In 1975, Trivers was founded on values that still characterize the firm today: creating architecture of lasting positive consequence.
In a city renowned for its historic architecture, but in need of restoration and fresh ideas, Trivers established a reputation for thoughtful design that responded to context; creating designs that balance the complex interplay of people, environment and buildings is at the core of how we work.
Today, while continuing our commitment to St. Louis, we work for a range of clients across the country providing expertise in historic preservation, education, civic, hospitality, housing and workplace design while maintaining an intentional combination of historic renovation, adaptive reuse, and new construction.
“ Trivers is an exceptional architecture firm renowned for its ability to seamlessly blend architecture and cultural elements into transformative design solutions. Their innovative approach not only prioritizes sustainability and technology but also celebrates art and culture, resulting in projects that resonate with communities and inspire admiration. ”
80+ Awards for Historic Renovations 30 AIA Design Awards
NTHP / HUD Secretary’s Award
AIA/HUD Secretary’s Award trivers.com
Trivers Office at the Victor
historic expertise
Every historic project presents its own unique set of challenges. Trivers leverages nearly 50 years of experience to design and execute creative, sustainable solutions that preserve the heritage of the site while addressing modern day issues of security, usability and accessibility. Our experience includes:
• 100+ historic renovation projects
§ original construction dates between 1839 and 1968
§ size range from 1,300sf to 750,000sf
§ 40+ received federal historic tax credits (certifying compliance with Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation)
§ 50+ design awards for buildings of historic significance
• 10|+ historic building preservation plans
• Keynote speaking engagement focused on balancing preservation and modernization
• Several speaking engagements focused on best practices for historic building renovation and envelope restoration
• Advocacy group memberships including National Trust for Historic Preservation, Association of Preservation Technology and Missouri Preservation
map of trivers project locations
the victor (former butler brothers building)
400 units | 735,000 SF
Before Costco, before Amazon, the Butler Brothers warehouse distribution building was constructed in 1906 as the modern wholesaler of its day. Sited just two blocks north of St. Louis Union Station, which at the time was one of the busiest rail hubs in the United States, the astounding 735,000 GSF building encompasses an entire city block in west downtown St Louis. With reinforced concrete and load bearing brick masonry perimeter and fire walls, the full sprinklered building was at the top of its class for fire protection in warehousing. This robustness has led to the building’s ability to withstand the elements for over a century, despite being completely vacant for over two decades. This same robustness lead to much of the interior remaining unaltered over the years.
DSG charged Trivers with reawakening this sleeping giant with nearly 400 apartment units, in-building parking, retail, coworking, residential amenity that includes an expanded interior courtyard and a rooftop with pool and walking track. The design concept weaves the rich history of the Washington Ave garment district with the site’s history as the location of the 1st world chess championship held on the site in 1883, where Butler Brothers Building now stands.
The building is reorganized along a dominant east-west axial spine, connecting 17th street through the building to a new lobby, courtyard, and connecting through the historic lobby to the west out to 18th street one story below. Amenity spaces and units are orientated around this new axial connection, reactivating the building from the inside out. Historic elements are highlighted, celebrated, and accommodated to elevate the history of the building while adaptively reusing the structure for its next generation of life.
By reusing this enormous concrete and masonry structure, the embodied carbon put into this building nearly 120 years ago is equivalent to carbon sequestration of nearly 16 of St. Louis’ Forest Park. Again, reinforcing the concept that one of the most sustainable practices is to adaptivity reuse our existing building stock to preserve not only our history but our planet too.
the post building
305,000 SF
Recognizing the opportunity for development along the north edge of downtown St. Louis, particularly technological office space to support the upcoming National GeospatialIntelligence Agency building, The StarWood Group purchased the Post-Dispatch Building. Originally constructed in 1930, the building had been continuously occupied but suffered from deferred maintenance and obsolete systems.
