I’m going to admit it: I hate change. But an event set in St. Louis on Friday, July 20, 2018 has me rethinking my attitude.

From 5-8 p.m., a Missouri Preservation fundraiser will be held in the Arcade Building at 800 Olive St., in St. Louis, and the event will include rooftop views of the Arch, music, an open bar and appetizers.

Vacant for nearly 30 years, the former office/retail block is now an apartment complex with commercial space — with special appeal to artists.  The National Historic Landmark building includes more than 11,000 square feet of shared work and studio spaces including a “music and multi-media studio, and music practice rooms, ” according to the Arcade website.

One of the commercial residents is Webster University’s Gateway Campus. It occupies 54,000 square feet of the building, according to this Oct. 3, 2017 news release from Webster University.

Ideas for change in Columbia?

OK, so maybe I am learning to like change. Maybe you can, too. What kind of change like this would you like to see in Columbia?

Ready to get in the car?

This event is a fundraiser for Missouri Preservation, a nonprofit historic preservation organization. The cost is $30 for Missouri Preservation members and $40 for nonmembers. What do you get for this? The event will include tours of the award-winning renovated 1919 building called a “Gothic Revival skyscraper.” It also will include music performed by Sarah Jane and the Blue Notes, and an open bar and appetizers from Urban Eats.

Can’t go, but you still want to see it?

This June 6, 2018 post on the National Association of Home Builders site will give you a sweet peek. The NAHB awarded the Arcade Apartments with not one, but two awards.

In 2017, the Arcade was named the Multifamily Pillars of the Industry Award winner in the “Best Affordable Apartment Community (Over 100 units)” category, said Crystal Jackson of the NAHB via an email. Jackson is the association’s director of multifamily and 55plus housing.  She added, “The Arcade was also a finalist in the “Best Adaptive Reuse” category in 2017.”

Here’s a peek at the project as it was underway via this Dec. 23, 2015 article in the St. Louis Business Journal.

So what kinds of renovations for buildings would you like to see in Columbia?