Oh man, do I love this?
Oh, I certainly do.
For only the 3rd time in my cyber history was a website ad purposely clicked, which brought me to the Sky House website.
Know in advance the developer’s site is ultra sleek and sexy in the way East Coast marketing teams communicate urban chic to Midwesterners, and provides no details, which is the standard format for separating the hip from the hoi polloi. Since I need concrete details, we know which side I land on.
As explained earlier, I’m all for the final proof of the resurgence of downtown St. Louis: new construction. We need brand new buildings that look of their moment in order to bookmark that moment in time.
22-stories is a tad over-scale for the immediate area, but not for the overall St. Louis skyline. Our biggest concern/complaint – messing up views of the Arch – has been addressed with that groovy “frame” atop the west side of the building. It will be built to LEED standards, so it’s a big Earth Day birthday gift to the city.
The more I read about this project, the more I love it. The downtown party guest list needs variety to keep it desirable, and the doorman isn’t as imposing as he may seem.
Can’t say I like how this building –or the Park East, for that matter– addresses the street. That is to say, it appears that it does not. The body of the structure is good enough, but the base, as rendered, seems not to succeed in interfacing with the street, and thus, pedestrians. However, everyone else seems to be fawning all over it, so I must be wrong.
Indiananpolis is going through a similar phase in life. The city is trying to develop the former Market Square Arena site into a landmark, high rise development. One proposal is designed by Ehrenkrantz Eckstut & Kuhn, and it’s nice and interesting. But that Sky House design is top notch. The roof elements make that building.
Superb!!
There’s not a whole lot of much on that site already, commercially or architecturally:
http://www.builtstlouis.net/washington/13b.html
Bring on the highrise!