Market Lofts bring new twist to Davenport's Warehouse District

Imagine clicking a remote control to open a full-sized garage door and letting fresh air in — to your living room. That's a reality for some of the tenants now living in the new... [quad-city times] 4-4-2015

Development Master Class

As firefighters raced Feb. 11, 2006, to battle an eighth-floor meth fire at Isle of Capri’s Blackhawk Hotel, who’d have thought that same building would inspire a downtown.... [quad-city times] 2-17-2015

As Blackhawk turns 100, owners want to expand brand

Davenport has enjoyed the Hotel Blackhawk for most of the past century. Now the owners think it's time to export the brand. Amy and Amrit Gill announced plans Tuesday..... [quad-city times] 2-10-2015

Edging back into the big game with Blackhawk Hotel in Davenport, Iowa

[high beam]

Frugal Foodie: Everest Cafe and Bar

If they ever decide to spin off an Extreme Makeover: Restoration Edition series from that Ty Pennington show, St. Louis’ own Everest Cafe and Bar could serve as a pretty great template for how to do it. Once upon a time in 2004, Everest owner Devi... [st. louis magazine] Nov 2008

Davenport alderman approve Blackhawk development deal

The Blackhawk Hotel is offically on track to re-open. The Blackhawk Hotel is officially on track to re-open after an extensive renovation. At Wednesday night’s city council meeting, aldermen unanimously voted in favor of an economic development... [quad-city times] 10-23-08

Davenport might help rebuild Blackhawk's Gold Room

The city of Davenport may foot the $6 million bill for restoring the Blackhawk Hotel’s historic high-end banquet facility, the Gold Room, using it to augment its conference and convention offerings through the RiverCenter. No homeowner... [quad-city times] 10-15-08

A good deal: Blackhawk rescued from neglected

“The future is history,” reads the closing line of Restoration St. Louis’ presentation on the Blackhawk Hotel. Restoration St. Louis gets it. Look-alike lodging stacked around interstate exchanges offers, at best, only a familiar experience. The plans... [quad-city times] 10-11-08

Bold plans, big future unveiled for Blackhawk Hotel

No one can accuse Amrit and Amy Gill — the husband and wife team behind Restoration St. Louis — of looking on Davenport as a small-time town. If the pair’s ambitious plans for the re-development of the vacant Blackhawk Hotel turn out as... [quad-city times] 10-9-08

History Helps Finance Blackhawk Renovation

Once again, Quad-City history comes to the rescue. The present hasn’t been kind to the Blackhawk Hotel and its future had looked iffy. Under the ownership of the Isle of Capri, the downtown Davenport hotel withered from neglect. One by one... [quad-city times] 08-26-08

Blackhawk Hotel renovation wins state historic tax credits

Davenport was the big winner in a lottery held to determine which renovation projects statewide will receive state historic tax credits from the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs. The long-delayed Blackhawk Hotel project is first on the list... [quad-city times] 08-19-08

Winds of change blow through The Grove

Kim Yawitz worked for years in bars and restaurants and found herself coming home to throw her clothes in the wash. Yet she was unable to shake the smell of cigarette smoke. Kim Yawitz worked for years in bars and restaurants and found... [southside journal] 06-13-08

Blackhawk Hotel could get a $25 million makeover

The Davenport City Council will get a look at the long-awaited transfer agreement for the Blackhawk Hotel this week, setting the stage for a $25 million rejuvenation of the historic downtown property. The original property transfer was to be between... [quad-city times] 03-16-08

Agave gives Mexican cuisine the white-tablecloth treatment

For the second week in a row, this column finds me in Forest Park Southeast's Grove neighborhood, a once rundown area trying to rebuild itself with new restaurants and bars. It's a wonderfully ad hoc resurgence: There are gay and lesbian... [river front times] 01-30-08

Gastro pub, shmastropub. Newstead Tower Public House is Ian's kind of place.

