What is currently a parking lot to serve the neighboring Hotel Majestic, which will soon become the Le Meridien by Marriott, could soon be home to a new 12-story hotel, the Moxy. This modern tower will be the first of the Moxy by Marriott brand in the St. Louis region and the State of Missouri if built. It will also bring the first new building/structure to be constructed on Olive Street East of Grand since the completion of the Park Pacific garage in 2010.
The design firm working on the project, Dynamik Design of Atlanta Georgia, was hired by Coralville Iowa based Hawkeye Hotels. The same developer has been working on turning the rundown Omni Majestic Hotel, at 11th & Pine, into the region's first Le Meridien Hotel. That conversion should be completed by the end of 2019 according to an Hawkeye Hotels representative.
The Moxy Hotel will make it's presence known through a modern design and by an activated street level. According to Dynamik Design...
5,800 SF of energized street level lobby and public amenity space. The socially focused streetscape is activated by a signature Moxy canopy design and bi-fold hangar doors that open up to integrate the bustling lounge into the action on the downtown streets.
The street level is meant to add some life to the current dead corner and establish the second building on a corner at this intersection. The two other corners will remain parking lots. The street level will also feature white colored brick to honor the neighboring Ludwig Building while also giving the new building’s base a classy look.
On the upper floors of the Moxy, 154 rooms will be arranged with views of Downtown and the surrounding buildings. The rooms themselves, according to reviews of other locations on the web, are small and simple and appeal to the money wise traveler as well as the Millennial traveler. So this is a budget friendly boutique hotel, which will buck the trend in upper tier boutique hotels Downtown. All the Moxy locations, up to this point, are located in the hearts of cities around the world, and this is no different.
It's assumed that the hotel will utilize nearby parking lots as the source of parking for visitors who bring their own car. However, the Moxy is better suited for those who prefer to get around via bike, Uber or the Bus. For the introductory St. Louis location, the Moxy is situated in the heart of our Downtown. It will be located 3 blocks South of Washington Avenue and 2 blocks West of the Old Post Office District. The hotel will also be located 1 block North and 3 blocks West of the 8th & Pine MetroLink station. Other attractions like the Arch, Convention Center, Ballpark Village, Museums and the Enterprise Center are only a few blocks walk in each direction. So this hotel is centrally located.
The Moxy will be built utilizing a concrete first floor base while the upper floors will be made of load bearing metal stud according to the architect. A partial basement will be included but will be used for housekeeping purposes. The exterior will be made out of brick and aluminum. Pink accent lights and a pink rooftop sign, common on other Moxy hotels, will also make the building stand out at night. Because of it's estimated height of 155FT, the neon rooftop sign will be seen from portions of Washington Avenue and other areas with lower buildings.
Hawkeye Hotels has not yet applied for incentives since the process of designing the building and meeting with interior designers is on going and the cost is fluctuating. They also did not specify whether or not they would seek incentives. The cost of the Moxy and a timeline were not publicly given due to the design process and finalizations being made. No contractor has been selected at this time.
COUNTING ROOMS...
Since 2016, Downtown St. Louis has been in a construction boom consisting of a ton of hotel rooms. The list below is from the Shell Building story from the other day and will make an appearance in every story regarding a new hotel Downtown from here on out.
Fairfield Inn at Union Station (Under Construction - 136 Rooms)
Hyatt Place at the Municipal Courts Building (On Hold - 150 Rooms)
LeMeridien St. Louis (Conversion and Renovation from Omni Majestic - Under Construction - 91 Rooms)
Live! By Loews (Under Construction - 216 Rooms)
Hotel Indigo at the LaSalle Building (Under Construction - 88 Rooms)
Hotel Saint Louis Phase 1 (Completed - 140 Rooms)
Hotel Saint Louis Phase 2 (Proposed - 82 Rooms)
The Last Hotel (Under Construction - 142 Rooms)
21c Hotel (Under Construction - 200 Rooms)
AC Hotel at the Jefferson (Proposed/On Hold - 198 Rooms)
The Shell Building Dual Brand Tru and Home2 by Hilton (Planned - 191 Rooms)
The Moxy (Planned - 154 Rooms)
TOTAL ROOMS: 1788 Rooms
NET GAIN ROOMS AFTER MILLENNIUM CLOSURE (-780) AND CONDENSING OF CITY PLACE (-100) ROOMS: +908 Rooms
INFORMATION...
Developer: Hawkeye Hotels
Architect: Dynamik Design
Builder: TBA
Cost: Not Disclosed
Floors: 12
Height: 155FT (estimated)
Construction Begin: TBA
Construction End: TBA