Crown Square*
St. Louis, MO
Crown Square is a commercial revitalization effort in North St. Louis, part of the broader redevelopment of the former 14th Street Mall area into a mixed-use, mixed-income neighborhood. At the heart of a formerly vibrant pedestrian-oriented commercial district, the Crown Square building and its surroundings suffered from over 50 years of abandonment and deterioration, hindering the neighborhood's success. Redevelopment of the former 14th Street Mall Area is at the center of the revitalization, recreating the “town center” of the community.
The project has opened the door for additional private investment in the low-income community, including a weekly North City Farmer’s Market, established by a local community group and the Old North Grocery Cooperative a block away from Crown Square. While the population of the City of St. Louis declined by about 30,000 residents in the 2010 census, the population of the Old North St. Louis Neighborhood increased by over 25%. This is, in part, a direct result of the housing developed by the Sponsor as part of this Project. The project was the 2010 winner of the HUD Secretary’s Award for Excellence in Historic Preservation, the 2011 Environmental Protection Agency’s award for Overall Excellence in Smart Growth, and the 2013 Growing Green Award from the Missouri Gateway Region chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council.
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
Quick Facts
Project Goal: Historic rehabilitation and revitalization of 27 buildings in a community to recreate Old North St. Louis “town center”
Total Development Costs: $20,137,843
Square Footage: 33,479 square feet of rehabilitated street-level space for businesses, restaurants and offices, and 38 mixed-income residential units.
Developer: Regional Housing and Community Development Alliance (RHCDA) & Old North St. Louis Restoration Group
Tax Credit Investor: US Bancorp Community Development Corporation
NMTC Qualified Low Income Community Investment: $17.5MM (Allocatees were MBS Urban Initiatives CDE and ESIC New Markets Partners)
Other Key Project Financing: Federal Historic Tax Credits, Missouri State Historic Tax Credits, CDBG funds, RHCDA
Construction Jobs: 86
Permanent Jobs: 15
Investment Date: November 2007
Opening Date: July 2010