Bainbridge Wins Capstone Award

On April 3 at Sheraton Overland Park, the Kansas City Business Journal honored the project team of Bainbridge Apartments with a 2009 Capstone Award in the Multifamily Category. The Capstone Awards celebrate major successes in real estate by honoring projects, companies and individuals that greatly impact the Kansas City community.

The $17.5 million, historic adaptive reuse of 166 affordable apartments located in was completed in Oct. 2008 by Eagle Point Companies, Rosemann & Associates, P.C., Straub Construction and E.M. Harris Construction.

“For us, this is a very important honor because it allows us to recognize and showcase the great work of the entire project team,” says Eagle Point Companies’ Managing Director Todd Alexander. “This is an award that our partners can really share in and enjoy.”

The "Extra Mile"

In times of economic crisis, it becomes essential to portray a message of strength in position.

Rosemann’s committed staff adds value to our clients’ projects by combining two decades of successful experience with a wide variety of services including Architecture, Interior Design, Engineering, Planning, LEED and Financial Consulting.

Having created solutions for multiple project types, Rosemann has the expertise to move your project forward. Simply put, we go the extra mile, and take our services to new heights giving you what is needed to get the job done.

- Donald E. Rosemann, NCARB, AIA, DBIA

RACE 4 THE CURE - TEAM ROSEMANN!

It’s time once again to register for this year’s Komen Race 4 the Cure. This is Rosemann’s third year as a team and with your participation we hope to make it our biggest year yet!

Sign up today and on June 13, 2009, you could be one of the 60,000 participants to walk the streets of Downtown St. Louis. It truly is a remarkable site to see and it’s fun for the entire family!

To join our team click on this link and register - The Rosemann & Associates Team Page. As team captain, I will coordinate t-shirt pick up, organize a meeting time and place as well as keep you updated on our team’s progress.

If you are unable to attend we ask that you please join us in the fight against breast cancer by making a pledge in support of the Rosemann & Associates Team. Your tax-deductible contribution will fund innovative outreach and awareness programs for medically underserved communities in St. Louis and national breast cancer research.

It is faster and easier than ever to support this great cause - you can make a donation online by simply clicking here. If you would prefer, you can also send your tax-deductible contribution to P.O. Box 790129, Dept SKSt. Louis, MO 63179-0129.

Whatever you can give will help! If every Race participant raises $100 - 10 friends donating $10 - the Komen St. Louis Race for the Cure will raise more than $6 million towards the fight against breast cancer!

We truly appreciate your support and will keep you posted on our progress. Thank you so much for your time and support in the fight against breast cancer! Every step counts!

ROSEMANN & ASSOCIATES EXPANDS BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

St. Louis, Mo. – John Gray recently joined the Rosemann & Associates, P.C. professional staff as Business Development Manager in its St. Louis Design Studio. With 25 years experience, Gray’s industry leadership reinforces Rosemann’s commitment to establishing strong business relationships in the communities it serves.

“It’s encouraging that our team is still growing,” says the firm’s president and founder Donald E. Rosemann, AIA. “It’s only a matter of time before this recession is over and when things are turned loose – we’ll be ready.”

With design studios in Kansas City and St. Louis, Mo., Rosemann is a multi-disciplinary Architecture, Interior Design, Engineering, Planning and Sustainability Consulting firm committed to creating community design solutions. Since 1987, Rosemann has focused on designing the backdrop for life by actively studying how people live in the built environment.

“I have a great appreciation for excellence in design, but only if it means the project was a success for my client,” says Gray. “Rosemann and I had this in common from the start.”

Aside from his professional career, Gray is a U.S. Army Corps Veteran, an alumni member of University of Missouri – Columbia, has two sons currently attending Eureka High School and plays in two bands called Benefit Blues Band and Pat Stevens Trio.

About Rosemann: Nearly 80 percent of Rosemann’s revenue comes from the housing industry. Its award-winning portfolio is filled with multifamily, senior living, historic renovation, military housing, student life, infill housing, luxury and workforce housing design.

Some of Rosemann’s past award-winning projects includes East Armour Apartments, Parkway Apartments, Stratford Commons, Bentwood Townhomes, Columbia Square Apartments, Ridgeview Heights Apartments, Packard Lofts, Parkway Apartments, and The Monarch Apartments.

