Sally’s Rooftop Garden & Terrace was officially unveiled this week atop the .ZACK building. The addition to the sprawling arts complex, at 3224 Locust, means the entire building has now been to put to use. The project is a collaboration between the Kranzberg Arts Foundation and Urban Harvest STL.
Some of the rooftop’s bounty will be used onsite, at first-floor restaurant Turn and second-floor venue Sophie’s Artist Lounge & Cocktail Club, and some will be used by other Grand Center facilities, such as The Dark Room at the nearby Grandel. The food will also be donated to local groups to serve residents in food deserts across the city.
Find the best food in St. Louis
Subscribe to the St. Louis Dining In and Dining Out newsletters to stay up-to-date on the local restaurant and culinary scene.
“There’s a huge variety of plants that you can grow on a rooftop in St. Louis—just as many as you could in the ground,” says Urban Harvest executive director Mary Ostafi. Sally’s Rooftop Garden & Terrace marks Urban Harvest’s fourth rooftop adaptation.
In total, more than 50 kinds of plants are growing atop the roof, with almost all of the crops housed in 1,200 plastic containers. That currently includes mostly heat-loving plants, such as peppers, cucumbers, and eggplants, as well as herbs and edible flowers. The rooftop garden is designed to mimic a balanced ecosystem, rather than a monoculture, with such vegetables as Swiss chard, onions, and okra sprinkled throughout.
In addition to the rooftop garden, the terrace below serves as an extension for an event space. The two spaces can work individually or in tandem. Guests will be treated to a dynamic cross-section view, with the downtown skyline to the east, Saint Louis University’s campus to the south, and Grand Center’s historic buildings to the west.
