nextSTL has learned that Greater Goods, a company producing ethically sourced and produced coffee, blood pressure monitors, knives, scales, and more, will be renovating the long-vacant Station G building on Chouteau Avenue in The Grove for its new corporate headquarters. The move will bring approximately 15 employees to the city. Greater Goods will be working with Vessel Architecture to design the space.
The company had been looking for a location in the city as many of its employees are younger City of St. Louis residents. Being located in the city was also considered a necessary move to attract future talent. It is expected that the renovation of Station G will utilize historic tax credits and brownfield credits. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Greater Goods will be moving to a temporary location on Vandeventer Avenue while Station G is renovated.
The last time we wrote about Station G was in 2011. A request for demolition was denied by the city, and an appeal of that denial was pulled from the city’s Preservation Review Board prior to being heard. In 2012, a $800K permit application to develop the building into 11 apartments was filed, but never issued.
Since then, the hideously awful (and heavily subsidized) Aventura apartment complex has been built around Station G. The developer of Aventura worked unsuccessfully to acquire the Station G property. More recently, a Hilton Home2 hotel was built along Taylor Avenue to the west, and an underwhelming proposal to build at Chouteau and Taylor may be moving forward (image below).
The only saving grace to this stretch of Chouteau, a prominent entryway to the Forest Park Southeast (AKA The Grove) neighborhood, the renovation of Station G represents a big victory for preservation. The long wait demonstrates the value of retaining our built environment. A half-block to the east, developer and historic preservation specialist, Lafser & Associates is renovating a corner building for its offices, with second-floor apartments.
Greater Goods has partnered with LOVE146.org, Global Orphan Project, PureEarth.org, among others.
From the Greater Goods website:
Since every Greater Goods brand is built with a charity partner, doing good is part of its foundation. Our team wants to solve everyday problems with thoughtful design, and we look for organizations that tackle global issues with the same creativity and passion. We donate a percentage of every sale to our partners, so you can help those in need by buying the things you want.
We plan our giving using a rule of thirds, evenly splitting our real profits between our charity partners, our employees, and our owners. We measure success by how your dollars change lives: meals that an orphaned child doesn’t have to skip, or hours of counseling a survivor of trafficking receives. Together, our community’s purchases add up to make a real difference.
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A current interior image by forum member pattimagee on Urban STL:
Additional images added from Park Central Development:
Station G from the National Register of Historic Places:
Station G National Register of Historic Places Application by nextSTL.com on Scribd