On the first day of the art history class I took in high school, the teacher asked us to define "art." I assumed this was a rhetorical question and we'd spend the next 40 minutes debating what "art" means, only to be told it can't be defined because... [river front times] 01-23-08

Neighborhood wants ban on more than 20 types of businesses

The people redeveloping Manchester Avenue between Kingshighway Boulevard and Vandeventer Avenue would love to see more restaurants, bars and a host of other businesses. But when it comes to adult bookstores and theaters, free standing package liquor stores, check-cashing establishments, pawn shops, drive-up businesses and similar stores, they won't consider them. [st. louis post dispatch] 10-31-07

St. Louis-based company favored for Blackhawk hotel restoration

Restoration St. Louis — which has built its reputation by renovating older, challenging buildings in some of the Missouri city’s neglected historic areas — is Davenport’s preferred partner for redevelopment of the empty Blackhawk Hotel... [quad-city times] 06-04-06

Power Couples

Amy and Amrit Gill are the husband-and-wife development team who've restored Midtown architectural treasures such as  Coronado Place and Moolah Temple. Now they're embarking on an ambitious redevelopments effort in the Forest Park... [st. louis business journal] 2-18-07

25 of St. Louis' most talked about visionaries

It's no secret that the neighborhood known as The Grove is back in the saddle. Developed in the 1850’s as one of St. Louis’ first subdivisions, the area then known as “Adam’s Grove” was a pleasant and affordable park neighborhood. But by the mid-1900’s [alive] 2-20-07

A Sordid Halloween

Developers compete for rights to Heer's renovation

As Vaughn Prost makes every effort to win back the rights to redevelop the Heer’s building in downtown Springfield, he faces some formidable competition from two St. Louis development teams. The out-of-town developers... [news leaders]

Contenders vie for Heer's project

The finalists have spoken. Now, it’s up to city officials to decide who will redevelop Heer’s Tower. Four contending developers gave public presentations and held private meetings with city officials Oct. 3. City Public... [springfield business journal]

Sep 12, 2006

Rev up your engines for GroveFest... Music, Art & Food in the Streets

This wildly hip street fest takes its maiden voyage this fall on Saturday, Sep. 23rd from noon to midnight. Nestled between Sarah & Boyle on Manchester – in the trendy emerging entertainment district now known as “The Grove” – the city will display... [FPSE community journal]

Sep 02, 2006

The Gills Partner in Community Change

Forest Park Southeast is one of the city’s most interesting and historic neighborhoods. Durring the years of general urban decline, Forest Park Southeast suffer more- and less- than many other neighborhoods. A large number of small businesses abandoned... [community journal]

GroveFest Celebrates St. Louis Culture

Last Saturday, from noon to midnight in the Grove neighborhood of Forest Park Southeast, the first annual Grove Fest was held. Sponsored in part by the Riverfront Times and, of course, the St. Louis favorite Anheuser-Busch.... [SLU News]

Aug 2, 2006

$ Down the Drain

Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) now requires strapped plumbing in new buildings and those undergoing total rehabilitation in St. Louis City. The change will add thousands of dollars to the cost of development and has drawn the...[arch city chronicles]

Number Crunch - Give us FIVE

You and I need a place like Five, probably even more than we realize. We need that chicly simple restaurant whose opening causes a bit of buzz ? not a press release-driven, obnoxious, “eat here now!”... [river front times]

Gills Turn FPSE into grove of development

A year after delving into a massive Forest Park Southeast development project, Restoration St. Louis owners Amrit and Amy Gill show no signs of stopping. The Gills now own almost 70 buildings in the [west end word]

5 Minutes with... Amrit Gill

When you came to St. Louis, what was your plan?
The idea was to come here, do an MBA at Wash U., go back home and buy a company. I was interested in marketing... [st. louis today]

Amy Gill is rehabbing the city she loves, property by property

Amy Gill is half of the powerfu; husband-and-wife duo that has made Restoration St. Louis a major player in the renewal of historic buildings. The company turned the long-abandoned former Coronado Hotel near... [st. louis post dispatch]

11 Most Enhanced Awards

May 18, 2006

Women in leadership for Mother's Day

Alderman Michael McMillan Alderman of the 19th Ward, recently organized a lucheon to salute Women In Leadership for Mother’s Day. The event was held at the beautiful Coronado Ballroom, under the guidance of Rob Schaeffer of Steven Becker... [source article]

Mar 7, 2006

What's in a name?

