The vision to transform the Delmar Divide, a neglected, west-end St. Louis neighborhood, into the Delmar Divine, a thriving area where families can live, work and play, is finally coming to life.
The project, which entails repurposing the St. Luke's Hospital building at 5535 Delmar St. in St. Louis, Mo., is set to begin in just a few weeks.
This historic building, with sections first built in 1904 at the time of the St. Louis World's Fair, was fully closed to the public in 2014. Now, because of a vision inspired by founder Maxine Clark, the space will be renovated to reflect a 21st century approach to holistic and inclusive community well-being.
The $68.2 million, mixed-used development will bring together geographically scattered social service agencies while providing access to work spaces, retail services and easy access to public transit. The Delmar Divine will also feature approximately 150 workforce-priced apartments geared to the young, diverse professional.
“Needless to say, this is a journey of love. The historic St. Luke’s Hospital is being reimagined for the 21st century. Bringing this to life with the support of the City of St. Louis, our business development partner CRG, our neighbors in 63112, our donors and the tenants, (the project) will be well worth the effort and the time invested. St. Louis will be very proud of the Delmar Divine," said Maxine Clark, chief inspirator of the Delmar Divine.
The 320,000 SF CRG development is overseen by a board of directors and executive director, Jorge Riopedre. Strategic partners and stakeholders include Clayco, Lamar Johnson Collaborative, Maxine Clark, Washington University, U.S. Bank Community Development Corporation and IFF.
“Delmar Divine will become a catalyst for creative collaborations that will help bridge the socioeconomic divide between the areas north and south of Delmar. I believe the neighborhood’s residents will benefit from the increased foot traffic, jobs, community engagement and the work of our nonprofit tenants,” said Jorge Riopedre, executive director for the Delmar Divine.
The commercial space is set to open in late summer 2021, followed closely by the apartments.
Nonprofit organizations interested in learning more about the Delmar Divine community may email info@delmardivine.com.