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OT: Midtown Development


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The Metropolitan Building - soon to be reborn as lofts for artists - is looking great:

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why are artists only allowed to live here?
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The rehab was partially financed using low income housing tax credits issued by the state of Missouri. As part of the deal, the project was designed specifically to serve the needs of low and moderate income artists. I'm not positive that only artists can live there, but they are given preference over other income-qualifying tenants.

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There's another artists loft building on Wash Ave downtown that has traditionally had a waiting list.

And another by the same developer of the Metropolitan that just opened this year on Locust (Leather Trades Building). These types of buildings provide amenities such as studio spaces that are attractive to artist types. Kind of a no-brainer, given that Grand Center is supposed to be the "Arts District."
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  • 5 weeks later...

One development near SLU had a 5-alarm fire yesterday evening: http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/five-alarm-fire-in-central-west-end-leaves-scores-homeless/article_2c5aacdc-d073-11e1-9549-0019bb30f31a.html

It's the new building on Lindell just west of Vandeventer; has a lot of apartments - many filled by students - and first-floor retail.

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One development near SLU had a 5-alarm fire yesterday evening: http://www.stltoday....19bb30f31a.html

It's the new building on Lindell just west of Vandeventer; has a lot of apartments - many filled by students - and first-floor retail.

I noticed in the article that the development had already been subjected to an arson back in 2007, when it was still being completed. I wonder if there is any concern that this might be another case of arson.

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I noticed in the article that the development had already been subjected to an arson back in 2007, when it was still being completed. I wonder if there is any concern that this might be another case of arson.

Yeah, I saw that mentioned and some are wondering. I sure hope not. What's the motive for arson of this building, anyway? Someone with strong feelings about the Salad Bowl? I didn't think any of its patrons were still alive, anyway.

Also alarming is how cheaply constructed this building is and how fast the whole roof burned.

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KMOV said the construction might have been a contributing factor in the fire spreading so quickly and causing the roof to collapse. My friends took a lot of pictures during the course of the fire. I know people who lived near by at the Vandy apartments, none of my friends lived at those apartment buildings, but my friends know people who lived there.

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that bootylicious, blonde waitress from the library used to live in that apt complex. confirmed. rican, davola and westy know which one i'm talking about. not the poorat with the ****** sh!t all over the back window of her car, but the other one that berglund stiff-armed.

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@SLU_Official: "So many SLU students affected. More help coming. @MayorSlay: Thx to @stlredcross, @hsmo, @SLU_Official for their efforts at #fireinmidtown."

@SLU_Official: "Donations for the SLU victims of the @3949Apartments are being accepted at the Center for Srvc. & Comm. Engagement. Call 977-4105 for info."

@nextSTL: "From 3949 Lindell management: 'we are now able to say that the entire building has been destroyed.'"

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Wow...

I was living not too far from there in '07 when that building was first torched. I believe it had to do with some contractors who refused to use union labor or something, but it looks like this building was built with friggin Lincoln Logs.

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SLU's FB page posted that more than 100 students lived there, and we've reported that 250 people were displaced by the fire. I've been wondering if SLU had a formal or informal agreement to steer international students to that development.

I've also been wondering how the hell such a new building could have a sprinkler system (and firebreak design) so bad that the entire building could be destroyed.

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SLU's FB page posted that more than 100 students lived there, and we've reported that 250 people were displaced by the fire. I've been wondering if SLU had a formal or informal agreement to steer international students to that development.

I've also been wondering how the hell such a new building could have a sprinkler system (and firebreak design) so bad that the entire building could be destroyed.

I read in The Post's article that the building cost $30 million to complete. Either $30 million doesn't go that far anymore, or there was an awful lot of corner-cutting going on during the construction. Perhaps the 2007 arson that cost the builders $12 million led to them going cheap to complete the project?

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SLU's FB page posted that more than 100 students lived there, and we've reported that 250 people were displaced by the fire. I've been wondering if SLU had a formal or informal agreement to steer international students to that development.

I've also been wondering how the hell such a new building could have a sprinkler system (and firebreak design) so bad that the entire building could be destroyed.

I wonder how many students would be in there in the fall; i.e. there might be 100 in there now, but how many more were on the way? There might be some people scrambling for an alternative now. Just a thought.

So was the entire building burned to the ground, or just the roof and some of the higher-level units? That would be enough to have to call the building a 'total loss' for insurance purposes and start making demolition plans. The sprinkler system may have saved some levels from being torched; they do enough terrible water damage in their own right, though.

Not to be a complete nerd, but renter's insurance is honestly the best $150 you can spend in a year. I'm always shocked at how few people buy it. I'm hoping people there were covered or they might not be compensated for their belongings damaged or lost in the fire.

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