Barnes-Jewish opens Plaza West Tower on site of former Queeny Tower

Barnes-Jewish Hospital has completed a major chapter in its long-running campus renewal with the Plaza West Tower, a new 16-story patient care building rising where the aging Queeny Tower once stood. The 660,000 SF facility is designed to expand capacity for complex care, modernize inpatient workflows, and improve the experience for patients and families on Washington University’s medical campus.

Plaza West houses roughly 280 private inpatient rooms — 224 acute care and 56 intensive-care rooms — across seven inpatient floors, plus more than 100 surgical prep/recovery bays and an advanced imaging platform that includes MRI, CT, and interventional radiology suites. The tower also features family-focused amenities such as rooftop gardens, a two-story glass-enclosed lobby, a large family lounge with a business center and quiet rooms, and a new kitchen and cafeteria serving the south campus. BJC and WashU Medicine expect the building to relieve regional demand for specialized heart, vascular, and other high-acuity services.

The project was delivered as a design-build collaboration led by McCarthy Building Companies, which served as the design-build contractor and construction lead. CannonDesign served as architect and interior designer; BR+A provided consulting engineering; Thornton Tomasetti handled structural engineering; Castle Contracting led civil work; and landscape design was provided by DTLS. Early demolition and disentanglement work on the Queeny Tower site was notable for its complexity and was performed by firms experienced in live-campus demolition and utility relocation.

That integrated team employed modern health-care design approaches — private-room layouts to reduce infection risk, dedicated ICU floors, and finishes and acoustical strategies aimed at lowering noise and improving rest and recovery. The exterior vocabulary takes cues from neighboring campus buildings, pairing ultra-high performance concrete panels with a limestone podium and a prominent glass projection that visually connects the hospital to nearby Forest Park.

Construction milestones included a topping-out ceremony in mid-2024 and phased site work that preserved adjacent clinical operations while crews demolished the obsolete Queeny Tower and built the new facility. Local and regional contractors handled civil, utility, and site logistics to manage one of the largest single capital investments on the campus in recent years. BJC and WashU Medicine moved forward with a careful commissioning and staffing plan to bring the tower online for patients in late 2025.

Plaza West is the latest visible sign of a decade-long campus renewal effort to replace aging infrastructure with facilities built for contemporary care delivery, research-informed clinical models, and the patient-centered expectations of the communities the medical campus serves.

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Header image: The newly completed 16-story Plaza West Tower replacing the aging Queeny Tower at Barnes-Jewish Hospital is set to open in October. Image | Barnes-Jewish Hospital

St. Louis advances affordable housing with Clinton-Peabody redevelopment initiative

The Missouri Housing Development Commission (MHDC) has approved nearly $6.5 million in combined state and federal tax credits and funding to launch the redevelopment of the historic Clinton-Peabody public housing complex in St. Louis. This critical financial support includes $3.5 million in Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC), Missouri Affordable Housing Assistance Program tax credits, and $3 million in federal funds. Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH), a Chicago-based nonprofit developer specializing in affordable housing, is leading the initiative.

Constructed in 1942, Clinton-Peabody has long served as a cornerstone of public housing in St. Louis but now requires extensive upgrades to address structural and safety issues. The redevelopment aims to reimagine the complex as a mixed-income community, combining modern housing with comprehensive resident services. Collaborative planning efforts have included input from the St. Louis Housing Authority, Clinton-Peabody residents, and the Tenant Advisory Board.

The first phase of the redevelopment will deliver 89 newly constructed multi-family apartments, offering one-, two-, and three-bedroom units to households earning up to 60% of the area's median income. Long-term plans envision a transformation of the site, with 350 mixed-income apartments, affordable for-sale homes, redesigned streetscapes, an expanded Al Chappelle Community Center, and a central park. Residents will be supported with temporary housing and guaranteed relocation within the redeveloped community.

The total cost of Phase 1 is estimated at $32 million. The project’s funding package includes $1.47 million in federal 9% LIHTCs, $1.03 million in state 9% LIHTCs, $3 million from the National Housing Trust Fund, and $1 million in state Affordable Housing Assistance Program tax credits. These resources mark a significant step toward addressing St. Louis’s affordable housing needs.

Above: An aerial rendering of the Clinton-Peabody redevelopment site that will eventually offer 350 mixed-income affordable housing units. Image courtesy of LJC

St. Louis-based architectural firm Trivers is leading the design process, which integrates sustainability, universal design, and trauma-informed principles to meet residents’ diverse needs. Roanoke Construction, David Mason & Associates, and other local firms will contribute expertise to the construction and engineering phases. POAH Communities, the management arm of POAH, will oversee property operations while partnering with local organizations to provide financial education, youth programs, and housing stability resources.

Strategically located near downtown St. Louis, the redeveloped Clinton-Peabody community will offer residents proximity to major employers like Ameren and Purina, as well as access to infrastructure projects such as the Brickline Greenway and future MetroLink expansions. This prime location aligns with broader efforts to revitalize the Gateway South and Old Frenchtown neighborhoods.

Community engagement is vital to the project’s success. Organizations such as the Heartland Black Chamber of Commerce and Prosperity Connection are collaborating to support residents through initiatives to promote economic empowerment and housing stability.

POAH brings decades of experience to the redevelopment, with thousands of affordable housing units across the U.S., including over 1,500 units in Missouri. Their proven expertise in transforming urban housing communities in cities like Boston, Chicago, and Miami positions them as a valuable leader for the Clinton-Peabody project, which aims to preserve affordable housing while fostering a vibrant, sustainable neighborhood.

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Header image: A rendering of the Clinton-Peabody redevelopment showcases the start of Phase I, which will bring 89 newly constructed multi-family apartments to the community. Image courtesy of LJC