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Unusual materials, ambition mark new project in Grand Center
(by Kara Krekeler - April 22, 2008)
With the economy in a slump, it may seem like an odd time to start a new business venture, but it doesn’t faze first-time developer Kyrle Boldt one bit.
The founder and owner of the Splash boutiques, Boldt is in the midst of developing ArtHouse, a project of seven townhouses in Grand Center. The houses are designed to be 2,400 square feet of sleek modern design with a minimal need for maintenance both inside and out.
“I haven’t seen anything out there that’s like this,” Boldt said, adding that while he’s new to development, he has followed the real estate market and long been an advocate for modern design. “I’ve thought about this for years, about one day doing a modern, contemporary development.”
A resident of Ladue, Boldt said he felt that he would have to go into the city for such a development, although it wasn’t until he attended a gallery opening in 2006 that he decided on building in Grand Center.“Grand Center already has as precedent of modern design with the Contemporary [Art Museum St. Louis] and the Pulitzer [Foundation],” he said. “It’s a great place, where new and old already coexist. It seemed like a perfect fit for modern residences.”
The $480,000 townhouses will be constructed of concrete, copper and a Brazilian hardwood called ipe. Each will be a three-bedroom unit with individual green space and a two-car garage in the rear, and buyers will have the option of paying for access to a rooftop patio. Residents will also receive a five-year membership to the Contemporary Art Museum.
“This being my first project, I’m not cutting corners to make an extra buck,” Boldt said, adding that he is seeking LEED green building certification for the development, not because it’s trendy but because “it’s the obvious thing to do, the right thing to do.”Boldt said that he has taken a reservation on the first unit and is waiting for a second commitment before starting construction on the first three townhouses; due to the number of inquiries he’s received, however, he estimated that he should be able to break ground by early summer.
Boldt said that in researching locations, he visited several other cities that have successful residential neighborhoods surrounding arts districts. Grand Center has thus far not been much of a draw for new residential developments.
But Grand Center Inc., the organization that oversees development in the arts district, has long had residential development in its master plan for the area, said JoAnne LaSala, director of special projects for the organization. She said a recent study by Zimmerman Volk Associates showed that there is a market for residential space, including upscale contemporary homes, in and around Grand Center.
In 1999, Zimmerman Volk performed a similar study for Downtown Now concerning Washington Avenue development. “What they projected in 1999 for Washington Avenue has come true. We asked them to do the same thing,” LaSala said, adding that the study simply “reassured” her and her Grand Center Inc. coworkers of their suspicions regarding housing in the district.
“People do live in Grand Center now,” she said. “We just want more of them and the only way to get more is if we work with developers to create the right product.”
So when Boldt approached Grand Center Inc. last year, the organization was quick to throw their support behind the new developer, LaSala said. She said she was impressed with Boldt’s plan, which she described as small enough that it’s easily manageable but unique enough to draw further attention to residential development in Grand Center.
She added that Grand Center Inc. is currently sorting out its own residential development near Boldt’s currently vacant site on Grandel Square and is also planning a performance park across the street from ArtHouse. LaSala said that neither project is far enough along to give specifics, although she said that the performance park would help attract summer arts programming to the district, another element that is missing in Grand Center.
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