Following years of anticipation, 21c Museum Hotel St. Louis, a showpiece property in the heart of downtown, is finally open.
Housed in the former YMCA building on Locust Street, the 95-year-old, 10-story Renaissance Revival-style property has been transformed into a destination hotel with 173 rooms. What’s more, its 14,000 square feet of gallery space make it a true reflection of the 21c brand, known for intermingling boutique lodging with contemporary art spaces to provide guests with curated exhibitions, cultural programming and other ways to connect with the community.
Along with guest rooms featuring work from artists with strong ties to Missouri, the property’s museum exhibition space includes site-specific installations, as well as rotating exhibits. Historic spaces, such as the building’s basketball courts and indoor running track, have been restored to serve not only as gallery space, but also as a venue for weddings, meetings and other gatherings.
The lower level is home to the Locust Street Athletic and Swim Club, the hotel’s 10,500-square-foot athletic and wellness center, complete with a spa, sauna and steam rooms, and the Y’s vintage four-lane lap pool, with the original tilework intact.
Under the direction of executive chef Matthew Daughaday, Idol Wolf, which features Spanish-inspired cuisine, uses local and seasonal ingredients for its pintxos- and tapas-style small plates, as well as larger plates like Seafood Paella. The restaurant is open for dinner, with indoor and outdoor seating, as well as a private dining area, a lounge, bar and billiards room.
The in-house coffee shop, Good Press, serves breakfast and lunch, offers coffee and tea from local purveyors.
As with other 21c properties, the hotel’s museum exhibition spaces are open to the public, free of charge, seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Site-specific installation highlights include Serkan Özkaya’s “O,” an 8-foot sphere at the entrance. Filled with distilled water, the larger-than-life orb distorts and alters what is reflected by its surroundings. The building’s historic main stairwell is an exhibit in itself, transformed into “Fallen Fruit” by David Allen Burns and Austin Young. Inspired by St. Louis stories and spanning three floors, the installation uses wallcovering, carpeting, chandeliers and other fixtures to create an immersive experience.
The Locust Street Athletic and Swim Club, in a nod to its past as a community recreational center, is not only open to hotel guests, but also offers membership to area residents.
The hotel, at 1528 Locust St., is located within a few minutes of the City Museum, Stifel Theater, CITYPARK Stadium, St. Louis Union Station and other downtown landmarks. For more information, visit the 21c Museum Hotel St. Louis website.
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