KCRag Forum

KCtoBrooklyn wrote: ↑Wed Oct 30, 2019 4:24 pm It seems a little odd to me that they are putting the practice fields right there. I guess it would be nice for the team, but it seems like a waste of space - something that would be better suited in a more suburban area.

at first glance i agree (and practice facilities ARE usually located in the suburbs), but at the same time this area of downtown is seriously injured with parking lots, grass hells, and the expressway spur so i’d rather see this - for now at least.

the practice fields evidently have a parking garage beneath them. beats an above grade parking garage, of which st. louis is lousy with. additionally, a lot of MLS stadiums have practice fields nearby by design, including philly, montreal, LA, denver has like two dozen.

None of those stadiums you mention are in urban, downtown locations besides Montreal, but that is located in a large park. If there is any space in Forrest Park to use for training facilities, that might make more sense.

If we had any competent leadership at the time, this is what should have been done in KC. Downtown stadium on the Missouri side, training and youth complex on the Kansas side. Everyone wins.

Alas...

Even an MLS stadium in downtown KCK would have been hugely preferable to the current location. Actually would have been very cool and possibly given that area a major shot in the arm. Major missed opportunity. Alas, indeed.

Chris, thanks for the renderings of the new STL stadium. Like Warwick said this will suck up a massive blackhole in downtown west STL - it really is a no man's land right now. Like that it is built right up to the street on the Market street side.

Not sure about the relatively spartan new design. It is quite elegant, in a spare sort of way, and looks well planned and indeed very open to the street. But it is certainly rather minimalist compared to the prior designs. Reminds me a bit of the new MCI terminal, actually.

KCtoBrooklyn wrote: ↑Thu Oct 31, 2019 11:05 am None of those stadiums you mention are in urban, downtown locations besides Montreal, but that is located in a large park. If there is any space in Forrest Park to use for training facilities, that might make more sense.

it's been implied that these are "placeholders" for potential future more intensive development, so i'd still rather have this than the current expressway spur/stub/vestigial whatever (I-755) nightmare or vacant lot.

here's another rendering showing the practice fields and how they (and the fact that it is a garage) relate to the immediate built environment. shows an endcap building, which i hope is of substance and not just a SLU style elevator bank/stairwells.


mls4thelou.com

The building you see in that rendering is the Team HQ. Up to 3-stories.

MLS4TheLou released updated renderings of the stadium. It appears the glass roof has been nixed. The plaza has also been elevated some. Team HQ building was redesigned. Olive Street side of the stadium now has two square cutouts in the roof. Site prep is fully underway with a formal ground breaking expected in April. Team colors and name should be announced very soon as well.

Sure, these new renderings make the stadium look cheaper but I must note, since I have knowledge of the finalized plans, the actual stadium will look much better. There will be a lot of landscaping in the area along. The plaza design isn't finalized yet and will most likely have input from the city since a portion of the plaza sits on a public park, the Aloe West Extension. The remainder of the plaza will set up well for team rallies and other things. The plaza could also have a water feature and soccer related art on the plaza. Finally, the renderings are just cheap and not as detailed as the previous rendering.

Construction rolls on (they've been working Monday-Friday on site. According to some, over 75 workers on site. The site is a muddy mess but that means progress. Some buildings have been demolished on Olive but Abbott Properties's building remains. That will probably be demolished soon. A foundation drill is on site close to the Market Street bridge.

Love this!!!

This evening, I decided to take a walk around the MLS Stadium site. Since my last visit, a lot has changed. More dirt has been removed from the area where the below-grade pitch will go. A sizable mountain of dirt has formed on the Southern side of the site near 64/40. All remaining asphalt from the highway ramps has also been removed.

Since it's been rainy, and there's a lot of mud, the area now has a problem with bugs (in particular: mosquitos and gnats). Overall, 3 drills are on site along with many excavators. No team name, team colors or stadium name have been unveiled yet. For now, it's known as the St. Louis MLS Stadium at 22nd Street.









The Practice Fields and Team HQ area (South of Market Street)



This will be a good view to watch the main structure rise. This is from the Pear Tree Inn parking garage.

Sweet! Thanks, Chris!

All of the most recent renderings (detailing the stadium interior design as well as the South of Market Campus). South of Market includes a team pavilion and store, practice fields, training facility building, and Team HQ.

No particular order with any of these...



























South of Market area (just released today)...

And progress on February 23rd...

Beautiful....1st class!

Awesome!

Such a great location for a MLS stadium. Well done St Louis.

KC could use one of these over one of our many urban freeways.

GRID wrote: ↑Mon Mar 15, 2021 4:26 pm Such a great location for a MLS stadium. Well done St Louis.

Wow, I missed it's next to Union Station the first time.

That is a nice spot

Photos from today....













Site fly around....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvnA0MvnvMI