As renderings became reality at One Hundred, the 36-story high-rise on the edge of Forest Park, the building’s developers found themselves in awe of the views.
“You can send drones up and they give you images of what the view looks like from the 13th floor and the 19th floor,” says Peter Cassel, director of community development for Mac Properties, the project’s developer, “but to stand on the 22nd floor and see the Arch in the background with the [Cathedral] Basilica right up under you is incredible.”
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Studio Gang, the Chicago-based architecture and urban planning firm responsible for the design, was founded by Jeanne Gang, a MacArthur Fellow whose work is driven by a desire to build relationships with nature and within communities. In the One Hundred building, that idea is manifested in tiers, which yield outdoor terraces for a quarter of the units, and the placement of the building, which provides views of the Arch and the park. The building’s footprint, resembling a scalloped leaf, gives every unit a corner living room with expansive views of the city.
Potential renters can get a sense of those views through virtual tours or in-building visits. The first occupants are scheduled to move in by late summer.
Cassel says the building’s 316 apartments are attracting interest from students and employees of the Washington University Medical Campus and other nearby employment and education centers.
“But we’re also seeing a number of people who are interested in relocating to the city from the suburbs and see this as an opportunity to have an urban lifestyle,” he says. “We’ve been pleasantly surprised by the level of demand in the market.”
Named One Hundred for its street address, 100 N. Kingshighway, the apartment tower at the corner of Kingshighway and West Pine Boulevard will be the tallest building in the neighborhood; at 380 feet, it tops The Chase Park Plaza by 70 feet. One Hundred is a definite departure from the hotel’s Art Deco design and architecture of other landmarks in the Central West End, says Alderman Joe Roddy, who represents the area.
“I think there was a lot of apprehension when it was proposed, and there were some criticisms,” he says. “For people who enjoy more traditional architecture, this is something different.” Other objections were driven by the tax breaks city officials approved for the project, “but since they started hanging the glass, it’s been nothing but enthusiastically received by most people in the neighborhood,” Roddy says.
The building, says the alderman, is one of the most visible symbols of the city’s economic and residential resurgence, fueled by such developments as City Foundry, Ballpark Village, and the apartments at Citizen Park.
“All those things being in such close proximity are feeding off each other. The whole central corridor—not just my ward, but from downtown to Clayton—is really doing well,” says Roddy.
