Up on the 18th floor of the Centene Plaza tower, about 120 lawyers and their clients gatheredfor a swanky after-hours party last week, surrounded by the sleek glass, wood and steel of theArmstrong Teasdale law firm offices.
At night, the city lights pierced the darkness through floor-to-ceiling glass windows. Inside,guests admired art by contemporary nationally known artists.
After years of political and legal conflicts, the main Centene Plaza office tower at 7700 ForsythBoulevard is now 94 percent filled with tenants, after a June opening, and has quickly become amainstay of the downtown Clayton landscape.
Clayton successfully competed with St. Louis for the project, as Centene Corp. announcedplans first to expand its corporate headquarters in Clayton, then to St. Louis' Ballpark Village,then back to Clayton.
The $186 million project includes the office tower and a garage, a plaza and a park. About $22million of the project's $186 million in financing comes from government incentives and grants.The tower's space rents at $33 a square foot, which is five dollars more than the average rentfor Class A office space in mid St. Louis County in the third quarter, according to CB RichardEllis.
The tower is the first Class A office building built in Clayton in about a decade. It will also be thefirst multi-tenant building in the region to earn a Leadership in Energy and EnvironmentalDesign, or LEED, "Gold" rating, given out by the United States Building Council, said DanielO'Connor, vice president of development for Koman Group, one of the plaza's owners.Other owners include Clayco Inc., the contractor; and Centene.
Centene's need to expand provided the catalyst for the development. The company, whichmanages Medicaid health care services for governments in nine states, now occupies the firsteight floors of the new building. That includes an expansive lobby with contemporary art and asecond-floor restaurant and cafeteria.
"I'm so excited they're here, and from a sustainable standpoint, I'm excited to have a project ofthis caliber," Mayor Linda Goldstein said, noting the building's "green" rooftop. The roof, byGreen Roof Blocks of Lake Saint Louis, will be the largest vegetative roof in the region, with20,000 square feet of soil in plant-filled sacks, all of which reduces storm runoff and energyconsumption.
Outside, a landscaped park will soon grace the grounds, along with extensive outdoor artwork.This month the Clayton Board of Aldermen approved plans for the park at Hanley andCarondelet Avenue. The park will be temporary until work begins on the second office tower, within three years.
Construction on the building's interior continues as it fills up with tenants. The newest tenant -commercial real estate firm Cassidy Turley - moved into the ninth floor over the weekend. Thefirm manages the building jointly with Rafco Property.
UMB bank will move into the prime ground-floor corner at Hanley Road and Forsyth Boulevard,O'Connor said. The bank will occupy 3,500 of 7,000 square feet set aside for ground-floor retail.The remainder will be used for a casual restaurant under a lease still under negotiation.Early next year, O'Connor said, JP Morgan will move in and share the 12th floor with KomanGroup's Clayton office.
The St. Louis office of law firm of Stinson Morrison Hecker LLP, with more than 100 attorneysand staff, moved last month into the building's 10th and 11th floors.
Armstrong Teasdale became the first tenant when it began moving its 400 St. Louis employeesinto the top five floors last summer.
The law firm, which counts Centene as a client, moved to Clayton from the city of St. Louis.The interior design of the law firm came from Studios Architecture, of Washington, whichworked with A.J. Chivetta, a lawyer and architect at Armstrong Teasdale. Attracting the mostattention are the "wavy walls," made of molded sustainable wood from a mill in New Hampshire.At last week's Armstrong Teasdale annual holiday party, Lou Ann Wilcox, the firm's chiefmarketing officer, said the building had "energized" its tenants.
Architect on the Centene Plaza building was St. Louis-based internationally known HOK, withthe personal involvement of founding partner Gyo Obata.hington, whichworked with A.J. Chivetta, a lawyer and architect at Armstrong Teasdale. Attracting the mostattention are the "wavy walls," made of molded sustainable wood from a mill in New Hampshire. At last week¡¦s Armstrong Teasdale annual holiday party,
Lou Ann Wilcox, the firm¡¦s chief marketing officer, said the
building had "energized" its tenants.
Architect on the Centene Plaza building was St. Louis-based
internationally known HOK, with the personal involvement of
founding partner Gyo Obata.
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