Courtesy of Trivers
In Downtown West, construction crews have been hard at work building the new home of professional soccer in St. Louis. But as Centene Stadium takes shape on Market, another crew, at the nearby corner of 18th and Olive, has been realizing a different vision–one that they hope will also be a welcome addition to the neighborhood.
The Butler Brothers Building, a city-block-sized behemoth built in 1906 and described by project leaders as the Amazon warehouse of its day, until recently sat dormant. Grime and soot darkened the once vibrant purplish and terracotta-colored brick, and the original hardwood floors had buckled with time. Under the direction of developer DSG and Trivers, an architecture, planning, urban design, and interiors firm based in St. Louis, the building is being reimagined as a complex with nearly 400 apartment units, retail and co-working spaces, a rooftop pool, and green spaces.
The architects believe that the building is well suited for a second act. Joel Fuoss, a principal with Trivers, says everything has “fallen into place” to help make the massive project work. Original monitor windows on the rooftop have been left in place to light the top floor units, and the existing lower levels can be easily converted into parking spaces. In fact, reusing as much of the original structure is a key goal in the design and build of the 700,000-square-foot building. The exterior brick has been cleaned and restored to its original color. Tuckpointing is helping preserve the rooftop structures, and some of the original hardware, including garage-style doors and poles that once held an awning at the entrance, are being saved and repurposed.
Courtesy of Trivers
“It would take Forest Park a hundred years to offset the amount of carbon that’s already in this building,” says Fuoss, noting how much of the building’s concrete and masonry is being reused, thereby avoiding the need to extract new materials from the environment. “To do a building like this today would be a huge tax on the climate because of the amount of concrete, which is one of the largest emitters of carbon, along with steel,” he says. New elevators will be installed, and residential units will feature engineered hardwood mimicking the original floors.
A central atrium housing a vibrant green space will distinguish this building from others. “I’ve never seen another project where we’ve had an interior courtyard on the ground level,” says Jim Dunard, senior superintendent for Paric Corporation, the project’s general contractor.
Courtesy of Trivers
The warehouse building played an important role in the Washington Avenue Historic Garment District. To make that connection visible, patterns and colors from fashion trends dating back to the early 20th century are being incorporated into the interiors, says Fuoss. Harmonie Hall, a building on the site predating the Butler Brothers Building, hosted the inaugural World Chess Championship. This legacy will be reflected in an oversized chessboard in one of the new rooftop lounges.
Phase One is scheduled for completion next year, and all construction is expected to be done by fall 2023. Opportunities to tour the units and sign leases will become available next spring, right around the time Centene Stadium—yes, you can see, and will likely hear, the stadium from the Butler Brothers rooftop—opens its doors to the public.
“I always refer to these things as sleeping giants,” says Fuoss. “You reinvigorate them from the inside out—then, all of a sudden, this thing that was once this dark mass is now radiating light.”
