A Look Inside City Foundry STL
Date Posted: January 23, 2020
Posted In: Projects,
From CityScene STL: For the past few years, commuters on I-64/40 have passed by the City Foundry and have noticed an amazing transformation. From seeing graffiti removed, to new windows installed, to even the reconstruction of a brick wall, the Foundry has changed greatly. No longer is it a major eyesore but is instead a monument to the creativity coming out of local developers during this economic cycle. As will be documented with the Armory at a later date, this section of the highway has shown visitors and locals alike what some hard work and determination can do to vacant buildings.
The fate for the old Federal Mogul Foundry complex was almost certainly heading towards the wrecking ball before Steve Smith and the Lawrence Groups stepped in. The Foundry closed in 2007 due to the Great Recession. Several years of abandonment took their toll and the complex became a mess and wasn’t a good look for the changing Central Corridor. In 2013, Pace Properties proposed a big box strip mall complex, named Midtown Station, that would’ve been the Foundry demolished in favor of copycat retail buildings that you see in the suburbs. With locals pushing back, that plan was cancelled.
When City Foundry was initially unveiled in 2016, it was to be called East of Cortex. The Cortex innovation district ends at Vandeventer so East of Cortex makes sense. The Lawrence Group was named the developer of the project and the goal was to create something unique for St. Louis but based off of Ponce City Market in Atlanta and Chelsea Market in New York. So the team at the Lawrence Group started designing and presented a vision for a mixed use complex out of the shell of the old Foundry.
Retail stores, restaurants, cafes, and office space were all part of the initial plans. A residential component was also thrown around but was turned down due to Historic Tax Credits and limitations. With a plan in place, and the will to achieve something insanely great, construction commenced on environmental remediation in 2017. Actual construction work started in Mid-2018 and for the past 18 months, crews have taken a weak shell of an old Foundry and have turned it into St. Louis’s next destination. Not only is it’s close proximity to SLU a big win, but as the surrounding neighborhood develops and becomes more connected through the Chouteau Greenway, the Foundry will sit at the crossroads of major connections for everyone. It will even have access to the Grand MetroLink station via a 10 minute or so walk once a pedestrian bridge between the upper and lower decks of 64/40 is completed. This bridge will also provide access to the Armory District.
I reached out to Alderman Roddy (17th Ward) to put me in contact with Steve Smith of the Lawrence Group to have a tour of the Foundry. After some back and forth, we set a tour date of January 20th since school was out of session for some guests I brought along. It all worked out despite this day being cold (19 degrees and mostly cloudy). We started the tour at the construction trailer along Vandeventer.