BIRD’S EYE VIEW
Written by Craig Kaminer / Photos Copyright Whitney Cox Photogaphy and R.D. Jones Associates In the last year, two new buildings in St. Louis opened with extraordinary views and access to our city’s best assets. One Hundred Above the Park, which was featured in our Sept./Oct. 2020 issue, soars over Forest Park, has breathtaking views of the park looking west and downtown looking east. With its avant-garde design by famed Chicago architect Jeanne Gang and steps from the best park in America second only to New York’s Central Park and our prized cultural institutions, I wasn’t sure things could get any better. But One Cardinal Way, in the center of Ballpark Village, with views into the stadium from outdoor sundecks with seating, outdoor cooking stations, infinity pool and a resort-like vibe sets the bar high for the ultimate St. Louis luxury lifestyle -- except of course if you root for teams other than the Redbirds. Entering the gated access off Walnut and Broadway, there is an abundance of surface lot parking for visitors wanting to make a quick stop or spend some time at Ballpark Village before entering the building. High tech security by ButterflyMX, a 24 hours a day concierge welcoming every guest, and an expansive vestibule with bold, colorful and priceless art and artifacts pay homage to the Cardinals and baseball in general. A quick peek around the corner reveals an easy to access mail room, smart lockers for packages and three high speed elevators which whisk you away to the floor of your dreams. 24 slmag.net
The 29-story, 297-unit building, which is a 50/50 partnership between the Cardinals and The Cordish Companies, is the next phase of the grand vision for Ballpark Village. Rumor has it a Phase 3 residential tower is in the works. The Cardinals and the DeWitt family continue to invest in and around the stadium and perhaps single handedly are reinvigorating downtown. Bill DeWitt III, the president of the St. Louis Cardinals, said “This vision started in 2000 when we first began talking about building a new stadium, turning the outfield to face the old stadium and opened up 10 acres for future development. We envisioned putting amenities on top of parking, with apartments getting better and better as you go up with extraordinary river views, the Old Courthouse, sunrises and sunsets and views of Clayton, not to mention the entire ballfield. From many apartments you can watch the game live from your bed. So many people who never considered living downtown have embraced One Cardinal Way because the building is so well executed, Ballpark Village now has critical mass, and while we don’t have every amenity you would have in a New York City neighborhood, you have most of it. You can reverse commute, walk to work from downtown and be in the center of the most desirable urban amenities.”