Forest Park Southeast vs. The Grove ? have you heard? The hottest new name in the city of St. Louis is “The Grove”. This name comes from Adams Grove, the part of FPSE south of Manchester. Visitors, developers, and new residents are using... [forest park southeast community letter]

Most Influential Minority Business Owners

This is the second year the St. Louis Business Journal has honored Influential Minority Business Leaders in our community. The 2006 class of 25 honorees was selected based on their achievements in the busines... [st. louis business journal]

In Step With Success

Restoration maven Amy Gill’s care and attention forge relationships that stand the test of time. When Amy Gill and her husband bought the old Coronado Hotel, people thought they were crazy. “All of the big-time.... [st. louis woman]

Amy and Amrit Gill: Principals: Restoration St. Louis

Amrit and Amy Gill are husband-and-wife developer team who restored midtown architectural treasures like Coronado Place and The Moolah Temple. Now they are embarking on an ambitious... [st. louis business journal]

Esteemed developers feeling Grovey

This could be the year. While that’s often little more than a hopeful thought in the world of competitive sports, it’s almost a sure bet for The Grove. For the St. Louis neighborhood, 2006 is poised to bring... [vital voice]

Gills buy Forest Park SE properties

Developers Amrit and Amy Gill are embarking on a $50 million redevelopment plan of the Forest Park Southeast neighborhood.The Gills began buying residences and vacant lots near Manchester Road... [st. louis business journal]

The Coronado

Patricia Treacy, Nov. 9, 2005

It was 1939 when two unusual guests registered at the luxurious, million-dollar Coronado Hotel- a bear cub and its owner. The gentleman attended a shoe convention, and the animal represented the company’s sales slogan: “Bear Down For Fall.” Unfortunately the cub escaped from his cage, sending lobby guests and clerks scurrying in all directions. The bear’s keeper finally caught it after a whirlwind chase through the revolving doors at the front entrance.

The hotel was built in stages from 1923 to 1929 and officially opened in 1925. It was quickly embraced by the public, then Charleston-dancing flappers and their slick -haired escorts. Important figures like Franklin D. Roosevelt, Charles Lindbergh (after his solo flight to Paris), and Harry S. Truman chose the Coronado for their St. Louis stays. Celebrities like silent-movie stars Lew Cocy and Mabel Norman, opera singer Mary Garden, actress Ilka Chase and cowboy star Tom Mix also bedded down at the Coronado.

Through the years, St. Louisans gravitated to the hotel to celebrate special occasions. Bob and Irene Enkelmann of St. Louis had dinner at the Coronado when Bob recieved a $10 dollar a month raise from Union Electric after passing his new-employee, six-month probation period in 1956.

Bix Beiderbecke, legendary jazz trumpeter of the 1920’s came to the Coronado to listen to the bands during his off hours at the Arcadia Ballroom, later called Tune Town. When a customer threw peanut shells into a tuba, Blue Steele, the band leader and ex-prizefighter, walked off the bandstand and punched the offender in the nose.

Nick Mucci and his band played at the hotel. Mucci remembers the Jug, an elegant restaurant and cocktail lounge. “They had violinists in three corners of the room and an accordionist in the fourth corner,” he recalled.

But the good life was not destined to last forever and in a moment of ignominy, the venerable Coronado Hotel was sold at a foreclosure auction on the steps of the Civil Courts Building in 1964. Workmen turned off the electricity and telephone service. The water bill was long overdue. About 100 tenants hauled their belongings to the street while porters picketed for back wages. The city building commissioner attached a condemned sign to the building and padlocked the door in the interest of safety.

St. Louis University bought the hotel in 1964 and converted it into a school dormitory. The main dining room bacame the cafeteria and the Jug was an indoor recreation room. The university sold it to Sterling Poperties in 1986 and the once-grand Coronado would sit vacant for the next 15 years.

A young couple, Amrit and Amy Gill of Restoration St. Louis, Inc., purchased the complex in 2001. By that time, a wall had collapsed, part of the roof was gone and rubble was chest deep, acccording to Landmarks Association. The gills spent $40 million to restore it, and reopened it in December 2003. The ballroom and series of lobbies have been meticulously restored and are open for inspection. In addition, the coronado has restaurants, office space and 165 apartments.

The cover photograph on this book shows the original entrance to the hotel. Through exacting restoration, the lobby now looks the same, except the fountain in the center has been replaced by a table and floral arrangement. [from Images of America: The Grand Hotels of St. Louis]

Fabulous Moolah

In 2004, the only thing dicier than opening a single-screen movie theater might be opening a single-screen theater with "Arabian Night" decor. But Harman Moseley has been betting against the conventional wisdom for more.... [st. louis post dispatch]

Gills honored at Harvest Homecoming

Habitat for Humanity St. Louis will celebrate partnerships at Harvest Homecoming 2005, Friday, October 21st at the Coronado Ballroom, 3701 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis. The evening will begin with... [habitat for humanity]

Mayor Slay, Restoration St. Louis to ope Theresa School Lofts

Mayor Francis G. Slay will join Restoration St. Louis on Thursday, September 15, 2005, at 3:30 p.m. for the grand opening of the Theresa School Lofts. The building was designed by William B. Ittner, a nationally.... [mayor's office press release]

For their next trick, the Gills take on a Neighborhood

They have transformed fading hulks — the Coronado building, the Moolah Temple — into commercial gems and turned a former elementary school and a convent into whimsical multifamily housing. Now, Amrit and Amy Gill are... [highbeam business]

What's the Matter with Movies?

