A. and B. DATE: ADDRESSES: ITEM: JURISDICTION: STAFF: March 25, 2013 216 S.

Kingshighway Boulevard and 4966 Parkview Place Preliminary Reviews: demolition of Barnes-Jewish Hospital buildings prior to new construction Preservation Review District Ward 17 Betsy Bradley, Director, Cultural Resources Office

Kingshighway Frontage of Proposed Demolitions

OWNER AND APPLICANT: Barnes-Jewish Hospital RECOMMENDATION: That the Preservation Board grant preliminary approval of the demolitions as the proposed new construction and other factors meet the demolition review criteria for approval.

THE PROPOSAL: Barnes-Jewish Hospital proposes to demolish the Kingshighway Building, the original Jewish Hospital, and the Steinberg and Yalem building additions to it in order to construct a new inpatient adult bed tower. The hospital also proposes the demolition of the Jewish Hospital School of Nursing Building and the construction of an expansion to the adjacent St. Louis Childrens Hospital. Barnes Jewish Hospital had proposed the demolition of the nursing school building and the development of a plaza on its site in July, 2010. At that time, the Preservation Board did not approve the proposed demolition as no new construction was proposed. RELEVANT LEGISLATION: St. Louis City Ordinance #64689 PART X - DEMOLITION REVIEWS SECTION FIFTY-EIGHT. Whenever an application is made for a permit to demolish a Structure which is i) individually listed on the National Register, ii) within a National Register District, iii) for which National Register Designation is pending or iv) which is within a Preservation Review District established pursuant to Sections Fifty-Five to Fifty-Six of this ordinance, the building commissioner shall submit a copy of such application to the Cultural Resources Office within three days after said application is received by his Office. The Barnes-Jewish Hospital properties are located in a Preservation Review District. St. Louis City Ordinance #64832 SECTION ONE. Preservation Review Districts are hereby established for the areas of the City of St. Louis described in Exhibit A. SECTION FIVE. Demolition permit - Board decision. All demolition permit application reviews pursuant to this chapter shall be made by the Director of the Office who shall either approve or disapprove of all such applications based upon the criteria of this ordinance. All appeals from the decision of the Director shall be made to the Preservation Board. Decisions of the Board or Office shall be in writing, shall be mailed to the applicant immediately upon completion and shall indicate the application by the Board or Office of the following criteria, which are listed in order of importance, as the basis for the decision:

A. Redevelopment Plans. Demolitions which would comply with a redevelopment plan previously approved by ordinance or adopted by the Planning and Urban Design Commission shall be approved except in unusual circumstances which shall be expressly noted. Not applicable. B. Architectural Quality. Structure's architectural merit, uniqueness, and/or historic value shall be evaluated and the structure classified as high merit, merit, qualifying, or noncontributing based upon: Overall style, era, building type, materials, ornamentation, craftsmanship, site planning, and whether it is the work of a significant architect, engineer, or craftsman; and contribution to the streetscape and neighborhood. Demolition of sound high merit structures shall not be approved by the Office. Demolition of merit or qualifying structures shall not be approved except in unusual circumstances which shall be expressly noted. The Kingshighway Building. The Jewish Hospital, when it opened in 1927, was a state-of-the-art general hospital building. The architectural firm of Grahan, Anderson, Probst & White of Chicago, responsible for more than 300 hospitals throughout the country, provided a standard plan for the building detailed with a Georgian style exterior. The 250-bed facility initially included space for the nursing school in its North Wing, four operating rooms, wards on the lower two floors and private rooms above. It was among the first facilities to have an audible nurse call system and a central annunciator system to call doctors. Changes made in 1956 included reorganization of the interior space, a six-story projection with sunrooms and a two-story addition along the Kingshighway frontage. The Steinberg Building. The Steinberg Memorial Building, completed in 1956, stands east of the Kingshighway Building and extends from Parkview Place to Forest Park Avenue. The building is six stories in height on Parkview Place and has a 3-story wing, the Aaron Waldheim Clinic, on the north that connects with the north wing of the original hospital building. Jamieson, Spearl, Hammond & Grolock, a St. Louis firm that had considerable experience in hospital design, was the designer of the Steinberg building and planned the interior reorganization of space. Projecting sunshades above the upper story windows further emphasize the horizontal bands of ribbed cladding and windows. The expansion project provided some 200 additional patient beds and consolidated functions from four remote locations to the Kingshighway campus. The Yalem Research Building. The Yalem Research Building was constructed east of the Steinberg addition in 1966. The St. Louis firm of Hammond, Charle & Burns designed the nine-story building that housed the hospitals research program. An addition to the building, designed by Murphy, Downey, Wofford & Richman in 1992 included a new faade on Parkview Place. The Jewish Hospital School of Nursing Building. The nursing school building at 4966 Parkview Place (306 S. Kingshighway) was dedicated in 1929 and opened in 1930.

