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Classy Clayton
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The Clayton
landscape is changing dramatically with the addition of Class A
office space and luxury high-rise living.
By Peter Downs
Clayton is in the throes of a once-in-a-generation building boom
that could redefine St. Louis’ standards for quality in office and
residential spaces. The biggest part of the boom is in three new
office buildings: Shaw Park Plaza, Forsyth Centre, and The Plaza
in Clayton, which together add more than 850,000 square feet of
prime office space to the Clayton market. Also significant, however,
is the construction of ultra-luxury, high-rise residences in Clayton
on the Park and The Plaza in Clayton, which are bringing a more
New York-style of luxury, high-rise living to the St. Louis area.
“There is no question these new buildings will redefine what it
means to be Class A,” says Peter Krombach, president of commercial
realtor Grubb & Ellis/Krombach Partners. What makes it even more
amazing is that “two years ago, these buildings weren’t even being
thought of,” he says. “It all happened really fast.”
Greg Nooney, of Coldwell Banker Commercial American developed the
first building in Pierre Laclede Towers nearly 40 years ago. The
buildings have been so well maintained they’ve commanded the highest
rents in Clayton for more than 25 years, but those days are over,”
he says.
The last office building constructed in Clayton, the Interco Tower,
opened in 1985. Between 1962, when the first building in Pierre
Laclede was built, and 1985, there was little change in design of
office space. The demands of office technology were fairly stable,
and so were the demands for floor space. The floor plates at Pierre
Laclede are 15,000 square feet. At Interco, they are only slightly
larger at 17,000 square feet.
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The Plaza in Clayton will be "like nothing
else anyone has ever seen in St. Louis."
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Since 1985, changes in office technology and space needs have been
almost dizzying. Shaw Park Plaza and Forsyth Centre, which opened
in February and March, and The Plaza at Clayton, opening in August,
have sophisticated electrical and air handling systems designed
to handle the latest technology, and two of the buildings have larger
floor plates: 24,500 square feet at Shaw Park Plaza, and nearly
21,000 square feet at The Plaza in Clayton.
The newest structures also project a strong image of importance.
The octagonal entrance to Shaw Park Plaza, the lighted rooftop conservatory,
and the shadows on the facade, give the exterior a depth and richness
lacking from many modern office buildings. In words from the architect,
Cannon Design, it is modeled after “the best buildings in America,”
and it shows. The neighboring Forsyth Centre lacks that detail,
but the red brick and blue reflective glass blends seamlessly with
the existing Jefferson Smurfit Center, to become a single entity
joined by a six-story, glass-roofed atrium lobby with polished marble
and granite walls, a stainless steel and granite water feature,
and extensive interior landscaping—the sort of interior garden plaza
often featured in prime Manhattan office buildings.
As Clayton has had a tight office market for years, “I have no doubt
these buildings will get filled,” Nooney says, but it will take
a little while. “Historically in Clayton, it takes 18 to 24 months
to fill space after it is completed,” he says. “Never in St. Louis
history has an office building been fully leased upon completion.”
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Forsythe Center features a six-story interior
garden plaza like those found in prime
Manhattan office buildings.
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Nooney expects most of the tenants in these buildings will come
out of other Clayton office buildings. Krombach agrees: “Whenever
you have a situation when you haven’t had buildings built, you will
get a wave of interest from people already here. It is kind of like
buying a new car. If you’re driving a certain model and like it,
you upgrade by getting a newer one of same model. If people like
being in Clayton, they’ll upgrade by moving to newer space in Clayton.”
It will take a little while for the musical chairs to play itself
out in the Clayton market, which means, “you won’t see any more
building for awhile,” Nooney says. Illustrating just how important
speed to market can be, two other contemplated office projects have
been canceled: the World Trade Center and a project on the northeast
corner of Brentwood Boulevard and Forsyth Avenue, across from Shaw
Park Plaza, Krombach says.
These new projects also help St. Louis attract attention from out-of-town.
One of the things necessary in the market is the product,” Krombach
says. “A potential tenant looking for 25,000 square feet would like
to have choices about where to go, so this is helpful for what we
do. A lot of times, out-of-town companies are looking at more than
one city. So, when you have space available, it is an important
item. St. Louis is definitely on the list nationally, when a few
years ago we weren’t.”
The same issues of products and speed-to-market are at work in the
construction of ultra-luxury high-rise residences. When 2000 opened,
Clayton on the Park was under construction, and plans had been announced
for three ultra-luxury high-rise condominium projects. A year later,
two of the latter have been canceled.
With the 23-story, 275,000-square-foot Clayton on the Park is introducing
St. Louis to “a cosmopolitan living concept that is popular in other
major cities, such as New York, Chicago, and San Francisco,” says
Robert Saur, president and CEO of the owner and developer, Conrad
Properties. The building is home to 115 luxury apartments on the
upper 12 floors, above 98 hotel suites.
He promised that both hotel guests and residents will have access
to “an array of services normally available only at the world’s
finest hotels,” such as a NutriFormance High Performance Conditioning
facility featuring personal trainers and nutritionists, a fully
equipped business and learning center, a 24-hour amenities shop,
limousine service, valet parking, grocery shopping and delivery,
a pick-up and deliver laundry and dry cleaning service, personal
messaging, round-the-clock security, a private screening room, and
catering for private parties. The apartments feature floor-to-ceiling
bay windows, and cable and ultra-high-speed Internet access, along
with the standard luxury items in fully equipped kitchens and laundries,
island cook center, woodwork, and walk-in closets.
The 80 condominiums in the 387,000-square-foot residential tower
at The Plaza in Clayton will be available in the Spring of 2002.
Developers Stanley Kroenke and Michael Staenberg have announced
plans to spend $20 million on the interiors. The building will include
a private club and dining room for residents, a private library,
a fitness center, a conference room, and a private swimming pool.
The developers promised it will be “like nothing else anyone has
ever seen in St. Louis,” adding that they are aiming to recreate
the ambience of a New York Central Park residence.
It seems that in both residential lifestyles and first-class office
space, developers in Clayton are bringing a little bit of Manhattan
to the west bank of the Mississippi.
Peter Downs is a free-lance writer and editor of Construction
News & Review. |
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