After 60 years at 900 North Tucker Boulevard, the ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ will move to its new office at 901 North 10th Street in August.
The newspaper announced Friday it had finalized a lease with StarLake Holdings, Jim McKelvey’s real estate operation. The businessman who co-founded payment platform Square with Twitter founder Jack Dorsey and local training nonprofit LaunchCode purchased the Post-Dispatch’s longtime building in September for $3.5 million and the 10th Street building for $2 million in December.
“This is a fresh, new start for all of us in a bright, secure building with better branding and visibility, right across the street from the soon-to-be-remodeled convention center,†Post-Dispatch Publisher Ray Farris said in an email to employees.
The newspaper will take occupancy of its new building Aug. 1 and complete moving by Sept. 1.
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The 75,000-square-foot building on 10th Street, built in the 1980s, is a fraction of the size of the 235,000-square-foot, six-story building on North Tucker, built in 1931 as the headquarters for the now-defunct St. Louis Globe-Democrat. The Post-Dispatch purchased the 900 North Tucker building from its former rival in 1959 and moved its operations from 1139 Olive Street. The building was part factory — underground rail access allowed newsprint deliveries and printing presses filled the ground floor — and part office until the Post moved its printing presses to Maryland Heights a decade ago.
At its new building, the Post-Dispatch will occupy 50,000 square feet on the second and third floors of the three-story building, which had been vacant for seven years. About 20,000 square feet will be available for another tenant on the ground floor, space StarLake is beginning to market.
Renovations of the building to prepare for the Post-Dispatch have been underway since the start of the year.
â€Although the Post has been here in 900 North Tucker since the 1960s, this is an opportunity to really do a fresh look for the paper,†StarLake managing partner John Berglund said.
Newspaper employees will park in the C-9 garage next to the new building. That garage is now owned by the city and slated to be demolished to make way for the expansion of America’s Center. Convention center leaders have said construction could start as soon as late this year, though they are now finalizing financing agreements.
Berglund said StarLake is working with the city on parking alternatives. The St. Louis Development Corp. has commissioned a parking study for the downtown area.
As for the newspaper’s old building, Berglund said StarLake is continuing to market it. A rehab will likely take some 18 months.
San Francisco-based Square, which already has offices in the Cortex tech district, is one of the companies that StarLake is courting to lease space at 900 North Tucker. The payment processor employs more than 500 people in Cortex, with room to grow to about 800 people in the Central West End office hub.
