$100M military archives project breaks ground
St. Louis Business Journal
June 2, 2010
Officials broke ground Wednesday for the U.S. General Services Administration's new $100 million National Archives and Records Administration military personnel records facility in northeast St. Louis County.
The facility will retain nearly 800 "good-paying jobs in St. Louis," U.S. Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., said.
The facility will be the largest records facility in the country outside of the Washington, D.C. area, and is one of the most complex construction projects ever undertaken in St. Louis County. When complete, the center will act as the central repository for millions of military personnel, health and medical records for all deceased and discharged veterans who served during the 20th century post-World War I. It will house the military records of famous veterans such as Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy, Elvis Presley, and sports legends including Roberto Clemente and Jackie Robinson, as well as the records of civil service employees.
The building also will provide office space for 14 other federal government and defense agencies.
Developer Barry Real Estate Cos. of Atlanta brought in another developer, The Molasky Group of Las Vegas, to secure financing for the 474,690-square-foot archives facility to be built on 23-plus acres at 1829 Dunn Road. Barry Real Estate sold the development rights to the project to The Molasky Group.
The project has faced multiple obstacles, including the collapse of financial markets and the downturn in commercial lending for large-scale projects.
The project is a joint venture of Hardin Construction Co. of Atlanta and St. Louis-based Tarlton Corp. It was designed by HKS of Dallas.
Last year, the project received nearly $5.5 million in BUILD Missouri bonds.
The facility is a replacement for the National Personnel Records Center at 9700 Page Ave., which houses the military personnel files of 56 million Americans.
