HOK Announces Commitment to Downtown, Central Core of St. Louis Sees Population Growth, And More
Not rendering correctly? View this email as a web page here
HOK Announces Commitment to Downtown
Global design, architecture, engineering, and planning firm HOK announced Wednesday that they will remain in Downtown St. Louis for the long term. The firm said it plans to keep its St. Louis office and its 170 St. Louis-based staff Downtown once its lease expires in August 2025.
“We are proud of our St. Louis origin and proud to have an office in Downtown St. Louis ever since our founding,” said Margaret McDonald, a senior principal at HOK’s St. Louis studio. “As designers and planners, we know how important downtowns are to the health and vibrancy of a region. Simply put, you cannot be a suburb of nowhere. HOK is committed to seeing Downtown St. Louis prosper.”
Restoring the core of the St. Louis metro is a strategic priority called for in the STL 2030 Jobs Plan and, KMOV-4 reports, the neighborhoods in the central core of St. Louis City are seeing strong growth, up nearly 13% in the last census. Large scale investments, from CITYPARK to The Armory, are driving development, which then generates additional growth and revenues for investments in priorities across St. Louis.
Architectural Digest: Victor Revival is a “Triumph of Adaptive Reuse”
The Victor — formerly known as the Butler Brothers warehouse — was a “building worth saving,” wrote Architectural Digest in a recent article. Championed by GSL, the $130 million project built on the neighborhood momentum created by St. Louis Union Station, St. Louis CITY SC, and others, giving the historic building a new life.
Bloomberg: Well-Designed CITYPARK Helping to Restore Downtown
Through thoughtful design and intentional planning, CITYPARK is filling a void and generating economic impact for St. Louis, Bloomberg reported in a recent article. Thanks to the commitment of St. Louis CITY President and CEO Carolyn Kindle, a GSL board member; GSL Founding Chair Andy Taylor; the Taylor Family; and the entire CITY ownership team, the new MLS stadium stands out nationally — and St. Louis is reaping the benefits.
Safe, Vibrant, Beautiful: Downtown Summer Nights Kicks Off June 6
Following the success City Social — Downtown’s premier block party in May — GSL is bringing more free, outdoor events to Downtown St. Louis. Downtown Summer Nights, a weekly party in Kiener Plaza that supports local businesses and features musicians and performers, is part of the newly announced public-private partnership with the City of St. Louis that aims to make Downtown safe, vibrant, and beautiful.
Two years ago, GSL helped cancer-fighting startup Wugen with an expansion into the Cortex Innovation Community, a GSL Investor Council member. Today, the company — now with 74 employees — will expedite the evaluation of a cancer-fighting drug, thanks to recent regulatory designations, further elevating St. Louis’ biotech sector.
The City of St. Louis is working on final approvals to make the transformation of St. Louis Lambert International Airport a reality. A new, state-of-the-art facility could add nearly $5 billion in annual economic impact and support nearly 30,000 new jobs in the metro by 2032, according to a report released by Greater St. Louis, Inc.
GSL Applauds Policy Wins at Close of IL Legislative Session
This week, the Illinois General Assembly adjourned its 2024 regular session. GSL was proud to advocate for and advance policies that will bring fairness to the state’s legal climate and increase investment in Illinois’ businesses, entrepreneurs, and Main Streets. “Greater St. Louis, Inc. and our Illinois partners secured important wins for the metro this legislative session,” said Adam Kazda, Vice President of Government Relations.
This weekend, NASCAR returns to St. Louis for the third year in a row when World Wide Technology Raceway hosts the Enjoy Illinois 300 and Confluence Music Festival, with a full concert festival taking place between races throughout each day. Last year, the weekend attracted 100,000 fans and had an economic impact of $60 million on the metro.
"We have something special going on in St. Louis and what I believe is the best sports city in the country," said Curtis Francois, owner of the raceway. "When we sold out the first Cup race (in 2022), that validated it once again that St. Louis shows up for the big events."
