New Grocery Store Opens in Downtown St. Louis
City Grocers workers put finial touches on fresh produce displays in the new two-level, 6100-square-foot full service grocery store in the Bell Lofts (formerly the AG Adams Store). The store, located at 10th and Olive in downtown St. Louis, also features a deli and a mezzanine level with tables and chairs.
Demolition Begins on the Historic Century Building
The Century Building in downtown St. Louis is being razed as part of a $77.6 redevelopment project of the Old Post Office, which will include a facility for Webster University, offices and courtrooms for the Missouri Court of appeals. See archived story: City Library to Open Facility in Old Post Office
|
Local Developer Receives National Recognition for Urban Development
ST. LOUIS, (PRNewswire) October 24, 2004 - Richard D. Baron, one of the nation's most successful developers of inner-city mixed-income communities, has been selected as the fifth annual laureate of the Urban Land Institute J.C. Nichols Prize for Visionaries in Urban Development.
Baron, 62, is co-founder, chairman and chief executive officer of McCormack Baron Salazar, Inc., (MBS) in St. Louis, Missouri, a for-profit firm that specializes in the development of economically integrated urban neighborhoods.
The Urban Land Institute J.C. Nichols Prize recognizes a person whose career demonstrates a commitment to the highest standards of responsible development. The $100,000 prize honors the legacy of legendary Kansas City, Missouri, developer J.C. Nichols, a founding Urban Land Institute (ULI) member considered to be one of America's most influential entrepreneurs in land use during the first half of the 1900s. Baron was awarded the prize during a celebratory luncheon today in New York City.
Since 1973, MBS has developed more than 11,500 units of affordable and market-rate housing in 102 developments in 28 cities across the United States, including St. Louis, Kansas City; Cleveland; Pittsburgh; Los Angeles; San Francisco; Phoenix; Ft. Worth, Texas; Atlanta; Richmond, Va.; Minneapolis; Highland Park, Mich.; New Haven, Conn.; and New York City. Most of the projects are rentals, although the firm has incorporated some for-sale housing in its developments. MBS manages all of the rental properties, as well as 5,000 other properties nationwide.
While the residences are well-designed and well-built, the housing itself is only half of the MBS story. Under Baron's guidance, the firm places equal emphasis on connecting residents with social services they need to succeed in life, such as job training, child care, after-school programs, youth activities and elder care. It is a holistic approach to community development that stems from the company's mission: "to rebuild neighborhoods in central cities that have deteriorated through decades of neglect and disinvestments."
"I see our firm as an agent of change. We set out to change the economics of communities and empower families," Baron said. "What has sustained me over the years are the stories of families whose lives have been turned around, the stories of children who are in a better place, whose parents are in job training. The pleasure I get out of this comes from being involved in the turnaround of these communities, of making a difference in people's lives."
Baron's devotion to building quality live-work-play-learn environments stemmed from a stint in 1963 as a school volunteer in Cleveland's Hough neighborhood, an area torn up by poverty and neglect (Years later, MBS would develop Lexington Village, a thriving community in Hough). After graduating with a law degree from the University of Michigan, he settled in St. Louis, representing public housing tenants for the Legal Aid Society. In this work, he met labor leader and home builder Terry McCormack, and the two teamed up in the early 1970s to form McCormack Baron & Associates.
As the fifth recipient of the Nichols Prize, Baron joins Charleston, South Carolina Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr.; the late U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan; Gerald D. Hines, founder and chairman of the Hines real estate organization; and architecture professor Vincent Scully. Riley, Moynihan, Hines and Scully were the 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003 Nichols Prize laureates, respectively.
Build-A-Bear Workshop Participates in National Diabetes Awareness Month
ST. LOUIS, (BUSINESS WIRE) October 17, 2004 - Build-A-Bear Workshop® has teamed up with Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), in conjunction with National Diabetes Awareness Month, to raise funds for juvenile diabetes research.
Throughout the month of November, a portion of the proceeds from the sale of Nikki's Bear II, 2nd in series, will be donated to JDRF. Additionally, Guests can purchase purple satin hearts for $1. The money raised from the sale of these hearts will also be donated to JDRF.
Throughout the year, Nikki's Bear II helps raise funds for children's health and wellness issues, including juvenile diabetes during the month of November. Nikki's Bear II and the purple satin hearts are currently available in all Build-A-Bear Workshop stores.
"At Build-A-Bear Workshop we are dedicated to making a difference in the lives of children who need it most and partnering with JDRF is a great fit," stated Maxine Clark, Founder and Chief Executive Bear of Build-A-Bear Workshop. "Based on feedback we have received from our Guests, we know that diabetes is a growing concern and that many families are affected by the disease. Supporting JDRF is a great way to help this cause and get our Guests involved as well."
Since the first store opened in 1997, Build-A-Bear Workshop has continually devoted itself to issues that affect families and children. Build-A-Bear Workshop was inspired to create Nikki's Bear by Nikki Giampolo, a young girl who loved life, children and teddy bears. She expressed that love by giving bears and their hugs to all those around her, including her doctors. In 2002, at the age of 15, Nikki lost her life to cancer. Moved by Nikki's life and the way she lived it, a special bear, Nikki's Bear, was created in her honor to raise money to support children's cancer research and other children's health and wellness issues.
|
