Paric
Corp. Completes New $4.5 Million Academic Building for McKendree
College
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As
the new focal point for campus life at McKendree
College, the academic center provides a “living
room” feeling.
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Design/build
contractor Paric Corp. has completed a new $4.5 million academic
building for McKendree College in Lebanon, Ill. The Marion K.
Piper Academic Center, named for a former trustee of the college,
will serve as the focal point for campus activities.
Cannon Architects & Engineers designed the 28,209-square-foot,
two-story building that hosts 13 state-of-the-art, multi-media-equipped
classrooms in addition to faculty offices, the admissions department
and a large commons area that features a profusion of glass
and a 32-foot-high ceiling. The exterior of the building is
composed of red brick to match the existing campus architecture.
Brentwood Square Makes Room for New “Lifestyle Center”
Brentwood Square is under demolition to make room for the $51
million Brentwood Town Center, with its first tenant to open
in late spring of 2001. The 200,000-square-foot retail center
will feature predominantly brick exterior with cast stone accents
and metal canopies. There will be extensive landscaping in both
pedestrian and parking areas.
The retail center is billed as a “lifestyle center,” with two
anchor tenants opening their first stores in St. Louis: REI,
a 22,000-square-foot outdoor sporting equipment store, and Whole
Foods Market, a 33,600-square-foot retailer of natural foods
and other nutritional products. Scheduled to open in late spring,
Borders, Circuit City and Organized Living are the remaining
anchor stores in the development. REI and Borders will occupy
two levels and will feature expansive, two-level glass storefronts.
Present Brentwood Square tenants, Kinko’s and Saint Louis Bread
Company, will be relocated to a new, freestanding building within
the development. Both tenants will remain open until relocation.
Pace Properties, Inc., St. Louis, is the managing partner of
the development team, which is a joint venture between Pace-Brentwood
Partners L.L.C., The Zelman Companies, Los Angeles; and the
owner of Brentwood Square Shopping Center.
Firstar N.A. is the construction lender on the project; R.G.
Brinkmann Construction Co. is the general contractor; Hanson
Engineers is the civil engineer; Suttle-Mindlin is the design
architect; and TR,i Architekts provided design documentation.
TRiSTAR To Renovate $11 Million Historic Moolah Temple Renovation
Local developer TRiSTAR Business Communities is transforming
the historic Moolah Temple, located across from Saint Louis
University in midtown St. Louis, into high-tech office space.
The speculative $11 million renovation of the 88,590-square-foot
building is scheduled for completion in fall 2001.
“We’ve been impressed with the recent redevelopment efforts
in the neighborhood and believe the time is right to step forward
and add to the momentum,” says Michael Towerman, president of
TriSTAR, which purchased the building in 1988. “We believe the
building presents a terrific opportunity for e-commerce firms—one
of the primary markets we’re targeting. Nationally, the trend
has been for e-commerce companies to gravitate toward historic
structures where they can gain intellectually enhancing space
at a reasonable price.”
The four-story building, which was dedicated in 1914 by the
Moolah Shriners, is part of the Midtown Historic District, a
popular arts, entertainment and education district.
According to Towerman, the exterior of the traditional Romanesque
and Arabic structure will be cleaned and tuckpointed to restore
its original finish. Windows will be restored or replaced with
an eye for historic detail.
TRiSTAR will demolish an unoccupied residence immediately east
of the building to create access from Lindell Boulevard to a
new five-level, 550-space parking garage. Highlighting the interior
redevelopment plan will be the installation of four large skylights
around the auditorium’s distinctive domed ceiling. The skylights
will allow natural light to flood an atrium that will narrow
as it descends through the center of the four levels. Polished
bronze and glass handrails will encircle each of the atrium
openings.
Altogether, the renovated structure will have 80,405 square
feet of rentable space on four levels, with most of the rentable
space found on the first, second and third levels. The top floor
will have 20-foot-high ceilings and is envisioned as executive
office space or as an area for amenities, such as dining or
a fitness center. TRiSTAR is programming the building to meet
single- or multi-user needs, including private and open office
space.
Contractor S.M. Wilson will handle other elements of the renovation,
including the construction of three levels of floor; the installation
of a new grand stairwell; and the refurbishment of the domed
ceiling and all decorative plasterwork.
Clayco Builds Plaza at Boone’s Crossing
Cayco Construction Co. has completed construction of a new office/retail
building in Chesterfield called Plaza at Boone’s Crossing. THF
Chesterfield Development LLC is the developer of the 39,400-square-foot
structure, located in the Chesterfield Commons retail center.
The two-story building hosts 18,800 square feet of retail space
at street level and 20,600 square feet of office space on the
second floor.
TR,i Architekts is the architect on the project.
S.M. Wilson Renovates Building, Moves Headquarters to City
of St. Louis
S.M. Wilson & Company plans to move its headquarters from Granite
City, Ill., to a building it has purchased in the city of St.
Louis. The 39,000-square-foot, two-story building at the corner
of Elizabeth Street and Hampton Avenue in southwest St. Louis
was the former home of Lutheran Hour Ministries. Completion
of the renovation is slated for December.