The 6-story, H-shaped building has a limestone base and brick upper stories, and has a similar presence as the adjacent hospital. The School of Nursing, which had been founded in 1902, was in the first group of schools to be accredited by the National League of Nursing in 1940. The Jewish Hospital and Nursing School complex the Kingshighway Building and its Steinberg Building addition and the Jewish Hospital School of Nursing building conveys how the hospital and its nursing school developed during the 1920s and expanded during the mid-1950s. These buildings are considered to comprise a qualifying hospital-nursing school complex. The property would be eligible for listing in the National Register primarily under Criterion A in the areas of Medicine and Social History during the 1930-1960 period. The Yalem Research Building, with its 1990s faade, is not considered to be a contributing portion to the hospital-nursing school complex, and therefore is not a qualifying building. C. Condition. The Office shall make exterior inspections to determine whether a structure is sound. If a structure or portion thereof proposed to be demolished is obviously not sound, the application for demolition shall be approved except in unusual circumstances which shall be expressly noted. The remaining or salvageable portion(s) of the structure shall be evaluated to determine the extent of reconstruction, rehabilitation or restoration required to obtain a viable structure. 1. Sound structures with apparent potential for adaptive reuse, reuse and or resale shall generally not be approved for demolition unless application of criteria in subsections A, D, F and G, four, six and seven indicates demolition is appropriate. The buildings are in sound condition. 2. Structurally attached or groups of buildings. The impact of the proposed demolition on any remaining portion(s) of the building will be evaluated. Viability of walls which would be exposed by demolition and the possibility of diminished value resulting from the partial demolition of a building, or of one or more buildings in a group of buildings, will be considered. The north wing of the Steinberg addition abuts the Schoenberg Pavilion. D. Neighborhood Effect and Reuse Potential. 1. Neighborhood Potential: Vacant and vandalized buildings on the block face, the present condition of surrounding buildings, and the current level of repair and maintenance of neighboring buildings shall be considered. The buildings are located on the campus of Washington University Medical Center. All surrounding buildings are well-maintained and occupied. 2. Reuse Potential: The potential of the structure for renovation and reuse, based on similar cases within the City, and the cost and extent of possible renovation shall be evaluated. Structures located within currently well maintained blocks 4

