Meet Me in St. Louis

Each warehouse conversion presents unique challenges to remix the historic fabric with a modern vision. Though the Butler Brothers Building had been neglected, it had not fallen into complete disrepair. Within proximity to major employers and two universities, its location was ripe with potential.

“The building is well situated in Downtown West, close to many of the city’s attractions,” said Gary Prosterman, DSG President and CEO. “It is within easy walking distance of the Energizer Park soccer stadium, Enterprise Center hockey arena, and multiple parks.”

The six stories of brick-reinforced masonry, floor plates, and columns were also in good reusable condition. This is a testament to the construction methods used to create one of the largest reinforced concrete structures west of the Mississippi in its heyday.

Though covered in grime, the exterior only needed standard restoration. As a contributing structure to the Washington Ave Historic District, it was essential for the facade to reflect its early 20th century appearance. It shares similar Greek Revival ornamentation like lions and garlands as many of its neighbors. While it wasn’t cost effective to fully restore the cornice, the two remaining spans of terracotta were preserved with a new support system and reglazed.

“We also transformed the central courtyard, which used to be a functional passthrough space. It was paved for horse-drawn carts and surrounded by clamshell-style dock doors,” noted Joel Fuoss, project architect, Trivers Architecture. “We fixed those in place to preserve that mechanical history and installed windows below for natural light. We added landscaping and seating to further rejuvenate the space.”

By demolishing existing interior walls, DSG and Trivers could reorganize the building’s spine along a new axis. Amenities are clustered around the courtyard, including a grand lobby, multiple fitness studios, lounge, kitchen, and coworking.

“Because we had plenty to work with, we weren’t constrained by having to squeeze every square foot,” said Fuoss. “There were also some innate qualities, like the original showroom and large windows, that are a little more polished than a typical industrial building.”

“We were fortunate to include so much community space, especially with the roof mass,” Prosterman added. “We looked at trends with our apartment management company and ultimately opted for a country club feel.”

Home Sweet Home

At 18 by 20 feet, the column grid was already primed for apartment conversion. Over 380 units were added, each with its own laundry, and the majority are already leased.

“This was built in an era that depended on natural light, so the original windows are large, elevated off the floor, and operable,” Fuoss explained. “We even secured permission to push back the courtyard by 20 feet, which secured more light for interior perimeter units.”

The building’s sheer volume also gave DSG and Trivers freedom to vary unit sizes. These ranges from one-bedroom studios around 530 square feet to two-bedroom apartments between 1,200-1,300 square feet. These are served by new piping, mechanical, and plumbing.

Another perk is the availability of on-site parking. Around 300 spaces already existed, but the renovation converted an additional half floor that was originally a raised basement to bring the number of stalls up to 400.

Resident space continues to the rooftop, which has been remade as an oasis with sweeping city views. The terrace sports a pickleball court, pergola, grill area, oversized chess board, and dog park. The focal point is a generous sundeck surrounding a wading pool.

“Because of the added weight, the structure below required reinforcement,” explained Fuoss. “As an alternative to more costly and specialized hot-rolled steel framing to redistribute the load, we instead utilized a series of tighter spaced cold-form framed stud packs within unit demising and partition walls. This type of framing can more easily be procured, maneuvered, and installed by framing carpenters already on site.” 

Calculating Environmental Impact

Modernizing a 100-year-old facility often runs squarely into code complications. For example, The Victor’s exposed brick is an essential feature under the National Register of Historic Places. So it wasn’t an option to insulate the interior side of the walls, which would have improved the building’s energy performance.

“We had to reframe the conversation with the city to focus on embodied carbon instead,” said Fuoss. “The building is a mass of concrete, limestone, and brick, all of which carry a significant footprint to extract, ship, manufacture, and transport. If you were to do the same structure today, it would take 100 years for the 1,300 acres of Forest Park to offset the embodied carbon.”

“There are things as a developer that you have to do, things you can do, and things you want to do but can’t—it’s all about balance,” Prosterman stressed. “For adaptive reuse, spend more time and money on intensive due diligence than a typical project. Be prepared because there are always unforeseen conditions and have a contingency reserve ready to address those.”