Rebranded as the post building, the Core & Shell design includes all new systems, 2 renovated and 4 newly constructed passenger elevators, replaced historic windows and new window openings on the blank brick North Addition structure, a new primary building entrance in the North Addition, and a glass rooftop amenity structure. Additional renovations include preserving the Pulitzer office and boardroom, installing new skylights serving two new central atriums with dramatic floating steel stairs and selectivelydeconstructing printing presses with additional historic building elements placed at strategic locations throughout the building to maintain the legacy of Joseph Pulitzer and the Post-Dispatch.
woodward lofts
164 units | 235,000 SF
In the 1920s, St. Louis was the fifth largest commercial printing center in the nation, boasting 320 printing firms. The Woodward & Tiernan Printing Company was the largest among them. In 1925, the Company relocated their headquarters from an assemblage of downtown offices to an unexpected site in the otherwise inudstiral Mill Creek Valley. The Klipstein & Rathmann designed factory at Tower Grove and Vandeventer stands as a monument to the prominence of Woodward & Tiernan, and the evolution of industrial factory design.
At over 235,000 square feet, 164 loft-style apartments utilize the dramatic window openings, open floor plan, and soaring clerestory monitors which gave rise to the 20th century daylight factory. The building also contains remnants of a rail spur entering the building that allowed boxcars to be loaded directly from the factory floor. West facing units and articulation of the façade continue to recognize this function that was critical to the selection of the site. The cast-in-place concrete structure provides a strong but tangible presence to the surrounding neighbors. Loading docks on the north façade have been replaced with a new landscaped entry to create a welcoming arrival sequence for residents and guests. The historic brick “head house” originally housed Woodward & Tiernan administrative offices, capitalizing on access from the elevated Tower Grove Ave to maintain a commercial presence.
The original entrance and east end are accessible once again, hosting ground level retail spaces and semi-public amenities that feature original office partitions.
Interventions to the historic structure are carefully directed inward, drawing inspiration from drawers used to organize typesetting materials. Material selections and graphics throughout the building evoke images of the building’s rich printing history. Sections of roof are deliberately peeled away to create signature community garden spaces shared by up to 10 units each. A number of unique floor plans also capitalize on soaring factory ceilings, working lofted bedrooms in amongst the worn steel trusses and timber decking of the original structure. Flat-style units condense the features of a modern apartment into a compact ‘core,’ highlighting board formed concrete and mushroom capital columns that were engineering innovations of the era. A rooftop lounge features seating areas cut from tanks that stored water for the original sprinkler system, a 360 degree panorama of St. Louis, and rooftop pool with skyline views.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014, the Woodward & Tiernan Printing Company is the new home of Woodward Lofts.
woolworth building renovation
57,000 SF
This 1932 nationally-registered historic structure is located in the nationally-registered Midtown Historic District. The adaptive reuse building now houses several tenants including the Eastern Missouri headquarters for Big Brothers, Big Sisters and a performing arts component for the Kranzberg Cultural Center, including a cabaret and a black box theater.
Exterior modifications included replacing windows and storefronts and repairing limestone and brick. The existing marquee was replaced in some areas and restored in others. New neon letters were added and the top of the building was illuminated with LED lighting.
Some of the more challenging aspects of the project involved the addition of an elevator and all new mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection and security systems. Another obstacle was finding a column-free space large enough for the theater. To overcome this, two large transfer beams were installed and two columns were removed.
In the Big Brothers Big Sisters space, one challenge was designing a space which encourages creativity, energy and spirit through colorful finishes and whimsical plays, yet doesn’t come across as elementary or juvenile for the employees who work in the space. In the lobby, an overhead door was incorporated to allow an open flow between the private and the public lobbies. This creates a large open area to accommodate larger crowds during fundraising events. Through the use of vibrant colors, different textures and playful furniture the space not only attracts, inspires and retains the non-for-profit employees, but also gives the Little Brothers and Sisters a place to feel comfortable outside of their homes.
old post office
242,000 SF
Trivers completed a series of projects at the historic Old Post Office building, a National Historic Landmark in downtown St. Louis. As part of an ongoing five-year term contract with the GSA, Trivers executed a variety of projects at the OPO, ranging from masonry restoration and dome and roof work to total reworking of the building’s HVAC and lighting systems.
GSA and DESCO/DFC Group joined forces with the State of Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District and Webster University to redevelop the Old Post Office as a multi-use complex. The Court of Appeals has taken the top two floors, re-utilizing the two historic main courtrooms and developing the remainder of the floors into chambers and support space. Utilization of the two large courtrooms provides a challenge in the reuse of the space without damaging the historic integrity of the building. Trivers used these areas as large office spaces, with the installation of freestanding half-walls to provide privacy. Security systems were also seriously revamped for the Court of Appeals.
