By Stefene Russell
After City Hospital closed in 1985, its windows were broken, the front steps were stolen and the copper cupolas stripped. Rain blew in through the open windows; plants sprouted in the gutters. Although St. Louis couldn’t bear to lose City Hospital—it’s one of downtown’s most familiar structures—no one knew what to do with it. Plans submitted to City Hall proposed demolition so that the block could be turned into an open field. But Trace Shaughnessy and Chris Goodson of The Gilded Age (who have spearheaded several historic renovations in Lafayette Square, including the Eden Lofts and The Abbey) wanted to save the buildings by recycling them into residential and retail space.
“It’s really a testament to the integrity of the buildings that they’re still here,” Goodson says. “They’ve been open to the elements for 15 years, windows broken ... When this building was constructed, St. Louis was the third largest city in the country; there was a lot of new money, and we built things to say, ‘Hey, look at us.’ And this was certainly one of those things.”
The main hospital building, with its handsome Georgian architecture, is looking more habitable after three years of intense cleanup and renovation.
Sixty percent of the 100 units are now sold, including all five penthouse suites. Windows went in this summer; the cornices and copper cupolas were placed in November. At press time, residents (who run the gamut from empty nesters from the county to young professionals from Seattle, Chicago and Denver) were scheduled to begin moving into the east wing in December, with two more waves for the west and center wings scheduled for March and May.
“There are 12 basic units and at least two variations on each of those, depending on where they are,” Shaughnessy says.
“It’s not just one standard unit,” Goodson agrees. “That’s because of the building itself, with its different wings.”
High ceilings, hardwood floors, enormous windows (retrofitted for energy efficiency), gas fireplaces, walk-in closets and handmade cornices and molding give the units a cozy, antique feel.
“We’ve taken large open spaces and made them more traditional, with crown molding and fireplaces,” Goodson explains. Buyers can choose from different finishes, tiles, countertops, cabinets and floor coverings. And each unit comes with a benefit, free of charge, that’s unusual for condos—soundproofing, provided by the existing poured-concrete floors.
Once work on the main building is complete, the surrounding buildings will be renovated and opened as retail space.
The possible closure of Highway 40 is another major selling point, says Goodson. “A lot of people are being proactive,” he says, “because they know the highway’s going to be a mess. So we’ll probably see a big influx of people in the downtown area and Lafayette Square.” Though the higher population count will help, Shaughnessy says it’s a renovated City Hospital that will help bring this area of town back to its former glory.
“This has always been the missing gap in the middle of all these great historic neighborhoods,” he says. “You have Soulard and Lafayette Square, all of this revitalization going on—and this is the missing piece that will link it all together.”
Address: 1515 Lafayette
Developers: The Gilded Age
Architect: The Lawrence Group
Unit price: $165,000–low 300s
Agent: Steve Gray, Second Empire Realty, 314-771-7171
Display hours: Sat 10 a.m.–3 p.m., Sun 12–5 p.m., or by appointment
See floor plans and unit descriptions at www.thegeorgiancondominiums.com.
