The Bevo neighborhood, a vibrant and historic community in south St. Louis, is known best for its iconic monument, the Bevo Mill. Although Bevo already has the mill as its symbol of pride, it lacks a community gathering space. Gateway Consulting (GC) remedies this problem through The Bevo Mill Park and Community Center Project. Currently, Bevo’s main thoroughfare, Gravois Avenue, is a candidate to become a Great Street, a roadway designed to increase vehicular safety, encourage walkability, and enhance the area’s connectivity. Our project augments these infrastructure improvements while creating a viable community space.

Our project site is a wedge-shaped lot at the Gravois Avenue/Morganford Road intersection. First, GC engaged with community members around the suitability of a community center on this site. Next, we focused on conceptual design by identifying constraints, gathering data, and performing an alternative analysis. We then performed calculations to ensure structural integrity, effective bioretention system, and improved pedestrian safety. Lastly, we drafted site drawings and specifications.

GC designed a community center with an upgraded parking lot, expanded greenery, state-of-the-art bioretention, and pedestrian safety enhancements. The center includes a multi-use space with restrooms, kitchen space, and movable partitions. Vegetated bioretention basins in the parking lot will provide both aesthetic benefits and improved stormwater management. Outside the site, a bulb-out curb will decrease vehicular speeds and a shorter crosswalk will reduce the pathlength for pedestrians. GC is hopeful this design will turn an under-used lot into a dynamic destination for the Bevo community.

The group would like to thank their faculty sponsor Chris Carroll for their support with this project.