The once-vacant building is now 100% occupied, with the Court of Appeals, Webster University, the St. Louis Business Journal, St. Louis Public Library, Teach for America and the Pasta House Company as tenants.
Throughout this process, Trivers worked closely with a myriad of historic review entities, including GSA, the National Park Service and its Advisory Council of Historic Preservation, the State Historic Preservation Office, the local Cultural Resources Office, and the Landmarks Association of St. Louis.
the dogwood private event space
8,000 SF
Acclaimed boutique catering provided by The Social Affair commissioned Trivers to help envision “The Dogwood”, a new catering and event space in the heart St Louis’s bustling Grove neighborhood. The Dogwood, named after the trees surrounding the founder’s Alabama home, renovates a 1941 single story former Kroger grocery store that has been long since vacant.
Encompassing both floors and connected by a custom elliptical staircase as the facility’s main focal point, Trivers leveraged the firm’s ability to create modern adaptations of historic structures. In addition to a full kitchen, the first floor will have a comfortable, classic and intimate loungelike aesthetic with a custom built bar, bold lighting and food display niches where The Social Affair can showcase their unique catering style. The second-floor houses support, prep kitchen, and an open, bright, contemporary space leading to an exterior terrace. An essential experiential element dictated by the client, a 30’ long folding glass partition will open to the outdoor terrace to bring the outside in and connect to the energy overlooking the lively urban strip below.
the nicholas
28 units | 30,546 sqft
With only days left on the clock, the fate of this building went from being razed to redevelopment because of the awareness and connections of Trivers, SLU Midtown Corporation and local development leaders committed to maintaining the historic integrity of St. Louis’ built environment.
Trivers was hired to convert this vacant 1912 office building along Grand Ave and Park Avenue into 28 boutique style apartments serving the SLU Medical campus. Originally billed as “the coolest, brightest, best ventilated” office buildings by developer and constructor Nicholas Pelligreen because of its location at the intersection of streetcar lines. With this project, Trivers also continues a legacy of working in buildings originally designed by AB Groves, also the architect for The Georgian Apartments and Allen Market Lane. The size, scale, and location of this building were prime for intimate, boutique apartments to fit 21st century residential living.
Conceived as an alternative to larger apartment projects for SLU and Cardinal Glennon staff and students, a “calm” finish palette with soothing greens, wood tones, and modern take on historic design allow these apartments to be a respite from the hectic and stressful nature of a healthcare environment.
Complimenting the respite of each apartment home, new rooftop patio with 360 degree views provides a way for residents to gain fresh air and some quiet solitude above the busy city streets below.
missouri state capitol stone restoration
329,000 SF
An impressive domed structure sited on the bluffs of the Missouri River in Jefferson City, the Missouri State Capitol features extensive use of premiere local materials. The 329,000 square foot building covering over 3 acres was originally constructed between 1913 and 1917. Many of the interior features have been painstakingly maintained and remain a source of pride for state citizenry and in some instances have been the recipient of national acclaim.
The exterior stonework, while equally as impressive, had succumbed to decades of weathering. The design team worked with the State of Missouri to evaluate the conditions on the existing building, the surrounding terrace pavers and balustrades, and all components of the monument plaza. The program included stabilizing unsafe stonework, stopping deterioration from water-intrusion, and replacing and/or cleaning weathered stone that had become aesthetically unattractive.
The design team provided specific details for the unique repair and cleaning requirements of limestone over the ¼ mile of building façade and up the 340-foot height to the top of the lantern above the dome. Each stone in the building’s facades were numbered and the repairs were fully described for each unique stone.
All the sky-facing surfaces were also treated with modern waterproofing materials or covered with new period-correct, lead-coated copper. The work also included replacement of severely deteriorated paving stone around the site, and refurbishment of statuary and historic cast-iron light fixtures located around the building.
General Contractor on the project was Bulley & Andrews Masonry Restoration, and consultants included Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, McClure Engineering (Columbia, MO), Pillar Design Group, The Russell Group Ingenium, SSC Engineering and Randy Burkett Lighting Design.
