Chatham Apartments Restoration

Chatham Apartments, located at 37th Street and Broadway in Kansas City, has been vacant for several years but, now will be undergoing a $9.3 million renovation. The renovation of the 1920s-era Chatham Apartments is anticipated to assist revitalization of one of Kansas City’s premier streets. Rosemann & Associates is pleased to be part of the renovation project wherein the building will be converted into affordable apartments for seniors. Please click on the following link to read the full article: The Kansas City Star: Tax credit to allow restoration of vacant Chatham apartments in KC.

Crown Square Grand Opening/Street Festival

The old 14th Street pedestrian mall, now reborn as Crown Square, is celebrating its Grand Opening tomorrow evening from 4-8 PM. As part of Crown Village, this project has been 'several years in the making' and completed through a lot of hard work and dedication by all involved parties. Please feel free to stop by and share in the celebration. Reference the invite attached to this post for further information.

Rosemann at the Royals

The weather felt more like a crisp autumn football game day but, it really was a baseball game that the Rosemann Gang attended on Sunday, May 16th. The 1:10 p.m. game found the spectators dealing with cloudy skies, mist in the air and temperatures not to exceed 55 degrees! However, the weather did not dampen the spirits of the Rosemann Gang as they cheered the Royals on to a 5-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox.

There were frightening times like when the NEW manager, Ned Yost, called on the infamous bull pen to assist in holding onto the lead! While past performances of the bull pen have not been successful, they came through in the pinch. Maybe this new manager will make the difference? Only time will tell if he can motivate and inspire his players to continuous victories. Of course, the hot dog races, Twinkie toss and numerous quiz show games filled in to make the whole experience fun. Our thanks go to Liz Flowers who organized the event for all of us.

(Photo; left to right: Ian Flowers, Liz Flowers and Gabe Vogl)

Jennings Senior Apartments

Rosemann & Associates began construction in March on Jennings Senior Apartments, an independent senior apartment building located in Jennings, MO. The $6 million project will provide much-needed senior housing to North St. Louis County.

The project is being developed by the Regional Housing and Community Development Alliance (RHCDA) with E.M. Harris as the general contractor. Funding is partially provided by the Missouri Housing Development Commission (MHDC) and the Enterprise Green Communities.

The 50-unit building will be part of a larger senior campus that also includes the Alexian Brothers PACE Program, which provides day care services and medical assistance to seniors. Each residential unit is designed to be visitable by wheelchair and with only minor changes, such as adding grab bars, would allow each unit to be fully accessible. The proximity of the project to senior services, as well as the design of the units, will allow residents to age-in-place with dignity in their own apartments.

The project is seeking certification as “green” by the Enterprise Green Communities, a national green building program that focuses on affordable housing. One important green aspect of the project is its location in an existing “walkable” neighborhood. Residents will benefit from their proximity to local services, putting them within walking distance of restaurants, churches, city hall, and public transportation, among others. Additional green features of the building include Energy Star rated light fixtures and appliances, low-VOC paints, water conserving fixtures, native plantings, and increased ventilation.

Rosemann provided architectural, interior design, and engineering services on the project.

First Annual Purse Parade

Even though it was snowing outside, the weather could not dampen the spirits of the First Annual Purse Parade being hosted on March 20th—the first day of Spring. The Purse Parade is an ASID (American Society of Interior Designers) fundraiser that benefits KIPP Endeavor Academy, an inner city charter school that is making great academic advances with its students. Guests to this luncheon event arrived to twenty tabletops decorated with spring themes and over 50 purses to be purchased either in the silent, or live auction. The young students, called Kipsters, were purse models for the live auction and enjoyed walking the runway and showing off the purses.

Rosemann and Associates was honored to host and decorate one table and to decorate an additional table for David Wade, our Shaw Carpet representative. Vickie Stewart, ASID / IIDA / LEED AP, designed the Rosemann tabletop and Emily Ostertag, Allied Member ASID, represented Rosemann by designing the Shaw Carpet tabletop. The event raised over $9,000.00 for KIPP.

(Photo: Emily Ostertag at Shaw Carpet tabletop)

Rosemann & Associates has completed Phase 1 of the Villas at Peruque Hills, an independent senior living development in Wentzville, MO.

Developed by GHL Development, an affiliate of Gundaker Commercial Group who serves as the General Contractor, the Villas are mixed affordable and market rate senior housing with funding provided by the Missouri Housing Development Commission (MHDC) and Bank of America. With 23 townhomes and 11 garden units, the Villas will provide needed affordable senior housing in St. Charles County.

"The Wentzville area is vastly expanding and there is a great demand for quality affordable housing in the region," says Andrew Koenig, AIA. "Our team is confident this project will help fulfill the need."

Rosemann's design concept coincides with the Universal Design methodology. UD is a "user-friendly approach to design in the living environment where people of any culture, age, size, weight, race, gender and ability can experience an environment that promotes their health, safety and welfare today and in the future."

For the Villas, unit entries, bathrooms, kitchens, living rooms, and first floor bedrooms are fully accessible by wheelchair. All units include an oversized, attached garage allowing for someone with a physical disability to more easily access a vehicle. According to Koenig, the garages are a unique amenity not often found in affordable housing.

"For independent senior development, ease-of-use is extremely important," says Koenig. "With minor changes such as changing out some cabinetry and countertops and adding some grab bars we can easily convert units to be fully accessible. The townhouse unit staircases were also designed wider to accommodate a lift if necessary."

Proving to be a popular choice among the senior community of Wentzville, the Villas at Peruque Hills are already fully occupied, and a waiting list exists for the anticipated second phase of the project.

Rosemann Holds First Chili Cook-Off Contest

The wintery weather was the perfect background for a "hot" competition for "Who Makes the Best Chili?" cook-off. The office provided five willing contestants who brought their delicious concoctions to the Rosemann kitchen early in the day. The aromatic chili fragrances permeated the office all morning while staff drooled in anticipation of the arrival of the judges and the noon time meal.

Judging the contest were Michael Flowers, Sam Stewart and Brock Ostertag; all husbands of Rosemann staff. Each contestant prepared their bowl of chili in the kitchen with all the necessary garnishes and flair. Points were not only awarded for taste but also for presentation. Would you expect anything less from a group of designers? The prepared bowls were then handed over to Vanna, our very own Emily Ostertag, for presenation to the panel of judges seated out of view from the kitchen.

The judges were intense in their review of each entry, filling out an evaluation sheet on each. After all were tasted, the judges began tallying and review process. Of course, they were totally impartial in their process. The deliberation took some time but, Ann Motycka took first place for her delicious chili, Scott Rosemann took second place and Vickie Stewart took third.

A great time was had by all who participated and attended this event. Those who attended, but didn't bring chili, brought complimentary dishes or contributed five dollars for our Haiti Relief Fund. This event will certainly be worth repeating next year...but we can skip the cold weather!

(Pictured from left to right are judges Michael Flowers, Sam Stewart, and Brock Ostertag with 1st Place Winner Ann Motycka)