ST. LOUIS — Alamo Drafthouse started construction this week on the dine-in cinema chain’s first St. Louis location at City Foundry, overcoming financial setbacks during the pandemic that could have jeopardized the project.
The movie theater chain plans to finish construction at the Midtown mixed-use development by fall 2022, with an opening date yet to be announced, a spokesperson for City Foundry developer Lawrence Group confirmed.
Austin,Texas-based Alamo Drafthouse emerged from bankruptcy in May and said it would open five new theaters, the planned location in St. Louis and two each in New York and Washington, D.C. A handful of locations permanently closed during the pandemic, including a location in Kansas City that was bought out by another movie chain. Alamo Drafthouse said it had restructured ownership for its City Foundry site, making it a franchise operation owned by Springfield, Missouri-baded franchisees John Martin and Marc Evans.
After navigating bankruptcy, Alamo Drafthouse “doubled down on their commitment to the Foundry,” said real estate broker Patrick Willett of Pace Properties, who has been working to bring tenants to City Foundry.
The other originally announced anchor tenant at City Foundry, Punch Bowl Social, also filed for bankruptcy during the pandemic. It recently was replaced by mini golf restaurant Puttshack, in what will be the Colorado chain's first St. Louis location.
The $300 million City Foundry development, which opened its centerpiece food hall in August, is a project of Lawrence Group developer Steve Smith and his development company New + Found, along with his son Will Smith, who serves as managing director of investments and asset management for the company.
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