Old Post Office Plaza

St. Louis, MO

As the landscape architect, Kristy assisted Baird Sampson Neuert Architects (BSN) of Toronto with the award-winning design and preparation of landscape architecture design and drawings for the Old Post Office Plaza in downtown St. Louis. The Plaza, which sits immediately north of the recently renovated Old Post Office, is home to a famous sculpture representing the mythical character of Icarus.

The overall design intent of the plaza is to create a multi-functional downtown urban park. It can accommodate relaxation, lunch crowds, outdoor movies, and art enthusiasts. In assisting BSN, Kristy used landscape solutions and sustainability strategies to interpret the “Journey of Icarus” to complement the master plan vision. In doing so, low maintenance planting solutions were developed that matched the vision desired by the owners of the city block, the Downtown St. Louis Partnership.

The Old Post Office Plaza is located on a brownfield site created by urban demolition and framed on three sides by public streets lined with heritage buildings. While intended to feature the most important, the Old Post Office, the creation of the Plaza, in combination with adaptive reuse and restoration of the nineteenth-century landmark, also serves as an urban catalyst for revitalization and re-inhabitation of the historic city core.

One of the key elements in the success of the urban opera was the harmony between design disciplines. In addition to the composition of the planting palette that portrays the visual and tactile qualities of key settings in our story, the landscape architect served as the eyes and ears of an international team of designers. Keeping a constant open dialogue and a stream of updates and photography, the design team could interact with each other, and the site, as the structures and plantings were fine-tuned. Ongoing tuning has been required as the space and its impact on the urban fabric continue to evolve.

2010 Toronto Design Exchange, Urban Design,

Silver Award 2010 American Society of Landscape Architects,

Honor Award, St. Louis Chapter 2009

Midwest Construction’s Small Project of the Year
*Completed prior to establishing DG2

Fifth Street, St. Charles, MO

Saint Charles, MO

DG2 Design worked with the engineers at CMT and the City of St. Charles to design the streetscape improvements for Fifth Street, from I-70 to First Capitol Drive. The goals of the streetscape project were to create a gateway to the City of Saint Charles while enhancing the aesthetics of Fifth Street, improving traffic flow and safety and promoting pedestrian activity.

This was accomplished by creating wide pedestrian facilities to invite walking, improving the pavement on the heavily trafficked roadway, and improving wayfinding for major destinations in Saint Charles by implementing standard signage. The aesthetics of the corridor were improved with a 200-foot-long stone wall, native landscape and place-making improvements designed to be inviting to the public and representative of the historic and cultural environments of the City of Saint Charles.

With the vision in mind of the project corridor as a gateway to the city, the design team’s primary goal was to make sure the proposed improvements were respectful to, and representative of the rich historic and cultural environments of St. Charles. Through inventory and analysis of the surrounding streets as well as public meetings in which residents were able to give input into design decisions, the design team developed a framework for the new streetscape that lived up to this goal. Design elements such as improved wayfinding signage, widening of sidewalks and improvements of the roadway, new plantings, and pedestrian gathering points were all proposed using materials and an overall aesthetic feel that was appropriate to the corridor. Moreover, a multi-tiered feature wall was designed to be reminiscent of the flow of water in a river and act as the primary focal point of the gateway.

CITYPARK – St. Louis CITY SC MLS Stadium & District

St. Louis, Missouri

The ownership group for St. Louis CITY FC, the new Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise in St. Louis, had a vision for creating a vibrant mixed-use stadium district in the city’s Downtown West neighborhood. DG2 teamed with architects HOK and Snow Kreilich to design this reality.  The stadium is located within, Downtown West, a resurgent neighborhood and at the western end of the Gateway Mall, which is a corridor of public open space that connects to the Gateway Arch and Mississippi River.

The stadium site and adjacent parking garage lie across the street from historic Union Station and at the end of the Gateway Mall, along The Brickline Greenway linking the stadium to the Gateway Arch and Mississippi River.

The stadium’s scale and form emerge from the surrounding urban context.   The 22,500-seat stadium is open and transparent, with views into the field from the neighborhood and views out to the city from the seating bowl.

St. Louis CITY wants this mixed-use district to catalyze downtown activity 365 days a year. Anchored by a compact stadium that fits comfortably into its urban neighborhood, the district will include spaces for hosting year-round community events, concerts, celebrations, and a variety of outdoor activities.

The 31 acres site includes over 300 trees of 21 different species. The site was strategically designed to keep the stadium’s corners open, we worked with the team to set the elevation of the stadium be accessible at all four corners. The design creates flexible plazas that can host non-game day events ranging from festivals to wedding receptions, including the main 2.9 acre Lou Fusz Plaza . Street-level vendors will have the opportunity to establish stands that face out to the city from the Stadium and the Pitch 314 Garage.

MORE THAN A STADIUM

The stadium district also includes the team’s headquarters, training and performance center, three practice fields, and a fan pavilion and team store. STL City SC will be of a few teams in all of professional sports to have all components in one downtown location. As a result of early planning and creative solutions, the stadium will have four public sides, all reaching out to the community as an inviting entry. Fans will be able to entry the stadium on all sides with a major entry plaza serving as an optimal pre-game gathering space and post-game celebrations. This area will provide better access for fans and allow for the development of a year-round urban hub surrounding the stadium. This will not only allow for the development of a world class stadium, but will transform Downtown West into an urban activity hub open year-round and easily accessible via pedestrian pathways, bicycle and public transit.

