KAI Design & Build provided architectural and plumbing and fire protection engineering services on St. Louis City’s new Gateway Transportation Center at Spruce and 15th streets near the Scottrade Center. Construction on the 37,000-square-foot terminal building was completed in August, after several years of planning, design and construction. A grand opening event was held on Nov. 21, 2008.
The $27 million multi-modal building provides facilities for Amtrak passenger train and Greyhound bus service in a single 700-foot-long structure. A MetroLink light-rail station, local bus transfer station and a taxi stand are located adjacent to the building to the east.
The project’s design was implemented by KAI Project Architect Melissa Kreishman and Interior Designer Pamela Todd. The facility’s long, curving design illustrates its purpose for moving people. Train passengers walk through an enclosed multi-colored glass walkway and two sets of stairs, elevators and escalators to reach the Amtrak train platforms at one end of the building. Greyhound has 10 bus bays in the long north wing of the building. Greyhound and Amtrak passengers share a central lobby that will eventually house a deli and fast-food restaurants.
“The long, linear configuration of the building is not only a direct response to the site conditions, which is under an existing highway, but also to reflect its purpose of moving people from one place to another and one mode of transportation to another,” said Kreishman. “The concept of movement is expressed not only in the building’s flowing linear plan and angled facades, but also through the use of vibrantly colored glass in rhythmic patterns on the building facades.”
The project was funded by federal, state and local government agencies, with participation from Amtrak, Greyhound and MetroLink. Construction on the project began in 2006 and was completed in four phases:
• Phase I – A MetroBus station was constructed at 14th and Spruce streets linking MetroLink riders to the downtown bus system.
• Phase II – Construction of the Multimodal Center, which houses Amtrak train and Greyhound bus operations, a food court and concourse linkage between Greyhound, Amtrak and the bus/rail transit.
• Phase III – Access improvements to the site and upgrades to Spruce Street.
• Phase IV – Station platforms, track improvements, public parking and service roads for Amtrak use.
Planning for the new terminal began in 1978 when the last train pulled out of Union Station and a temporary Amtrak station was erected nearby. A proposal for the project was first unveiled in 1997 and a groundbreaking ceremony for the project was held on March 30, 2006.
The general contractor on the project was K&S Associates of St. Louis. Other companies that collaborated on the project included Jacobs Civil Engineering of St. Louis, landscape architect SWT Design Inc. of St. Louis and St. Louis-based Kiku Obata & Company.
