top of page
Writer's pictureChris Stritzel

City Foundry Gears Up For Phase 2

Updated: Dec 2, 2020


Phase 2 at the corner of Foundry Way and Vandeventer (across from IKEA).

City Foundry STL, the mixed-use development in Midtown that has been born out of the shell of the former Federal Mogul Foundry, will open in the Spring but is also eyeing a Phase 2.


The development, which is highly anticipated by many, includes the region's first Food Hall, an Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, Punchbowl Social, Fresh Thyme Market, Fassler Hall office, and retail space. At this point in time, the office component is open, occupied, and 95% leased. Everything else is planned to open in the Spring after originally being planned to open this past Summer. The pandemic prevented that opening. The overall success of Phase 1 has given the team at the Lawrence Group and New+Found Development (a firm founded by Steve Smith) the clear confidence to pursue a second phase.


The $115 Million Phase 2 of the City Foundry is set to include...

  • 282 luxury apartment units

  • 60,000sf of office space

  • 20,000sf of retail space

  • 490 parking spaces

Construction on this phase should begin in Mid-2021. The architects are the Lawrence Group and Chicago-based Todd Halamka + Partners.


The project will have to be reviewed by the City due to the fact that the property will have to be rezoned to allow a usage like this.

From the get-go, the City Foundry project intended on building a residential component along Forest Park Avenue. However, Historic Tax Credits and other things prevented plans of that nature from ever materializing. Now, the Foundry will finally get the residential component along with additional retail, office space, and parking in a much more visible site.


At 14-stories, the residential and garage component will make quite the impact from I-64 and from the surrounding streets. The building's height also means that the City Foundry will be visible from more places throughout the City with views of Midtown. The office component of Phase 2 will be unique from the other buildings in Phases 1 and 2 as it will be the first building built in the City of St. Louis, Region, and State of Missouri to be built utilizing Mass Timber. Mass Timber is a fairly new building method and has been used in projects mostly in the Pacific Northwest and Chicago. The material's usage in St. Louis at the Foundry, although in a smaller format, is a welcome addition.


When built, City Foundry Phase 2 will join a series of other new-construction and adaptive reuse projects in the Midtown-Prospect Yards area that include the Element Hotel, City Foundry Phase 1, Armory District Phase 1, Steelcote Square (Lofts, Crossing, and Mill Creek Flats), Iron Hill, and Verve. All of those are in varying stages of the development process with the Element Hotel and Steelcote Lofts and Crossing being the first 3 projects to fully open.

Back at the Foundry, numerous events have been hosted throughout the Summer and Fall to keep people excited for the development and introduce them to it now that all of the heavy construction work of Phase 1 is complete. Most recently, Collections by Joya and the City Foundry hosted the first "Wintermarkt", which was a collection of 25 local, and small, businesses set up along Foundry Way for Small Business Saturday. The event was a success with the 6 time slots for the event selling out within 48 hours of tickets becoming available. As such, a second Wintermarkt is planned for December 5th and is already sold out.


The Wintermarkt benefitted the small businesses by introducing themselves to potentially new customers. Patty's Cheesecakes, a business from Chesterfield who will operate in a stall at the Food Hall at City Foundry, participated in the Wintermarkt and gave customers a taste of what's to come.


Other events included a drive-thru food event earlier this year for local restaurants, and other private events.

The Phase 2 site is located at the bottom of the picture and in the middle. The non-paved area.

For Phase 1, announcements regarding retail tenants and additional Food Hall tenants could be expected in early 2021, or ahead of the opening. The Food Hall will be the first piece to open up to the public followed by everything else (Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, Punchbowl Social, Fassler Hall, Fresh Thyme Market, and the Shops).


For more on the City Foundry, you can visit their website here: City Foundry STL


Additional Renderings of Phase 2


2,694 views0 comments

Comments


bottom of page