Trivers transformation of the historic Butler Brothers Building into a mixed-use development called The Victor in St. Louis’ Downtown West neighborhood was recently named a winner of Missouri Alliance for Historic Preservation’s 2024 Preserve Missouri Award.
Now in its 44th year, the Preserve Missouri Award recognizes outstanding historic preservation efforts and projects around the state. The 2024 award was presented to Trivers during the Honor Awards Ceremony at the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City on April 23.
“Historic preservation projects like this are at the core of Trivers’ DNA,” said Joel Fuoss, AIA, LEED AP, principal at Trivers. “Our team leveraged almost five decades of experience with adaptive reuse to highlight, celebrate and accommodate the historic elements of the Butler Brothers Building while adaptively reusing the structure for its next generation of life as The Victor.”
Constructed in 1906, the 735,000-square-foot Butler Brothers Building was once a bustling warehouse distribution center in the former St. Louis Garment District as well as one of the largest reinforced concrete structures west of the Mississippi River. It had been vacant for two decades before Development Services Group (DSG) engaged Trivers to lead its $130 million renovation.
Trivers reused as much of the building’s original structure as possible. The exterior brick was restored to its original color, the building’s remaining terracotta cornice was revitalized, and the original clam-shell style garage doors that once opened for horse-drawn wagons for shipping were retained and fixed in place. Elements of the building’s history are also incorporated throughout the interior, including patterns and colors from early twentieth century fashion trends and an oversized chessboard in one of the rooftop lounges. These acknowledge its location in the Washington Avenue Historic District and on the former site of Harmonie Hall, home to the 1886 World Chess Championship.
“This was a complex project in every regard and required expertise in multiple disciplines, including architecture, design, sustainability and cultural curation,” said Gary Prosterman, president and CEO for DSG. “Trivers performed exceptionally well in all aspects. They proved to be good listeners and worked closely with our team to solve complex problems in a thoughtful and professional manner.”
Opened to residents in June 2023, the mixed-use multifamily community next to St. Louis CITY SC’s CityPark now has 384 apartment units, top-of-the-line amenities, and retail and co-working spaces. Trivers is designing its new 8,000-square-foot office located on the ground floor of The Victor. The firm is expected to move into the space on May 1, 2024.
