After being unveiled in 2016 and missing the opening dates of Late 2017 and Early 2018, Dave Bailey's, "Bailey's Range on Shaw" will finally begin construction this Spring according to Tower Grove Neighborhoods Community Development Corporation (TGNCDC) and Alderwoman Annie Rice. TGNCDC was made aware, by Dave Bailey, that the start should be March 15th (based on their end of year report) and Annie Rice says they are pushing for around April 1st, so it will happen this Spring. The highly anticipated addition to the Shaw Neighborhood will see the old gas station at the corner of Shaw and Klemm be turned into one of the neighborhood's hotspots upon completion.
The existing building will be turned into a kitchen and small seating area with a walk up window for customers who are ordering to go or who would prefer to sit on the outdoor patio fronting Shaw. That patio will replace a crumbling surface parking lot with tables, greenery and planters. Along Klemm, a new building will be built that will house more indoor seating.
The project has failed to start up due to environmental remediation and changes in the design plan to better meet the regulations of the Shaw Historic District standards. A majority if environmental remediation work was completed by TGNCDC who removed the old gas tanks, fences and overgrown plants, among other things, to prepare the building for redevelopment.
All across St. Louis, old gas stations are being turned into new cafes and restaurants. Nearby, at Tower Grove and McRee, an old gas station was converted an into "Olio". The same type conversion goes for an old service station at Cleveland and Thurman and Shaw in what is now known as "the Station". There are other examples just they are spread out, instead of describing what they became, here are there additional examples I can think of off the top of my head...
- Imo's Pizza on Morgan Ford (3222 Morgan Ford)
- 4470 Chouteau
- J. Smugs Gastropit on the Hill (2130 Macklind)
The Dave Bailey restaurant is expected to create 75 jobs and be open later this year. The address is 4175 Shaw Boulevard.