Known for its mission to bring contemporary art to second cities, 21c Museum Hotels has landed in its next destination: St. Louis. Breathing new life into a century-old Renaissance Revival–style YMCA building, architects Perfido Weiskopf Wagstaff + Goettel and interior designers Hufft Projects and Bill Rooney Studio teamed up to transform the historic structure into a place that resonates with its storied past while pushing to future-forward.
The property now features more than 14,000 square feet of museum exhibition space, housing site-specific installations such as Serkan Özkaya’s eight-foot diameter orb O and Fallen Fruit’s immersive The Way Out West, along with 173 artistically appointed rooms adorned with custom works from Missouri-connected artists. Beyond the gallery space and accommodations, the property is home to the Locust Street Athletic and Swim Club, a nod to its past as a community recreation center, and the chef Matthew Daughaday’s Spanish-inspired Idol Wolf.
