The new development project in the Grand Center Arts District, High Low, a literary arts venue, provides a literary center for freedom of expression, a library and a gallery, as well as collaborative workspace and a community café.
Developed by the Kranzberg Arts Foundation, High Low is located in the renovated two-story building at 3301 Washington Ave., which houses the venue’s 1,500-square-foot main level library and café, gallery, event space, office space for nonprofits and a writer’s suite.
The following local organizations will have offices at High Low and act as programming partners to serve the St. Louis literary community:
- Flood Editions
- River Styx, St. Louis’ oldest literary magazine
- Shirley Bradley LeFlore Foundation and the Creative Arts and Expressions Lab
- St. Louis poet laureate Jane Ellen Ibur
- St. Louis Poetry Center
- St. Louis Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts
- Tennessee Williams Festival
- UrbArts Poetics
“We are thrilled to partner with St. Louis’ top literary arts organizations and those that support local writers to provide this unique, collaborative space for everyone to enjoy,” said Chris Hansen, executive director of the Kranzberg Arts Foundation. “We look forward to serving and supporting the literary community in the same way we have supported the music, visual and performing arts communities locally.”
The progressive library will feature rotating collections of inspiring books, magazines, literary journals, newspapers and articles, sourced from donations of private individuals, institutions and Left Bank Books.
The café, Blueprint Coffee, will operate from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., daily, with a full-service coffee program and a fast-casual food service program developed by local chef Rob Connoley. Dynamic seating options, including comfortable sectionals, focused workspaces and storefront café seating will offer patrons a variety of spaces to meet and work.
The 600-square-foot gallery space (expandable up to 2,600 square feet) will host five to six rotating exhibits per year dedicated to literary arts-focused exhibitions in a temperature- and humidity-controlled environment to protect collections. A 2,000-square-foot, 200-person capacity, dynamic performance and event space is dedicated to literary-arts-focused content – from poetry readings to storytelling, literary series and book signings.
Two distinct workspaces occupy the building’s second floor. The 1,000-square-foot writer’s suite houses KAF’s forthcoming writers-in-residence program, designed to support local up-and-coming writers and attract national and international writers to the community. Additional spaces are available for rent by local writers on a weekly or monthly basis.
“St. Louis is a literary city. High Low fills a niche that we feel is needed to create a place where writers and literary institutions can collaborate to further the literary arts. It will be a welcoming place for all to enjoy,” said KAF founder Ken Kranzberg.
The Kranzberg Arts Foundation worked with SPACE Architecture + Design to complete the project. KAF previously collaborated with SPACE on several other development projects, including The Grandel and the .ZACK in the Grand Center Arts District.
Upcoming events at High Low include the following:
- VLAA Grand Opening Holiday Reception, 5:30 to 7 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 5
- Wig Heavier than a Boot Gallery Opening, 5 to 10 p.m., Friday, Dec. 6
- VLAA Accidental Arts Administrator, 4 p.m., Monday, Dec. 9
- An Evening with Stephen Kellogg – Alone for the Holidays, 8 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 14
- VLAA Accidental Arts Administrator, 4 p.m., Monday, Dec. 16
- St. Louis Storytelling Festival “Story Lounge,” 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 19
- Poetic Justice, 7 to 11 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 29
For more information, visit kranzbergartsfoundation.org/high-low/.
About Kranzberg Arts Foundation
The Kranzberg Arts Foundation is committed to providing the essential infrastructure necessary for the arts to thrive in the St. Louis community. Through the development of performing arts venues, visual arts galleries, free music programs and work spaces for nonprofit arts organizations, the foundation creates opportunities for and nurtures the growth of artists, while working with emerging and leading arts organizations to engage with St. Louis’ diverse community in ways that are relevant, inclusive and inspiring. For more information, visit kranzbergartsfoundation.org.
