of AAA and Enterprise Rent-A-Car. Enterprise moved out of what was once the AAA garage to a new facility nearer downtown. AAA then agreed to sell to CVS, demolish their building and occupy a storefront in a new building on the site.

Urban Chestnut Brewing Company to Open 100K bbls Capacity Brewery, Retail Location in The Grove

Published on Monday, 15 April 2013 23:19

Written by Alex Ihnen

{a re-imagined Renard as Urban Chestnut - image by Trivers Associates}

As first reported by nextSTL.com, Urban Chestnut Brewing Company is set to expand in a big way, opening a second location in the 67,000 square foot Renard Paper Company building in The Grove (Forest Park Southeast). To be developed by Green Street St. Louis, the planned LEED certified $10M development will include brewing, bottling and warehouse facilities as well as indoor and outdoor retail tasting rooms.

UCBC opened in January 2011 in an 8,000 square-foot renovated service station in Midtown. Just more than two years later, the effort by former Anheuser-Busch employees David Wolfe and Florian Kuplent is set to expand in a big way. Green Street has purchased the Renard building at Taylor and Manchester and is leasing the property to UCBC. Trivers Associates has been selected as the architect for the project. The new location in expected to open in early 2014.

Container Architecture Coming to The Grove

Published on Wednesday, 27 March 2013 12:53

Written by Alex Ihnen

{this mixed-use container structure would be the first of its kind in St. Louis}

Forest Park Southeast has seen its ups and downs over the course of a decade-long resurgance. There's the modern UIC-designed private residence, but there's also Aventura. There are unlikely buildings being saved, but there is also demolition for a gas station. With several very significant development opportunities remaining, the neighborhood's identity is uncertain. Now a proposal for a unique shipping container mixed-use project looks to push the needle back towards cool.

Patrick Barnidge returned to St. Louis from Italy less than two months ago, where he served as project manager on the full rehabilitation of some of the more incredible villas one can imagine (see below). Now at the helm of his own company, Delsa Development, this high-profile proposal would place Patrick and container architecture at the forefront in St. Louis for the first time.