or blocks undergoing upgrading renovation will generally not be approved for demolition. Due to the location of the buildings within the Washington University Medical Campus, reuse for the provision of medical care is the critical potential to evaluate. The additive nature of the Kingshighway-Steinberg-Yalem building complex no doubt limits adaptation. The Nursing College is now housed in a modern, purposebuilt facility and other medical educational buildings are located in the southeast quadrant of the campus. The applicant states that the older buildings on the campus no longer accommodate, and cannot be made to accommodate, modern standards of medical care and technology. Other uses have not been considered due to the need for more medical-related space within the densely-developed campus. 3. Economic Hardship: The Office shall consider the economic hardship which may be experienced by the present owner if the application is denied. Such consideration may include, among other things, the estimated cost of demolition, the estimated cost of rehabilitation or reuse, the feasibility of public or private financing, the effect of tax abatement, if applicable, and the potential for economic growth and development in the area. The applicant has not addressed this criterion as it proposes new construction. E. Urban Design. The Office shall evaluate the following urban design factors: 1. The effect of a proposed partial demolition on attached or row buildings. Not applicable. 2. The integrity of the existing block face and whether the proposed demolition will significantly impact the continuity and rhythm of structures within the block. 3. Proposed demolition of buildings with unique or significant character important to a district, street, block or intersection will be evaluated for impact on the present integrity, rhythm, balance and density on the site, block, intersection or district. The properties proposed to be redeveloped have two important contexts for consideration: as part of the Kingshighway Boulevard frontage facing Forest Park and as part of the Washington University Medical Campus. Within the long expanse of Kingshighway edging Forest Park south of Forest Park Avenue, the institutional and residential buildings exhibit a lively mix of scale, height, and age. This general condition is present within the Medical Campus, as well. Both in the campus and along Kingshighway, facilities erected during and since the mid-twentieth century have become dominant. As such, little of the more historic late nineteenth and early twentieth-century setting remains. This is a portion of the city where the building pattern has been dynamic. 5

The Kingshighway and Nursing School buildings form an elegant pair of compatible buildings that flank the entrance to Parkview Place and provide the pedestrian-scale environment of the 1920s buildings. The extension of Childrens Hospital to the Kingshighway sidewalk at Childrens Place obscures the nursing school from view from the south although it is visible from the west. The Kingshighway building is highly visible from the north and west. The Steinberg and Yalem building additions to the east facing Parkview Place are perceived only from that narrow street except for the Steinberg wing visible on Forest Park Avenue. The loss of the proposed buildings will alter the present rhythm, balance and density of the Kingshighway and Parkview place intersection. Moreover, the scale of the proposed demolition and new construction will transform the character of the Kingshighway frontage and a portion of the medical campus. While the change would be quite noticeable, it would not be one that would seem inappropriate for its location, leave a gap in the streetscape, or introduce construction that would seem out of context. 4. The elimination of uses will be considered; however, the fact that a present and original or historic use of a site does not conform to present zoning or land use requirements in no way shall require that such a nonconforming use to be eliminated. Not applicable. F. Proposed Subsequent Construction. Notwithstanding the provisions of any ordinance to the contrary, the Office shall evaluate proposed subsequent construction on the site of proposed demolition based upon whether: 1. The applicant has demonstrated site control by ownership or an option contract; The Barnes-Jewish Hospital organization is the owner of record. 2. The proposed construction would equal or exceed the contribution of the structure to the integrity of the existing streetscape and block face. Proposal for creation of vacant land by demolition(s) in question will be evaluated as to appropriateness on that particular site, within that specific block. Parking lots will be given favorable consideration when directly adjoining/abutting facilities require additional off-street parking; At this time, the hospital proposes two new buildings with preliminary plans provided and included herein. The northern building between Forest Park Avenue and Parkview Place is identified as an inpatient adult bed tower. The building to be constructed on the site of the Nursing School building will be an expansion of the adjacent St. Louis Childrens Hospital. The applicant will describe the new construction proposal in more detail.

