Flying saucer to take off with Starbucks and Chipotle
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
04/13/12
April 13--Threatened last year with demolition, the historic "flying saucer" building in midtown St. Louis soon will be an emporium for $6 lattes and gourmet burritos.
Starbucks and Chipotle are near completion of leases for the former Del Taco outlet near St. Louis University. Developers plan to renovate and expand the unusually shaped building in time for the start of SLU's fall semester.
Hany Abounader, a partner in the development, said the building, at 212 South Grand Boulevard, will serve as a southern gateway to midtown.
"It's going to be a landmark for the SLU campus and the Grand Center area," he said.
Preservation of the building, erected in the 1960s as a Phillips 66 gas station, represents a turnabout for the owner, Rick Yackey, who last year sought city permission to replace the structure with a conventional retail building. His effort prompted protests from preservationists and sidewalk demonstrations.
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St. Louis, MO (KSDK) - After a lengthy push by area preservationists last summer, the flying saucer building formerly known as Del Taco was saved from demolition.
Developer Rick Yackey initially wanted to knock the Midtown building down, but changed course last August. In September, Yackey announced plans to restore and reuse the building, adding about 1,200 square feet and maintaining the original look.
The building was originally conceived as a gas station, designed by now-retired architect Richard Henmi in the early 1960s.
The site will accommodate new tenants Starbucks and Chipotle. And underground expansion will be necessary to fulfill those businesses' needs for the space.