As American as Masonry
If ever a project could be termed all- American, The Meadows at Lake St.Louis is it. Its architectural style is American. The masonry is American. And finally, the development is in the heart of Middle America, where corn and soybeans grow almost in the shadow of the Gateway Arch.
Located along St.Charles County’s exploding I-40 corridor, The Meadows is touted as “St. Louis’ first lifestyle center.” Its open-air layout with two landscaped boulevards in a downtown street grid is designed to provide visitors with a unique experience that co-developers Chicago-based Davis Street Land Company and St. Louisan Bruce Johnston describe as “individualistic.”
Phase One, which broke ground last May, includes 260,000-sq.ft. of junior anchors, restaurants and specialty retail stores. These include dozens of intriguing names, among them Coldwater Creek, Chico’s, White House/Black Market, Ann Taylor Loft, Talbots., Jos. A. Bank and BC’s Kitchen, a new concept by St. Louis restaurateur Bill Cardwell.
To lure The Meadows’ up-scale target market, M+H Architects (previously known as Mitchell + Hugeback) designed The Meadows with loads of stylistic architectural features. Greeting visitors will be a center plaza area and clock tower, a pergola and stage area for outdoor events, a water feature with fountains and dock piers, and walkways of brick pavers, decorator lighting, signage and landscaping.
Everywhere you look, there’s masonry. “The owners want the look of masonry buildings because of the level of detailing that can be achieved,” says Paul Stefanski,M+H project manager. “Masonry gives it instant character.” Masonry has been integral to the success of Davis Street developments around the country, which include Plaza Frontenac and The Shops at Clarkson Corner in St. Louis.
“The owner mandated that his centers arebuilt like this, with masonry,” says Mike Heitkamp,president of Heitkamp Masonry. “He doesn’t use metal studs or tilt up concrete. He’s found that he gets good performance with masonry in his centers.”
Since the site was originally a farm field with rambling rocky meadows, the architect chose a rubble stone (Maple Ridge Blend) to dominate the entry gates and site work, an effect reminiscent of the field stone in a farm wall. The design for the buildings, on the other hand, is in contrast to the rough-hewn rubble stone, presenting instead a pleasing finished look to brick and limestone facades.
While the buildings with their broad roof overhangs and stone and brick masonry display a certain kinship with Wright’s Prairie-style, their heritage is more in line with the creations of Purcell and Elmslie. The work of the Minneapolis-based company has been described as an “independent and proud American archiscape...honest and unique expressions of the American spirit of democracy.”
Davis Street mandated the use of loadbearing masonry at The Meadows, a challenge welcomed by the mason contractor. “We used more grout and reinforcing steel in these buildings than I’ve ever used before,” says Heitkamp, whose company has constructed such major projects as the new Busch Stadium and the Ameristar Casino tower and garage additions.
Despite the extensive grouting, Heitkamp says his major challenge was the massive volume of limestone pieces required–over 100,000. Since it was critical to get the right stone at the right time, he turned to Earthworks, eliminating potential headaches and avoiding errors that could have resulted in extensive reworking.
Officials of Lake St.Louis are delighted with the promise of the new development. “The Meadows will be key to our city’s expansion of retail offerings,” says Michael Potter, Mayor of Lake Saint Louis. “The shopping choices offered by the center, which were previously unavailable to St. Charles Co. residents, make the entire region more attractive to residents and other businesses that may want to relocate to the area.” Describing the promise of west St.Charles Co., Bruce Johnston, Davis Street’spartner, notes that the average household income in the trade area is $77,480 and that the area’s population is expected to grow 15% in the next five years. “The tremendous residential growth and infrastructure investment in the I-40 corridor makes The Meadows the logical location for the better specialty stores to expand their St. Louis presence,” he says.
When The Meadows opens this fall, it promises to provide a unique experience for St. Charles Co. residents as well as the hordes of curious visitors who no doubt will be attracted by a media publicity blitz. Given its attractive design, stimulating features and the extensive use of beautiful brick and stone, the project is already shaping up as an all-American success story right here in River City.
Architect: Mitchell+Hugeback (M+H Architects)
Engineer: Stock & Associates
General Contractor: Brinkmann Constructors
Mason Contractor: Heitkamp Masonry
Brick: Kirchner Block & Brick (Interstate)
Block: Kirchner Block & Brick
Architectural Block: Kirchner Block & Brick
Indiana Limestone: Earthworks, Midwest Cutstone
Rubble Stone: Earthworks
Sack Material: Kirchner Block & Brick
Sand: Raineri Building Products
Flashing & Accessories: Irwin Products, American Rebar