“The Garage”
Grand Center, Saint Louis, Missouri
Client: Winker Properties, LLC
Vessel discovered and renovated this long-neglected gem located near the heart of the Grand Center Arts District in Saint Louis. It had a face only an architect could love, but we were captivated by the potential hidden behind the bricked-up doors and windows. The structure was designed as a service station by Tom Barnett, a Saint Louis architect of some notoriety in the early 1900’s. Its history is linked to the local automotive industry, which thrived here until a man named Ford shifted the center of the automotive universe to Detroit. A bold design flooded natural light into every corner of a dark cavernous space. Thoughtful design restraint helped the building obtain National Historic Landmark status. Vessel also guided the project through the rigorous Brownfield cleanup process, helping the building earn Missouri’s designation of “cleaned-up property.