MISSOURI PRESERVATION HONORS EAST ARMOUR APARTMENTS

On March 5 at the 2009 Preservation Honor Awards in Jefferson City, the Missouri Alliance for Historic Preservation (MAHP) will honor the project team of East Armour Apartments with the Preserve Missouri Award. This historic renovation project of affordable apartments located in Kansas City, Mo. was completed by Eagle Point Companies, Rosemann & Associates, PC and Straub Construction.

According to its’ website, MAHP annually honors individuals, groups and organizations that have contributed to the preservation of Missouri's diverse collection of historic resources. Awards are given to outstanding projects in commercial and residential rehabilitation, neighborhood revitalization, landscape protection and archaeology.
“This is truly a great honor and a pleasure for the entire team,” says Don Rosemann, AIA. “The project created interesting challenges to uncover and provided us with a chance to restore the beauty within these buildings that had been lost for decades.”

The East Armour Apartments includes the renovation of 300+ one- and two- bedroom units. With five buildings in three sites, the project is a historical landmark that has played a large role in the community’s urban renewal efforts.

“We believe the preservation or reuse of historic structures typically results in a better long-term outcome for the community,” says Eagle Point Companies’ Managing Director Todd Alexander. “If you're willing to put in the time and effort, you can usually find a way to adaptively reuse or reposition a property, rather than just tear it down.”

East Armour Apartments has also been recognized as an honoree at the 2008 Kansas City Business Journal’s Capstone Award Ceremony and won national recognition with the J. Timothy Anderson Historic Preservation Award in the Affordable Housing category.

“Preserving our historic buildings will create a lasting history of our neighborhoods, our communities, our cities and our very being for future generations to enjoy,” says Rosemann.

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ROSEMANN COMPLETES NEW SENIOR LIVING COMMUNITY

Kansas City, Mo. – The construction of a 42 unit, independent senior living community in Kansas City, Mo. known as D.A. Holmes II Senior Apartments is now complete and 100 percent occupied due to owner D.A. Holmes Senior Housing II, L.P. and architectural and interior design firm Rosemann & Associates, PC.

“We exceeded our occupancy projections for three reasons – facilities amenities, management and location,” says Donald Rosemann, NCARB, AIA, DBIA.

Located at 3020 Benton Boulevard in Jackson County’s Sante Fe Place Historic District, the project was funded by 9% Low Income Housing Tax Credits provided by the Missouri Housing Development Commission.

Rosemann designed the new building to compliment its historic surroundings by pulling elements such as a cast stone base and varied roof heights used on the existing school structure located on the same campus. In 2004, the school was renovated into elderly apartments during phase one by a separate ownership entity.

“The existing school provided us with an opportunity to create a larger senior campus where residents have more green space to socialize and interact,” says Rosemann.

The $4.9 million, affordable senior housing project also contains common areas, office space, a craft room, a fitness center, laundry facilities, a media library, a hair salon, and a home theater for residents.

For more information about this project contact the Kansas City office at 816.472.1448.

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Inspiring Green Community Design

The City of Santa Fe, New Mexico recently held a design competition in conjunction with GreenWORKS challenging designers to create an affordable housing development that incorporates sustainability principles in a cost-effective and realistic manner.

In their submittals, design teams needed to provide a site design that allowed as many as six homes, determine a realistic development budget, comply with a green building checklist, create a replicable development model, integrate the historic character of the neighborhood, and incorporate community input into the design process.

Along with 23 other submittals, Rosemann’s team created a community inspired design entitled “Zocalo Alto.” Zocalo is a word used in 19th century Mexico meaning the central square where civic activity took place. “Alto” pays homage to the actual development site.

The integrated design team contained members with experience in Green Communities as well as LEED sustainability systems. With members from Rosemann and EM Harris Construction, long-range goals for market, sustainability, usability, and maintenance were integral to the design and budget decisions.

An addition to the team of neighbors and potential buyers of the property helped upgrade the goals of the design while identifying real world ideas that people care about. At Rosemann, we see an Integrated Design Team always as an opportunity to produce a design that is vital and authentic.

To view Rosemann's team submittal as well as other team submittals visit http://santafenm.gov/index.asp?NID=1651.

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St. Louis' Golden Opportunity

In MFE Magazine's January 2009 issue, Rosemann's G.W. Lofts project was highlighted in the publication's "FACE LIFT" section noting the project's colorful facade renovation. The article titled "Golden Opportunity," quotes Rosemann's Project Architect Gary Rogowski, AIA, LEED AP discussing the projects challenges and how the design was developed.

