Quick Links Polar Wave Ice Building; From Meltdown to HotspotJanette Lonsdale • Sat, May 08, 2010

When keyboard player Doug Firley, amember of the band Gravity Kills,wanted to build a music studio in St.Louis, he stumbled across an unlikelygem; the partially burnt-out shell of thePolar Wave Ice and Fuel building at 2200Gravois Avenue in Benton Park.

The building was on the verge ofcollapse, but, where others saw a crumbling brick structure with trees growinginside and out, Firley saw promise. First he wanted a music studio, but in hismind's eye, he also envisioned a neighborhood amenity that might include abakery, office space and residential units. More than four years, and a greatdeal of hard work later, much of Firley's dream has come true. The buildingnow houses Shock City Studios, independent businesses and 14 loft-style townhouses.

The Polar Wave Ice and Fuel building was constructed in 1927 to manufactureice using compressed ammonia. However, its days of providing ice to St. Louiswere limited when affordable refrigeration systems, for home and business,became widely available in the 1940s.

By the time Firley took on the building, the structure was in an advanced stateof disrepair. The building was worth more for its bricks; in another 12-monthsit would not have been salvageable, said Firley.

Firley worked closely with lead architect, Kurt Kerns, of the St Louis' LawrenceGroup, to develop the plans and steer the project through historic and otherbuilding codes. The pair, who had played together in the band Gravity Kills,shared a common vision for the building's future.

It cost more than $900 million to rehab the structure, a price tag off-set byassistance that included $280 thousand in brownfield remediation for lead andasbestos abatement; $1 million in Tax Increment Financing (TIF) from St.Louis; and state and federal historic tax credits that will provide for about 45%of the build-out costs.

One of the most interesting parts of the building is the bunker. This space,surrounded by steel-reinforced-concrete and secured by a heavy blast door,served as a storeroom for the hazardous ammonia supplies. If there was anexplosion, the windows would implode and the energy of the blast would bedirected up to the ceiling and expelled out through the roof, said Firley.

Today, Bittersweet Bakery uses this space for its dry storage. In the diningarea of the bakery, the floor is scarred with more evidence of the past. Whenwe were demoing this space, we found where the compressors and othermachinery had been anchored into the ground, said Firley. It seems to me thatthe ice was frozen on the manufacturing floor and then it was brought up byconveyor belt to the storage area above. The loading dock was at the back ofthe building and exited through a surprisingly small 8-foot x 8-foot door intowhat is now the parking lot, he said.

The manufacturing area comprised 7000-square-feet of open warehouse spacewith a 24-foot ceiling. The enormous steel I-beams that support the 18-inchthick concrete floor of this space can be seen when looking up at the theexposed ceilings of the room below. In fact, all the ceilings were caked withlayer upon layer of white paint. Sandblasting eventually revealed the originalmaterials. During renovations, interior walls, and a second floor wereconstructed to create a custom space for the long-dreamed of recording studio,and white box spaces designed for lease to other businesses. It was a case ofconstructing a new building inside the old shell, said Firley.

The scene from the roof affords a birds-eye view of the neighborhood on oneside and a chance to see the developments 14 courtyard town houses on theother. The homes are two bed, two full bath, and are built on top of a 15-footunderground parking structure. You don't get underground parking anywherearound here, said Firley.

At the west end of the development, observant onlookers get a glimpse intothe building's troubled past when they notice the new town homes peeking out

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from behind the ragged edges of a partially collapsed wall. The wall, damageby a fire in 1947, stood unsupported for more than 60-years. while a forestflourished inside the shell. One of the real surprises we ran into whenexcavating was the discovery of about 200 tires, said Firley. We found lots ofcar parts and acetylene tanks, someone must have been stealing cars,andliterally cutting them apart and selling the pieces, he said.

To preserve the historic look of the building, windows could not be cut into theexterior walls, so the designers incorporated huge windows into the courtyard-facing side of the homes. The original building wall [that forms the back side ofeach house] puts 18-inches between occupants and the rest of the world,making the town homes amazingly quite. It is like sleeping in a cave, saidFirley.

On East side, the Polar Wave Ice and Fuel building, shares an off-street parkinglot with Hodak's restaurant. The two companies worked together with theSoulard Restoration Group, Benton Park Residents Association and AlderwomanPhyllis Young to develop plans that included incorporating parts of Cushing andDevolsey Streets to create the lot.

Taken together, the redevelopment and beautification of the old Polar Wave Iceand Fuel building have created a neighborhood asset that attracts vibrant newbusinesses and people to Benton Park.

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