Continuing with progress checks on our favorite development announcements of 2016, the Soulard Apartments building at 1400 Russell Boulevard, right between the Gravois exit of I-55 and 13th Street.
This one made the list for the following reasons:
- New design matches the neighborhood character better than the previous building.
- Proposal brings more residents or jobs than current use.
- The location is high profile enough to elevate the appearance of the neighborhood to visitors and residents alike.
Further, this project is highly visible from the I-44/I-55 exchanges. This is one of those impactful projects that makes you say "wow", it really makes an impression due to its size and wrapping of an entire corner.
It's been fun watching this one take shape. The final product will look like this:
photo credit: soulardapartments.com
We need to hold them to planting those street trees, especially since I'm sure this got a massive tax credit.
Notice those narrow, tall windows? Since Soulard is a historic neighborhood, new construction must match the existing neighborhood. Those were adopted to mimic the nearby senior apartments/former hat company just down Russell:
This one's perfect urban form hugs the street on all directions and will blend in really well with the existing historic building stock:
photo credit: souldard apartments facebook page
There are five or so really cool Soulard buildings that are all being kept and hugged by this development:
There was a small grey brick building that was demo'd at the corner of Russell and 13th, but so it goes.
Here's a sample of what the brick and windows will look like:
This one is massive and will bring a lot of street activity and new people to this part of Soulard.
Their website indicates it will be ready by Spring, 2018. Yay!
