Nestled in the shadow of SSM Health’s new $550 million hospital and Saint Louis University’s medical and undergraduate campuses, the former Steelcote Manufacturing Company Paint Factory and its neighboring parcels constituted a forgotten remnant of St. Louis’ proud industrial past. Few observers, if any, envisioned the area’s potential for housing not only students and hospital employees but also national entertainment options such as Topgolf and a major retailer, Target.
With the goal of establishing an anchor to spur further development, Pier Property Group chose Trivers as the design firm to breathe life into two historic buildings and unite them with a new third-phase structure in 2017. This strategically phased project, which unfolded over four years, resulted in more than just needed housing; it created a vital spark.
Phase 1: Steelcote Lofts
Built in 1922, the Steelcote Manufacturing Company Paint Factory was home to one of the 20th century’s greatest contributors to the paint and coatings industry. The Steelcote Company invented the world’s first rubberized paint that could conform to intricate metal surfaces without deformation, enabling a period of automotive design that emphasized sleek, flowing bodies. From paints with fungicide to coatings used by NASA, Steelcote’s innovations in the paint industry—plus a revolutionary structural foundation design—led to the building’s 2007 inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places.
The $8.5 million transformation of Steelcote’s 43,541-square-foot (4,045 sq m) building into a 33-unit multifamily development called Steelcote Lofts was completed in 2019. The approach embodied the industrial design process that all products—including paints—must undergo. Prototyping begins with crude concepts that go through rapid iterations to test and refine the object until it is ready for production.
As this process might suggest, Steelcote Lofts appears unrefined at first glance. The original concrete frame and brick infill of the paint factory express the building’s worn, storied history. Public spaces inside are slightly more refined, with polished concrete floors and distinct new work that highlight original board-formed concrete and exposed industrial columns. Within each unit, contemporary kitchens and bathrooms demonstrate the highest level of refinement, which deliberately contrasts with the exterior. Accent colors from the original palette of Steelcote paint offerings can be found throughout the interior.
The unifying moniker given to the full development—Steelcote Square—honors the company that catalyzed the coatings industry and uplifts this structure’s history in American industrial design.
Phase 2: Steelcote Crossing
Like its neighbor to the north, Steelcote Crossing is a $4.5 million adaptive reuse of a former industrial plant, taking advantage of state and federal historic tax credits. Before being listed on the National Register in 2019, the building served as a distribution plant for the Columbia Oil Company. The construction of the 15,050-square-foot (1,400 sq m) brick facility in 1923 fit into a period of increased development of large, fireproof manufacturing buildings.
The Columbia Oil Company supplied industrial and mechanical lubricating oils initially. It began selling automotive oils in the early 1900s and became one of St. Louis’ most prominent wholesalers of automotive oil and other products as car ownership soared.
The structure stands as an uncommonly intact example of an early automobile-industry support facility. Much of its original material remained untouched over the years and served as the foundation for the 15 micro-apartments and ground-floor retail space completed in 2020.
Although the building’s first floor and former oil tank bay remain largely unchanged, the upper floors have been designed to offer micro-apartments ranging from 422 to 750 square feet (39 to 70 sq m). Steelcote Crossing’s features coincide with those of Steelcote Lofts, which appear uncultivated on the outside but become more finished as one moves from public to private spaces. Within Steelcote Crossing’s units, residents enjoy state-of-the-art kitchens and bathrooms deliberately designed to embrace the essentials for modern microliving.
Phase 3: Steelcote Flats
One of Pier Properties’ primary goals was to establish a welcoming environment for people living, shopping, and recreating in the district. With the adaptive reuse projects complete, integrating the $30 million ground-up, mixed-use Steelcote Flats (completed in 2022 by Holland Construction Services) complements the adjacent historic buildings while maintaining a distinct, contemporary identity.
Steelcote Flats—the largest of the three structures at 158,000 square feet (14,678 sq m) and built during the peak of Covid-19’s impacts on labor and materials—has 105 residential units (studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom apartments) with high-end finishes, as well as amenities for all three Steelcote properties. Structured parking, fitness and business centers, a dog park and spa, and an expansive rooftop deck with a swimming pool are shared by all Steelcote residents. As an elevated central court, the amenity deck’s deliberate position between Steelcote Flats and the adjacent historic buildings further emphasizes the connection among the three structures.
Steelcote Flats’ massing pays homage to the history of the site with a unique roofline that highlights the refurbished Steelcote sign atop Steelcote Lofts, to the east. Its dynamic metal façade takes inspiration from the economical materials of its industrial neighbors but adds a custom sawtooth profile to enable shadow play as the sun moves along the western elevation. Expansive glass and the reinsertion of pedestrian pathways around the entire block promote activity along Theresa Avenue, one of the area’s thoroughfares and a proposed tie-in to the Brickline Greenway pedestrian and biking path.
The building stands as an example of how new wood-frame construction can effectively complement adaptive reuse, optimizing spaces for modern needs while also preserving historic character.
Sustainable landscape design
Steelcote Square brings new life to a previously vacant industrial site not only by attracting people but also by re-establishing biodiverse habitats. The landscape design led to a 32 percent increase in planted areas. Native plantings throughout the site and on the amenity deck promote biodiversity and reduce water consumption by cutting down on the need for supplemental irrigation.
Strategies and best practices for managing stormwater runoff were also implemented throughout the site design. Stormwater best management practices cover a quarter of the total site’s area, detaining and treating nearly 90 percent of rain and runoff from the site and buildings before they enter an aged and overburdened municipal sewer infrastructure.
Bioretention swales surround parking areas, whereas pedestrian streets are paved with pervious concrete that collects runoff from the amenity deck. New trees along the street stand in soil-filled Silva Cells connected below the sidewalks, which increase the available volume of soil to promote healthier tree growth. The improved growing conditions for trees further increase the absorption and retention of stormwater runoff.
Catalyzing growth
Steelcote Square has successfully catalyzed growth and investment in this formerly desolate and forgotten part of St. Louis. By catering to a diverse range of aesthetic tastes, lifestyles, and budgets, its trio of unique buildings has drawn residents since the site’s completion in 2022.
In 2023, Topgolf opened a second regional location immediately adjacent to the residences, followed by a 70,000-square-foot (6,500 sq m) Target in 2024. Above the Target sit 199 luxury apartments in a $65 million multifamily development called The Edwin, also developed by Pier Property Group. PPG has a long-term hold strategy for properties in Steelcote Square and hopes to have a hotel developed as a subsequent phase and needed component of the district.
Adding to the momentum, SSM Health and Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital are currently building a new $300 million hospital at the southwest corner of Grand Boulevard and Chouteau Avenue. The facility is designed to meet increasing demand around specialized pediatric treatments for newborns, children, and teenagers in the region. It is expected to open in 2027.
Out of a discarded, post-industrial landscape, the Steelcote Square community has grown. It will continue to preserve a small part of St. Louis history while contributing to the ongoing work of restitching the once-torn pieces of the region’s urban fabric.