3. The proposed construction will be architecturally compatible with the existing block face as to building setbacks, scale, articulation and rhythm, overall architectural character and general use of exterior materials or colors; New construction at the scale proposed, occupying nearly two entire blockfronts on Kingshighway, would be transformative to the immediate vicinity. Although the buildings are presented in the conceptual design stage, it appears that they would be of similar scale and height to existing campus buildings and would continue the use of the existing buildings palette of materials. The two new buildings would introduce some new elements. The addition to Childrens Hospital would be elevated over Parkview Place as a means to keep the street open and have the space needed for modern nursing units. The proposed faades angled from, rather than parallel to Kingshighway, would also be a new, but not necessarily incompatible, element in a campus where buildings have footprints of various forms and curved facades are present. 4. The proposed use complies with current zoning requirements; The proposed new construction is within the area included in the Community Unit Plan that guides the development of the Washington University Medical Campus. 5. The proposed new construction would commence within twelve (12) months from the application date. Barnes-Jewish Hospital commits to beginning construction within this time frame after approval of demolition permit applications, as it wishes to minimize the period of disruption to the campus during demolition and construction. G. Commonly Controlled Property. If a demolition application concerns property adjoining occupied property and if common control of both properties is documented, favorable consideration will generally be given to appropriate reuse proposals. Appropriate uses shall include those allowed under the current zoning classification, reuse for expansion of an existing conforming, commercial or industrial use or a use consistent with a presently conforming, adjoining use group. Potential for substantial expansion of an existing adjacent commercial use will be given due consideration. The property north of Parkview Place is commonly-controlled property for BarnesJewish Hospital. The property south of Parkview Place is commonly-controlled property of an allied institution, St. Louis Childrens Hospital and will be an addition to that facility. The new construction would allow for the expansion of existing uses in an area with no vacant land for additions or new buildings. H. Accessory Structures. Accessory structures (garages, sheds, etc.) and ancillary structures will be processed for immediate resolution. Proposed demolition of frame garages or accessory structures internal to commercial or industrial sites

will, in most cases, be approved unless that structure demonstrates high significance under the other criteria listed herein, which shall be expressly noted. Not applicable. PRELIMINARY FINDINGS AND CONCLUSION: The Cultural Resource Offices consideration of the criteria for demolition led to these preliminary findings: The buildings proposed for demolition are located in a Preservation Review District. None of the buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Kingshighway building of the former Jewish Hospital at 216 2. Kingshighway, along with its Steinberg addition to the east, are part of the qualifying hospital and nursing school complex eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. The former Jewish Hospital School of Nursing building at 306 S. Kingshighway/4966 Parkview Place is part of the qualifying hospital and nursing school complex eligible for listing in the National register of Historic Places. The Yalem Research building addition to the Kingshighway Building complex is dominated by its 1992 addition and therefore is not part of the qualifying hospital and nursing school complex. The buildings are in sound condition. The older hospital and nursing school buildings have been considered for reuse as part of the medical campus and not for other uses; the owner states that the existing buildings are not adaptable for modern standards of care and technological requirements for hospital use. The loss of the existing buildings would have an effect on the urban design of the Kingshighway frontage between Forest Park Avenue and Childrens Place and Parkview Place. The proposed new construction would transform the portion of the larger medical campus immediately east of Kingshighway and appears to be generally compatible with the surrounding medical campus buildings. The owner states that new construction would follow the demolition of the existing buildings as quickly as possible to reduce the amount of time the medical campus is disrupted by demolition and construction activities, within the time required by the ordinance. The area proposed for redevelopment is in the northwestern portion of the larger Washington Medical School Campus which is densely developed and

offers no vacant land for new buildings and so Barnes-Jewish Hospital has turned to its commonly- controlled property for expansion of its facilities. The proposed two large buildings that would occupy the space of all of the buildings proposed for demolition and appear to offer new construction that would equal or exceed the contribution of the structure to the integrity of the existing streetscape and block face.

RECOMMENDATION: That the Board grant preliminary approval of both applications for the demolition of the buildings as the proposal meets the following criteria: The reuse potential of the existing buildings for medical care is very low. The demolition of the existing buildings would alter the urban design of the Washington University Medical Campus and Kingshighway Boulevard, but not in an adverse manner. Barnes-Jewish Hospital proposes new hospital buildings that would equal the existing qualifying buildings in the medical campus setting. The property is commonly controlled by the hospital organizations that comprise the Washington University Medical Campus.

1928 Photograph, Kingshighway faade

Kingshighway faade

Steinberg addition and north faade on Forest park

Parkway faade and Steinberg addition

Steinberg (left) and Yalem Research Buildings

Parkway Place faades

Nursing School Kingshighway faade

Nursing School Parkview faade

Massing Plan

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Proposed Plan

Birds Eye Image of Proposed Building in the Campus Context

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