A Visit to the Gateway Arch -- Saint Louis, Missouri We recently had the opportunity to visit the Gateway Arch, in Saint Louis, Missouri. Memorial Day 2014 -- Gateway Arch -- Saint Louis, Missouri At 630 feet, the Gateway Arch is the largest arch in the world and also the tallest man-made monument in the United States.  Construction of the arch began in 1963 and was completed in 1965.  The monument opened to the public on June 10, 1967. Gateway Arch -- Saint Louis, Missouri   Landscaped Grounds Around the Gateway Arch -- Saint Louis, Missouri   Looking Up -- Gateway Arch   I can remember first visiting the arch, as a young boy, in 1972.  This was my third visit to the Gateway Arch and my wife's first.There is a museum located underneath the Gateway Arch and it is also possible to travel... 05/31/2014

Downtown St Louis saw an investment of 4.4 billion dollars in reinvestment between 1999 and 2008.  During most of that time, the acronym "FHA" used in conjunction with home loans was mostly unheard of (see My Day at the FHA part 1 and Part 2).  Having been developed during that time, there was no percieved need for loft buildings to be "FHA Approved" at that time. FHA insured home loans have always treated condominiums different than single family homes, having an complicated approval process.  Once approved, FHA loans could be done on a building with "limited review," meaning that the underwriting was simplified and minimal information from the association was required to complete the loan. IN THE PAST, if a condo buildning wasn't approved, but was acceptable, it could go through the S... 02/16/2010

02/16/2010

Old Post Office Plaza was completed downtown, my feelings about it were that it could be a great part of the city, or not. With the sculpture in it, I thought of the public plazas in Greece where Plato was taught by Socrates. I envisioned Tai Chi and farmers markets. I've been hearing rumors about the later use and am hoping for the best. My own neighborhood has a very nice farmer's market in Tower Grove Park that has become a weekly event for many of the neighborhoods surrounding the park (Shaw, Tower Grove South, Tower Grove East, Compton Heights & Southwest Garden). They've done a great job of not only presenting a nice market with entertainment, food and refreshments, but have also promoted the event to have a sizable following. Having a farmer's market downtown really is a win-win... 02/16/2010

Don't wait on this one!  Priced to move fast, this downtown loft has great finishes, a beautiful southern view, plenty of natural light coming into these huge warehouse style insulated windows.  1 bed 1 bath $139,900 View More Photos @ St Louis real estate home page 01/09/2010

Right now, I've had just about enough of foreclosures! Hearing that the Arcade Building is being foreclosed on was somewhat of a relief though and I'm not sure why. Maybe its because of what felt like a big "land grab" back in 2004-2006 as rival developers postured to see who could stake out the remaining gems downtown. Prices for abandoned buildings rose as high as $30/square foot. This surge in buying somehow seemed to force development downtown much too quickly and at to high a cost for the then market to support. By itself, completing the Arcade may not have posed a monumental challenge at that time, considering that the Syndicate Trust underwent a similar conversion. Going back to that time though, Pyramid was unable to sell out the remainder of the Banker's Lofts and had 50% of t... 12/10/2009

Remember when Ballpark Village, the MX Exchange and the Bottle District were all being unveiled and in competition with each other for the new hot commercial zone in downtown St Louis?  Having downtown built out in every direction with great new places to go seemed far fetched, but exciting.  How could it all come together.....could it all come together? Obviously that answer was, " uh..NO". This new bit of information was released today about some plans for the Bottle District site. While the work HRI did on the Merchandise Mart Loft Apartments has been allegedly some of the worst construction downtown, somehow this new project is exciting.  The area to the north of the downtown area can really benefit from some affordable loft style housing and its obvious that the 'big picture' for t... 12/08/2009