In 2014, NextSTL reported that Koplar and Koman were planning a tower at Kingshighway and Lindell. They selected KPF as the Architecture firm and in early 2015, named Forum Studio as an assistant architect. That was the last we heard of the project with no additional stories being made since then. The Koplar family has owned this lot for decades and the thought to build a building here has been off and on since 2004. The lot has never been developed, and for now, will remain undeveloped.
I reached out to get the facts on the development and to see if anything is still planned on the lot. Koplar got back to me and stated that they (Koman and Koplar) tapped New York’s Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF) to study the idea of a tower and come up with concepts. They successfully completed their mission and the tower went by the wayside. The project was dumped as a result in Late 2016/Early 2017. Around this same time, Koman was still pursuing Cupples X and had their “The Euclid” project well under construction just a few blocks away.
As for the future of the parking lot, Koplar says that he still envisions a tower here but as to when it will be proposed and built, it remains up in the air. The lot will be even more pronounced and visible with One Hundred going up next door. As it currently stands, Koplar’s next project will be a partnership with Montana based Homebase. That project will be a 7 Floor AC Hotel on York Avenue. That project will begin in the Spring with Paric acting as the contractor and Denver based Johnson Nathan Strohe (JNS) as the architect and Chesterfield based HDA acting as the Architect of Record. .
Some of Koplar’s projects and ventures over the past several decades...
- Chase Park Plaza
- Powell Hall
- Lodge of the Four Seasons at the Lake of the Ozark‘s
- Maryland Plaza
- York House
- AC Hotel
Some of Koman’s projects over the past several years...
- City Place
- Cupples 9
- The Euclid
- Chroma
- Cortex K
- Cupples X (cancelled)