Leading hotel builder Midas Construction was selected as the general contractor for AC Hotel St. Louis-Central West End, a seven-story 192-room hotel located at 215 York Ave.
The European-inspired hotel – which is new to the St. Louis area – will be one of the Central West End’s first hospitality projects in nearly 20 years.
Midas Construction president Chris Shinkle said the construction costs will be $26.4 million for the hotel, which is scheduled to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2021. The AC Hotel brand has over 174 open properties and 134 in the pipeline. Developers of the project include Concord Hospitality, Koplar Properties and Homebase Partners. The hotel’s site is the previous home of KPLR TV station, which was demolished in December 2019.
Midas Construction is optimizing the fabrication and installation for the nearly 95,000-square-foot hotel through the use of collaborative Building Information Modeling (BIM) efforts with partner ENGWorks and the project design team, which is comprised of HDA Architects, Alper Audi, DeLuca Plumbing, McClure Engineering, Eisen Group, and DLR Group.
Supply chain delays have proven to be one of the largest obstacles for the construction industry during COVID-19, making it even more critical for Midas’ entire project team to look for innovative construction methods to mitigate schedule and labor risk. Structural wall panels for the hotel are being provided by Eisen Group. The Eisen panel and truss system allows for mechanical, electric, plumbing, and fire protection trades to accelerate their schedule with prefabricated materials.
DeLuca Plumbing has prefabricated all guestroom plumbing walls off-site, and Streib Electric has organized its prefabrication of all guestroom components. Midas Construction has also partnered with three of St Louis’ largest carpentry contractors – TJ Wies Contracting, Square UP Builders, and Waterhout Construction – to create a cohesive partnership that ensures the project’s success.
In addition, Midas’ partnership with the City of St. Louis to provide work access to York Ave. in its entirety for the term of the major project activities has added monumental benefits due to constraints of the project’s lot line limits.
“We have assembled a local team of prefabrication and installation experts to ensure the overall success of this project,” said Shinkle. “The AC Hotel is a welcome addition to both St. Louis and the Central West End area, and we are proud to lead this group in creating a select-class hotel experience of comfort and elegance.” Shinkle added that, despite the current pandemic, Midas Construction had an “extremely busy 2020 in St. Louis that included building the Aloft Cortex in the Cortex Innovation Community and Element by Westin in midtown St. Louis.”
AC Hotel St. Louis-Central West End is within walking distance to more than 100 restaurants, bars, retail shops and entertainment venues. St. Louis’ Central West End is a mixed-use district bordering on the approximately 1,300-acre Forest Park located in the heart of the city.
About Concord Hospitality Enterprises Company
As an award-winning hotel development and management company, Concord Hospitality Enterprises Company has spent the last three decades successfully growing the company’s portfolio, which includes premium-branded properties across the United States and Canada. Its modern lifestyle holdings embody the next generation of boutique hotels, distinctive restaurants, stylish bar concepts and award-winning rooftops. Each venue has a story to tell. Concord’s commitment to sourcing local, authentic products ensures that each property is infused with the vibe and energy of its geographical location. The company believes that its people are its greatest strength. With the brightest talent, the most innovative processes and a commitment to giving back to the communities where associates live and work, Concord Hospitality is committed to being a great place to work for all.