Developer David Schlafly has closed on 7401 Manchester Road, the former Monarch restaurant building, which he plans to renovate into shops and offices for lease, according to a release from Schlafly.
The redevelopment plan is to remove large expanses of brick in the façade along Manchester Road and Sutton Boulevard and insert new storefront glass, coupled with an entry patio.
“The building will have an expressive presence to Manchester and Sutton, while inviting shoppers and visitors into its space,” he said. A 30-car parking lot is in the rear.
The building has been mostly unused since Monarch closed in 2012.
In Maplewood, Schlafly has developed 7458 Manchester Road, the future Side Project Brewery; 7434 Manchester Road, Gus’s Fried Chicken; 2731 Sutton Boulevard, the Mill Building and the smaller Mule Building; 2810-2818 Sutton Boulevard, which includes Living Room, Bolyard’s Meat & Provisions, Urban Breath Yoga, Bridges Community Services and the Sierra Club office; and 7412-7414 Manchester Road, an architectural and a lighting design firm.
Schlafly expects work on 7401 Manchester Road to begin within weeks. For more information contact August Schlafly at (314) 705-2909 or David Schlafly at (314) 941-0188.
You know, there are some sign “bone yards” around town. I remember A-B coming to the Majestic in the CWE to collect their antique sign that hung over the bar door, and I think some of the old-time sign makers who still exist have old signs that they’ve been asked to remove over the years. It would be interesting to look some of them up and make some calls to see if that sign might possibly exist still…
I agree with most everyone on here concerning the design- no character. Looks like west county…..
Dear Mr. Schlafly – Thank you so much for your vision and investment in my community. You are one of the many reasons Maplewood is so cool.
If I could offer one humble request to your sutton/manchester investment. Please don’t rent it out to any fast food restaurants or mobile phone stores. Thanks!
Steve
Not sure how enthusiastic Mr. Houser is going to be about weighing in on a David-Schlafly-related project, in the wake of the Great Drug-Store Cabinet Scandal…
All for a commercial/residential revision of that key corner — but lord, Mr. Schlafly’s design as represented by that rendering couldn’t be more void of character. Ugh. Do better. Hire somebody with some vision to take you past banality.
Agreed. Seems a better location for the Side Project brewery with its better parking and truck access.
Yojimbo, I much admire and respect what David Schlafly has accomplished here in Maplewood. His ability to turn around these difficult properties seems to be very rare. The only stain on his efforts is his allowing the architectural vandalism done to our historic fabric by the directors of this local Sierra Club chapter. My hope is that he is preserving the cabinetry in the basement of the Cape/Harper building (it has a name) and that much of it can be restored to its original location when wiser minds prevail. You’ll be hearing more about this in the near future. Stay tuned.
Bring back the cat!! ?
You said it, Sally! That building was built originally to be Katz Drugs. There will never be a better time to Bring back the Kat! How about it Mr. Schlafly?
love the idea to “Bring back the cat!” I think Schafly’s current plan for renovation is not very compelling.
Now, if someone could just get that building diagonally across the street from the old Monarch out of the hands of the Red Brick group, maybe something cool would finally be located there. The businesses that have opened there (or been proposed) in the past several years all have had a limited target audience and never last long. How about it, Mr. Schlaflly?
I’d rather see him start working on the under utilized lots that sell used cars with infill.
Thanks for listing all the buildings he has invested in. I was just wondering that. He is becoming the Joe Edwards of Maplewood. In both cases, it shows that an investor with deep enough pockets is necessary for an area to take the next step.
Quick! Take down that picture of Katz Drug Store!! Walgreens might see it and try to buy the building from Schlafly and turn it back to a drug store…just to compete with the CVS a few feet away! LOL
Doug, any ideas about what happened to the signage for Katz’s Drug Store?
Beth – assuming you’re referring to Doug Houser here. I have no ideas. Doug?
I guess we have to assume the big cat sign was demolished. I’ve never heard of it mentioned anywhere other than its original location.
Have to wonder what might have been with Monarch and their apparently ill-fated renovation/refit. Nonetheless, nice to see something happening in that space.
Hallelujah