• 31 ACRES
• 2.9 ACRE EAST PLAZA
• 300 URBAN TREES (21 DIFFERENT SPECIES)
• 54 PLANT VARIETIES
• 1,600 FEET OF NEW CITY STREETS RESTORED
• 1,800 FEET FROM A METROLINK STATION
• 841 LINEAR FEET OF GREENWAY

AWARDS

2024, Rethinking the Future First Award, Sports & Recreation, CITYPARK

2024, WAN Awards Americas, Public Accessible, CITYPARK

2023, AIA St. Louis Honor Award, CITYPARK

Dardenne Greenway At BaratHaven Park

Dardenne Prairie, MO

BaratHaven Park, an 80-acre park and the first project for the Dardenne Greenway, features a 15-acre lake with three scenic overlooks. Envisioned to beautify the surrounding neighborhood, the park offers an accessible lake, trails, and other improvements. The three-mile BaratHaven loop winds through residential areas in the BaratHaven community in St. Charles County, forming part of the larger 80-acre park. The greenway circles a 15-acre lake, enriched with wetlands to support native wildlife and plant habitats. To the east, the greenway extends into Bluebird Meadow Park, featuring a restored wetland and prairie landscape. This extension enables future connections to Busch Wildlife, protecting an oxbow and wetland while creating prairie acres.

Creating BaratHaven Park involved stabilizing and restoring scenic areas along Dardenne Creek and Old Dardenne Creek. Natural vegetation protects adjacent land, preserving the riparian corridor for wildlife and preventing soil erosion. New wetlands along the creeks further enrich habitats for native flora and fauna.

The Dardenne Greenway incorporates a sustainable plant palette with various native Missouri species. These plants are hardy, disease and insect resistant, and suitable for local soils. They provide privacy for nearby residential areas without hindering access, define special spaces, frame desirable views, offer shade along trails, and enhance wildlife habitats.

*Completed prior to establishing DG2

Centennial Greenway at 39 North Greenway

Olivette & Creve Coeur, MO

In 2019, Great Rivers Greenway team collaborated with the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership to engage stakeholders of the 39 North Agtech Innovation District (39 North) to create the 39N Greenway Plan. The plan refined the Centennial Greenway route through 39 North and identified new complementary greenway connections within the district. This project will extend the Centennial Greenway from Warson Park in Olivette, through 39 North, to the intersection of Lindbergh Blvd and Schuetz Rd in the City of Creve Coeur.

The project goals for the Centennial Greenway and the 39 North Greenway are:

– Extend the Centennial Greenway from Warson Park in the City of Olivette to the intersection of Lindbergh Blvd and Schuetz Rd in the City of Creve Coeur and unincorporated St. Louis County.

– Improve safety and comfort for people walking, running, bicycling, pushing a stroller, and using a wheelchair between Warson Park and the Lindbergh Blvd/ Schuetz Rd intersection and to the multiple activity centers within 39 North.

– Create safe greenway crossings at Olive Blvd, Warson Road, and Lindbergh Blvd.

The team is currently collaborating with Great Rivers Greenway to validate greenway routes within the project area and is working to develop a preliminary design for the greenway.

Belleview Farm Park Master Plan

The Belleview Farm, a historic 19th-century farmstead, was donated to St. Louis County by Harold K. Donnelly, with the deed specifying that the developed area must be maintained as a public park and the undeveloped portion as a wildlife and nature preserve. The St. Louis County Historic Buildings Commission interpreted the deed to also require the preservation of the main house, stone house, and winery as historic landmarks.

DG2 Design collaborated with the City of Wildwood and St. Louis County to create a Master Plan for the park. The 100-acre site, which includes pastures, meadows, and mature woodlands, offers dramatic topography with scenic views of the Meramec River valley. The design process prioritized preserving the historic structures and natural beauty while providing a destination for passive recreation. Extensive site analysis, including the documentation of historic and natural features, as well as topographical and drainage considerations, guided the design decisions to minimize environmental impact. Due to limited funding, the project is currently in a protection and restoration phase.

Gravois Greenway

Kinetic Park

In 2020, St. Charles County rebranded as Kinetic Park, inspired by the theme “energy in motion through adventure and play.” As part of this reimagining, a comprehensive master plan was developed to guide the park’s transformation. Phase 1, completed in July 2022, introduced an enhanced skateboarding area and improved parking facilities, laying the foundation for a more dynamic and accessible park experience.

Phase 2, completed in 2025, marked a significant evolution of Kinetic Park — shifting its focus from a teen-centric venue to an inclusive destination for families and individuals of all ages and abilities. Highlights of this phase include:

• A welcoming new park entrance and a new 12,000 sq ft Park Pavilion Building featuring a large multi-purpose room for pickleball, as well as a dining café, and administrative offices
• An expansive, 80,000-square-foot, universally designed adventure playground, featuring custom play towers, embankment slides, a unique underground cave, and a variety of engaging play elements
• Renovations to the existing pond and surrounding walkways

Phase 3, (under construction), will introduce a water play area, envisioned during the master planning process. This 17,000-square-foot aquatic zone will blend natural features with interactive water play, including sprayers, bubblers, a grotto waterfall, a meandering creek, and two exciting water slides. exploration for the whole community.

BJC Progress West Data Center & MOB

BJC Children’s South County Specialty Care Clinic