Located in St. Louis’s Downtown West neighborhood, City Park is the city’s first major sports facility completed after the pandemic. This $458 million, 22,500-seat, soccer-specific stadium is the home of St. Louis City SC, the Major League Soccer expansion franchise and the first MLS team with female-majority ownership. The stadium opens to the public for tours and watch parties ahead of the inaugural match scheduled for Feb. 25.
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Adjacent to Busch Stadium, Ballpark Village serves as the hub for St. Louis sports and entertainment. The complex recently completed a $210 million Phase 2 expansion and is already planning Phase 3, which will focus on large-scale residential development to support downtown growth.
The Brickline Greenway is a 20-mile trail system that will stretch from the Gateway Arch west to Forest Park, ultimately linking 17 neighborhoods. A nearly finished one-mile segment connects City Park to Harris-Stowe State University, the city’s only historically Black college and university, and interprets the story of Mill Creek Valley—a predominantly Black neighborhood that once housed roughly 20,000 residents and hundreds of businesses before its demolition in 1959. The landscaped path includes public artworks by local and national creators, including pieces honoring former Mill Creek Valley residents and prompting conversations about a more inclusive future.
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The Missouri Botanical Garden recently completed the $100 million Gateway to the Garden expansion, enhancing the visitor experience with a new 90,000-square-foot visitor center and the Emerson Conservatory, which showcases a permanent Mediterranean plant display. The project also added the Sassafras Café with panoramic garden views, a refreshed garden shop and the Bayer Event Center, designed for educational programs and conferences.
City Foundry, a 15-acre live-work destination that opened in 2021 with Foundry Food Hall, continues to expand. A new City Winery location at City Foundry will offer an intimate concert space for about 175 guests, a 70-seat indoor restaurant plus 50 outdoor seats, and unique features like wine served from stainless-steel kegs, a pizza bar and a coffee-roasting station. The venue will also be available for private events of up to 300 standing guests.
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Powell Hall, one of the nation’s most admired concert venues for its acoustics and architecture, is undergoing renovation and expansion to enhance the orchestral listening experience and create a more intimate setting for patrons. Originally opened as the St. Louis Theatre in 1925 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001, the project aims to be completed in time for the building’s 100th anniversary in 2025.
A $210 million expansion of the America’s Center convention complex in downtown St. Louis is underway. The project will add the Midwest’s largest ballroom, a 61,000-square-foot space, and an 80,000-square-foot outdoor plaza with an amphitheater. The Dome at America’s Center will also host the return of the XFL football league, with the St. Louis BattleHawks resuming play after a three-year hiatus.
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St. Louis’s cultural institutions are also active with new exhibitions and events. The Contemporary Art Museum and the St. Louis Art Museum have fresh programming on view, and the Art in Bloom festival—an annual celebration that pairs floral design with fine art—returns as an in-person event in early March. The Saint Louis Art Fair, marking decades of creative presentation, continues to showcase high-quality visual art alongside live performances.
Overlooking the Gateway Arch, the Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis completed a contemporary redesign of all 200 guestrooms and suites, building on recent updates to its arrival lobby and Sky Lobby and enhancements to its signature Cinder House restaurant. These improvements aim to elevate the guest experience while preserving the hotel’s iconic riverfront views.
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The historic downtown YMCA building is being transformed into the 21c Museum Hotel St. Louis, a renovation project that reimagines the landmark for a contemporary hotel and museum experience. The property planned to open in spring 2023, with bookings available for visits starting June 21.