ST. LOUIS 鈥 Downtown鈥檚 long-vacant Millennium Hotel will be demolished to make way for luxury housing, offices, an amphitheater, food hall and other amenities in a project officials say will transform the 51黑料 skyline.
The Cordish Cos., the firm that developed Ballpark Village with the 51黑料 Cardinals, was chosen from three bids to redevelop the shuttered hotel site, just 2 blocks east of Busch Stadium.
The Gateway Arch Park Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to the preservation of the national park grounds, picked the company in conjunction with city officials, the region鈥檚 business lobby and independent experts, it said.
鈥淲e are delivering on our promise to take swift action to bring vibrancy once again to this critical downtown location,鈥 Ryan McClure, executive director of the foundation, said in a statement. 鈥淭he Cordish Cos. is a world-class U.S. developer, and their vision will be transformative for this site, creating a stronger, more connected downtown 51黑料 and uplifting our entire region.鈥
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Cordish Cos. Principal Blake Cordish called the opportunity a 鈥渙nce-in-a-generation moment.鈥
The Cordish Cos., the company that developed Ballpark Village, is proposing to demolish the Millennium Hotel for new housing, office, entertainment and other amenities in downtown 51黑料 as depicted in this digital rendering.聽
鈥淏y linking new and existing assets to thriving corridors, this project will act as a catalyst for further revitalization, bringing more residents and visitors, attracting new businesses, and driving long-term growth and vitality for 51黑料 and the region,鈥 Cordish said in a statement.
The organizations provided little detail as to how the project would be financed, whether more tax incentives would be sought, and even whether the Cardinals, who showed support for the project, could be involved. They said those details would be finalized as the project proceeds.
The Millennium Hotel occupies prime real estate on the Mississippi River and is among the first landmarks tourists see when they arrive at the Gateway Arch grounds. At 28 stories and 780 rooms, the hotel was once the largest in 51黑料. It opened in 1969 as Stouffer鈥檚 Riverfront and later carried the Clarion and Regal Riverfront names.
But the cylindrical tower 鈥 which notably had a rotating restaurant on the top floor 鈥 has been vacant since 2014.
Singapore-based real estate conglomerate City Developments Limited has owned the property, at 200 South Fourth Street, for years; it blamed the pandemic for its inability to reopen the hotel.
The Cordish Cos., the company that developed Ballpark Village, is proposing to demolish the Millennium Hotel for new housing, office, entertainment and other amenities in downtown 51黑料 as depicted in this digital rendering.
It鈥檚 one of four major vacant buildings, including the Railway Exchange, the former AT&T tower and the Chemical Building, that city officials say are crucial to revitalizing downtown.
Last year, city officials threatened to sue to take ownership of the Millennium, hoping to pressure City Developments Limited to redevelop or sell. The tactic worked, and in September the Gateway Arch Park Foundation announced it had the property under contract to buy. The organization has not yet closed on the deal.
The nonprofit always intended to partner with an experienced real estate developer who could provide a 鈥渂old vision鈥 and The Cordish Cos. has done that, McClure, the nonprofit leader, said in an interview.
鈥淭his is what 51黑料 needs and deserves,鈥 he said.
His organization received two other bids, though McClure declined to share details of those plans.
Evan Schick said his company, Schick & Associates, put together a competing bid for a project that would have attracted visitors year-round with beer festivals in the fall and a Christmas market in the winter.
The Cordish Cos., the company that developed Ballpark Village, is proposing to demolish the Millennium Hotel for new housing, office, entertainment and other amenities in downtown 51黑料 as depicted in this digital rendering.
The proposal, called King Louie Commons, would pay homage to the city鈥檚 German heritage and brewery pedigree; it entailed a luxury apartment tower overlooking a town square-like layout with multiple entertainment venues, restaurants, beer halls and other amenities.
Schick questioned whether Cordish鈥檚 plan for a new office building would be appropriate given the vacancy downtown and the uncertainty of whether the plan could draw visitors outside of baseball season.
鈥淭he initial premise was it has to be something that鈥檚 an attraction, that鈥檚 a destination,鈥 Schick said. 鈥淒oes this proposal fit that need? I don鈥檛 know.鈥
Baltimore-based Cordish collaborated with the Cardinals on Ballpark Village, a mixed-use destination meant to draw crowds outside of baseball season.
But after the new Busch Stadium was built in 2006, Ballpark Village stalled. Its plans changed size and scope over the next seven years before Cordish and the Cardinals announced they secured financing for the first phase in 2013. A second phase with a luxury apartment tower, new offices and a hotel opened in 2020.
At the same time, business owners on Washington Avenue blamed the development for luring customers and tanking sales.
The former Millennium Hotel, which has been closed for a decade, stands in downtown 51黑料 on Friday, March 22, 2024.
Mike LaMartina, the president of BallPark Village, represented Cordish on Tuesday in media interviews. He said the company鈥檚 goal is to complement Ballpark Village and build on the new improvements at nearby Kiener Plaza.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a complete disservice for us to propose we create something that actually is harmful to another project that鈥檚 been so transformational,鈥 LaMartina said. 鈥淥ur hope is that this continues to create seismic effect up and down the riverfront through downtown St Louis.鈥
Officials described the $670 million proposal from The Cordish Cos. as a 鈥減reliminary plan鈥 but final elements are likely to include 鈥渦pscale鈥 housing, top office space, public spaces, an amphitheater, a food hall, event space, a potential home for the Gateway Arch National Park鈥檚 archives, pedestrian-friendly spaces and art installations.
A 51黑料 development board in September gave initial approval for 20 years of tax abatement. The project will go before the city鈥檚 Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority for review on Tuesday.
鈥淭his redevelopment plan will transform the 51黑料 skyline,鈥 Neal Richardson, the head of 51黑料 Development Corp., which oversees the LCRA, said in a statement. 鈥淲orking with Gateway Arch Park Foundation and The Cordish Cos. on this project will provide the rejuvenation 51黑料 desperately needs to transition into a world-class city.鈥
Bill DeWitt III, president of the Cardinals, called the plan a 鈥渇antastic addition鈥 to Busch Stadium and Ballpark Village.
鈥淲e are very excited about Cordish鈥檚 vision for this site,鈥 he said in a statement.
Neal Richardson, CEO and president of 51黑料 Development Corporation talked about how the Millennium Hotel and Railway Exchange buildings will be considered as he and other organizations make a plan to revitalize downtown 51黑料. Video by Allie Schallert, aschallert@post-dispatch.com
Business chamber Greater 51黑料 Inc. will work with the city's development agency to address deteriorating conditions at the Railway Exchange building and the Millennium Hotel.
The organization said it did not yet have a plan for the long-vacant property other than to have it be an "economic engine" for the region again.