The Granite City-based general contractor and construction management
firm currently has two full-service offices and 79 employees
in Missouri and Illinois. These offices will be closed and consolidated
into the new headquarters location.
“We’re proud of our Granite City roots, but consolidating our
operations into one location in the city of St. Louis makes
good business sense for our company and our people,” says Scott
Wilson, president of S.M. Wilson and grandson of the company’s
founder. “We do a great deal of business on both sides of the
river, and being centrally located enables us to better serve
our customers. Our new location has easy interstate highway
access, which is a plus for our employees in Missouri and Illinois.”
Highlands Plaza Two Follows Successful Leasing of The Highlands
@ Forest Park
hile the
first building at The Highlands @ Forest Park is 100 percent
leased, A.G.Edwards & Sons, Inc., a national investment firm,
has agreed to lease the remaining 103,000 square feet, which
is currently under construction at the regional, high-tech office
campus taking shape on a 26-acre site at Oakland Avenue and
Interstate 64 just south of Forest Park.
A.G. Edwards will be relocating approximately 275 of the 1,460
employees in its Information Technology division to the Highland
in the first quarter of 2001. They will join the development’s
first tenant, The Daniel and Henry Co, which has committed to
lease approximately 40,000 square feet of space.
“Because we needed additional office space while we construct
the latest expansion of our corporate headquarters, the Highlands
provides us with sufficient space and new facilities that we
can move into quickly and will help us accommodate the ongoing
growth of our information technology operations,” says Donnis
L. Casey, corporate vice president and director of staff at
A.G. Edwards.
Developer Balke Brown Associates President Steve Brown has authorized
Clayco Construction Co. to begin a second $22 million office
building, Highlands Plaza Two, at the $150 million development.
It is scheduled for completion in September 2001. Highlands
Plaza Two will be a mirror image of Highlands Plaza One, a five-story,
145,000-square-foot building that includes a distinctive curved
roofline, green-tinted glass bays and a tri-level 500-car parking
structure.
Fine Arts Building Renovations Complete Phase One of Fontbonne’s
$17 Million Campus Master Plan
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Fontbonne
College has completed the first phase of its four-part
master plan, including renovations to a three-story
glassed-in staircase at The Fine Arts building
tower.
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Fontbonne College has completed the initial $8.25 million phase
of its master plan, developed in 1998 to guide renovations and
use of campus space. The first phase of the four-part plan includes
renovations of the first floor as well as construction of a
south side tower in the Fine Arts building and renovations to
Southwest Hall.
The 31,636-square-foot Fine Arts building, built as part of
the original campus construction in 1925, has been through many
changes in the past year. Studio and performing arts programs
moved to Southwest Hall to make room for the OPTIONS program,
Fontbonne’s adult accelerated business program, now located
on the first floor of Fine Arts. The new south side tower on
Fine Arts holds an elevator, six ADA-accessible restrooms and
mechanical rooms.
In addition, many improvements were made to the 38,244-square-foot
Southwest Hall, built in 1960. The fine arts department occupies
newly renovated classrooms and faculty offices. A state-of-the-art
black box theater and art gallery provide venues for performances
and arts shows. On the third floor of Southwest Hall, nine apartment-style
suites are the homes of 36 resident students. Suites contain
fully equipped kitchens, living areas, cable and Internet access,
bathrooms and single rooms for four students. A new atrium entrance
has been added to the building’s northeast side, making it more
connected and open to the rest of the 13-acre campus. A security
system makes the third floor entrances accessible only to residents.
In 2008, the college plans to complete all four phases of the
master plan.
Renovated Magna Bank Space Conveys New Business Concept for
PrivateBank
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From
left, Private Bank’s Managing Directors Sanford
Scott, Richard Jensen, Allan Ivie, IV and John
Rouse
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When PrivateBancorp
Inc. opened in the renovated bank space at Magna Bank, the company
wanted an unusual physical space that would reflect the bank’s
business strategy.
The PrivateBank’s target market includes “professional and small-
to medium-sized business clients who need high levels of personal
attention and service from their bankers, but who also would
benefit form high-tech services, such as Internet banking, for
their business and personal accounts,” says Richard Jensen,
managing director of PrivateBank.
The PrivateBank contracted with architecture and interior design
firm Arcturis and with Niehaus Construction Services Inc. Arcturis
re-designed and Niehaus revamped and renovated a 12,378-square-foot
space on the ground floor of the Magna Place Tower at Interstate
70 and Brentwood Blvd. in St. Louis County.
One of the most unusual features of the renovation was the replacement
of teller windows by a series of partitioned, 108-square-foot
private banking stations. Each private banking station includes
seating for The PrivateBank clients and their business associates
or family members.
The bank’s business plan called for visual and spatial elements,
such as glass-walled offices, to convey an open atmosphere and
bring in a substantial amount of natural light. A variety of
informal, formal and structured spaces also were added.
“This was an unusual business renovation project,” says Warren
D. Rippey, vice president for interior at Niehaus. “It was an
especially interesting and unique project for us since the desired
result was almost a ‘living room’ atmosphere with a very high
comfort factor for clients and other visitors.”
