Urban contemporary design for St. Louis infill properties?

I posted an article on this blog a couple weeks ago complaining about the stale designs of all the real estate development projects in St. Louis (McRee Town/Botanical Heights – Proof of out collective lack of imagination). I think my view of the current environment was made quite clear, but I might have been a bit hasty. I came across a small development driving around yesterday, which is pretty close to the mark on what I was talking about. Something CONTEMPORARY. Kind of.

The development is located on the 2800 block of Lafayette, just to the west of Lafayette Square in the neighborhood known as the Gate District. Driving by, I almost didn’t notice the two completed units because they blended in so well with the rest of the neighborhood. Upon closer inspection however, these properties show a lot of promise. They have a brick front, but the sides and rear are stucco-like and the design is quite unique. I drove by again this afternoon with my camera and took a few snapshots.

This is the kind of design I want to see. I have problems with this particular project, but I think the developer has their head in the right place. We can respect the designs of the past, while making something new and unique. AND NO VINYL SIDING.

The problem here is that these things aren’t selling. According to the MLS, 2841 has been on the market for 125 days and 2843 has been out there for 43 days as of the writing of this article. The unit at 2845 hasn’t even broken ground yet. Does this mean that nobody wants to buy this style of property? I think not.

First of all, the starting sticker price on these things is $335,000. For a three bedroom, two and a half bath located in the Gate District in the current market, that’s a lot of money. I also think the exterior design is missing something. Its exciting to see someone go this route in their designs, its just a little boring. But if I had to point at one thing that I think is preventing these properties from selling, I would have to say that its the interior.

I should mention that I have not actually been inside either property: I have only seen pictures and the floor plans. Even with that limited knowledge I can tell that despite the interesting angle they went with for the exterior, they played it safe inside. It looks like every other boring rehab project we’ve seen in the city for the past five years. Not to say it looks bad; it just looks boring. For that kind of price point I would think that the properties would offer something more. They try to bill these properties as “urban contemporary,” but that seems to only be skin-deep.

I look at this project as both an example of what you should do and what you should not do in a development project. If you are going to bother trying to create trendy housing make sure you do so inside and out. If you want more information on the development, check out their website: www.vivonlafayette.com