Illustration courtesy of Trivers Associates
A historic building—sporting a wind turbine? Now that’s a sight you don’t see every day. Yet it’s soon to be the case for at least two local buildings that mix preservation with progress.
In January, developer Joe Edwards sold Washington University a three-story brick building at the northeast corner of Skinker and Delmar, soon to be known simply as the Corner Building. The plan? To renovate the top two floors for student and staff housing while Edwards develops the retail component. And though the building will be a Historic Tax Credit project, architect Andy Trivers’ design calls for one noticeable addition: wind turbines.
It may seem like a novel idea—but it’s not a St. Louis first. Near downtown, the William A. Kerr Foundation makes its headquarters inside a renovated 19th-century bathhouse with a spinning wind turbine and solar panels. John Sweet, co-trustee of the foundation, bought the building in 2004 and renovated it to the tune of $2 million. The 5,200-square-foot space, the city’s first LEED platinum–certified facility, boasts an impressive list of green features.
So is wind the wave of the future for St. Louis rehabs? “I think that in this market, this is going to be one piece of the strategy,” says Henry Webber, executive vice chancellor for administration at Wash. U.