Rogowski, along with developer Nat Walsh, also provide helpful tips that designers and developers should consider when working on a historic renovation project. Here's what author Elizabeth Lunday wrote under the article's "Historic Hang-ups" section:

1. LOOK FOR THE HIDDEN TREASURES. Walking through the old Guth Complex buildings was a depressing exercise - it was dusty, dingy and dark. Yet a little investigation revealed the stunning gold brick underneath the exterior's white paint. The lesson: You never know what gift historic buildings are going to give you.

2. THINK OLD - SCHOOL. It's rare to find the original plans for historic buildings, so you won't always know what you're dealing with. The solution is to put yourself in the mind of an architect 100 years ago, says Rogowski. "You have to consider what it was like [and] what methods and means of construction were available then. Try to understand the history, not just of the building but of the people constructing it," he says.

3. CHOOSE WAREHOUSES, NOT OFFICES. One advantage of renovating warehouses instead of offices is the freedom of determining how to use your space - particularly when you're dealing with historic tax credits and the requirements of the National Park Service, says Nat Walsh, developer and founder of St. Louis based McGowan & Walsh Historic Renovators. The Park Service wants offices to retain a sense of their former floor plan, which restricts how you can lay out units. Warehouses have no such constraint.

To read the article in its entirety visit http://www.multifamilyexecutive.com/industry-news.asp?sectionID=544&articleID=837413.

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J. TIMMY HISTORIC PRESERVATION HONORS GEORGIAN COURT APARTMENTS

Kansas City, Mo. – Last week the National Housing & Rehabilitation Association announced at its’ 2008 Fall Forum Awards Ceremony in Boston that the Georgian Court Apartments won the 2008 J. Timothy Anderson Award for Excellence in Historic Rehabilitation.

According to the NHRA’s website, the “Timmy Awards” were established in 2005 to recognize outstanding real estate projects throughout the country that use federal historic rehabilitation tax credits. Georgian Court Apartments was nominated in the Affordable Housing category along with four other projects from various regions across the country.

Rosemann & Associates, P.C. provided architectural and interior design while Eagle Point Company was the developer for the Kansas City, Mo. project.

“This award is a great accomplishment for the entire development team,” says President Donald Rosemann, NCARB, AIA. “It’s a humbling experience when you are recognized for bringing a great historic environment back to life by providing quality affordable housing.”

The Georgian Court Apartments is part of a three building renovation on East Armour Boulevard in Kansas City, Mo. The other two buildings include the recently completed Bainbridge Apartments and the Linda Vista Apartments for a total of 300+ units among the three facilities.

“These buildings were run down and quite an eye sore in the community,” says Rosemann’s Director of Interior Design Vickie Stewart, ASID. “Being able to bring them back to their original style and glory was a credit to the developer, the architects and affordable housing.”

Stewart explains renovation projects with historic aspects come with their own set of complexities and surprises. “You never know what historic element may be uncovered as a project proceeds,” she says. “You must be prepared to be flexible, innovative, and creative.”

The project team also included Straub Construction and E.M. Harris Construction. Stewart says the team worked hand in hand to address these discoveries, integrate them into the project, and stay within budget.

Earlier this year, the East Armour Apartments was also recognized as an honoree at the 2008 Kansas City Business Journal’s Capstone Award Ceremony.

About Rosemann & Associates, P.C.: Rosemann is a multi-disciplinary Architecture, Interior Design, Engineering and Planning firm committed to creating community design solutions. Since 1987, Rosemann has focused on designing the backdrop for life by actively studying how people live in the built environment. For more information visit http://www.rosemann.com/ or http://www.rosemann1.blogspot.com/

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Enjoying the Dining Experience with Good Design

In this month’s St. Louis Commerce Magazine, Rosemann’s interior designers Mickey Warriner, IIDA and Laurie Dowling discussed design trends in restaurant décor in an article titled “Ambience & Atmosphere.”

The article highlighted some of Rosemann’s past restaurant work. Specifically, the soon to be organic themed boutique hotel in Clayton, Mo. known as the Hotel Indigo, the Irish inspired restaurant and bar known as The Dubliner and the Italian dessert parlor on Washington Avenue known as The Gelateria.

The author discusses new trends in décor, what patrons like, green design and enjoying the ambience to receive a full dining experience. With this article, restaurant patrons receive a crash course in restaurant design. This bit of knowledge can really enhance the dining experience.

To read the entire article go to: http://www.stlcommercemagazine.com/archives/november2008/ambience.html

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