St. Louis Armory reopens as entertainment venue

The $60 million entertainment complex, which will be the largest indoor entertainment venue in St. Louis, will open Dec. 9, developers say.

armory will fill 250,000 square feet Historic downtown buildings In 1938, the Missouri National Guard’s 138th Infantry Division was stationed here and later became the home of the St. Louis Tennis Club.

When construction is complete next spring, visitors will have the opportunity to enjoy food, drinks and live music in the expansive space, which will feature five additional event venues. The complex will also include the St. Louis Tennis Hall of Fame.

“Hopefully when it’s done, we’ll probably be the biggest attraction in the area other than Cardinals Stadium. We have the space and the plan to make it happen,” said Jake Miller of Brick + Bev, who oversees the Armory program.

Brick + Bev is a newly formed department Green Street Real Estate Ventures, which is behind the project. The company redeveloped several industrial sites for new uses—including converting it into a Dorris Gear Co. manufacturing plant in a business park, and converting a vacant machine shop into Rockwell Brewing Company.

The Armory will employ 400 people when completed. Many positions will be part-time, but require 30 or more hours of work per week.

This historic building is located on Market Street just off Interstate 70 and a short walk away City Foundry STLa $300 million redevelopment by Steve Smith’s Lawrence Group that includes a canteen, office and retail space.

Leaders at Green Street Real Estate Ventures had planned to convert the Armoury Building into office space, but a potential anchor tenant, We Work, launched IPO failed in 2019.

Instead, the building will be the centerpiece of a burgeoning entertainment district spanning Grand Boulevard and Vanderventer Street, Hulse said.

“We bought everything down the road, and we’re going to revive it into a mixed-use entertainment district that will bring millions of people into the city,” Hulse said. It’s been sitting idle there, waiting to be reborn.”

The Armory will include a two-story slide, one of the largest video screens in the city, and equipment for dozens of games including badminton, table tennis and horseshoes. Local cover bands will perform on weekends, and a 60-foot stage will occasionally host national concerts. In a concert configuration, the space can accommodate 5,000 spectators.

The next phase of development will open in February.

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