"What people want is real luxury," said Harman Moseley, who operates the Moolah, galleria and Chase Park Plaza cinemas. “Stadium seating and digital sound are passe. That's 10 year old stuff. We have to go further.” Moseley’s new Moolah... [st. louis post dispatch]

Movie Moolah

Our town's premier boutique cinema owner, Harman Moseley, is set to open the Moolah Theatre this fall. The theater will be in the Moolah Shrine building on Lindell Boulevard, which is being developed by Amy and Amrit Gill with architect... [st. louis post dispatch]

Developers hope third times a charm

Tucked away on a back street in Soulard, a 19th century nunnery that saw a second life as a nursing home has been resurrected a third time as apartments. Aptly named The Cloister, husband-and-wife team Amrit and Amy Gill have carved... [st. louis post dispatch]

apr 1, 2005

Not a Fez to be Found

The latelest and perhaps splashiest development downtown is the refurbished Moolah Temple. Now know as Moolah Temple/Lindell Towers, the building at 3821 Lindell has undergone a face-lift costing a cool $40 million. Not only... [home front news]

At Home with Amy and Amrit Gill

Just as they seemlessly blended a new addition onto their 1908 home, developers Amy and Amrit Gill have brough together three generations and multiple nationalities to live as what Amy calls "one big family." The Gills, whose restoration... [st. louis post dispatch]

Moolah Temple is best spot in town for cosmo

Several years ago a girlfriend wrote a letter sayin she;d met the guy who ruined her for other men; this gentleman's particular sharms had taken all the enjoyment from the trial and error of dating. The tone of her letter was not... [st. louis post dispatch]

Moolah Temple Grand Opening 

After sitting idle for decades, the Moolah Temple on Lindell had been revitalized and reopened, replete with 42 luxury lofts, bowling alley, 400-person movie theater and grill. The debut of the new Moolah occurred on January 20. The... [st. louis magazine]

You're in the Moolah Baby

While watching the Super Bowl halftime performance a couple Sundays ago, perhaps you were reminfded of that glorious summer when Guns N' Roses not only performed a more convincing "Live and Let Die" but also scored additional points... [river front times]

Restoration St. Louis Brings Moolah Temple Back to Life

Moolah Temple, the original 1913 home for the Shriners of Eastern Missouri wsa almost lost to the wreaking ball. The majestic temple stood vacant for twenty years after the Shriners relocated to their new temple in Creve Coeur. During... [senior circuit]

Feb 01,2005

Moolah Hoopla

enjoy a luxurious cinematic experience at the Moolah Theater now open at Lindell and Vandeventer in Grand Center. Located in the Moolah Shrine building, the theater presents fine films and features the biggestmovie screen in St. Louis.... [source article]

Gills invest $17 million in Moolah building restoration

Amy Gill spotted pictures of the former Moolah Temple in a book for sale at a fair shortly after she and her husband and business partner, Amrit Gill, purchased the building in 2002. Carolyn Toft, president of the Landmarks Association of... [st. louis business journal]

jan 9, 2005

New cinema, bowling alley let light in at Masonic

A mere decade ago, the Grand Center area consisted of little more then the Fox Theatre and St. Louis University faculty and students. Now, after years of campus expansions, the construstion of the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis and... [source article]

dec 24 2004

Moolah Temple

The Moolah Temple redevelopment project was not delayed because of a lawsuit filed by some homeowners in the Grand Center are and the Masonic Temple Association against the city of St. Louis, Saint Louis University and Grand Center Inc. as indicated in a chart in the Dec. 17 issue. The Moolah Temple's bowling alley and movie theater opened Dec. 22. [source article]

Developers Line up for two major Grand Center sites

At least six developers are interested in two Granter Center sites up for redevelopment. A joint pre-bid conference on the properties, which include a vacant site owned by Saint Louis University on the northeast corner of Grand and..... [st.louis business journal]