21c St. Louis by Hufft
21c St. Louis in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, is a boutique hotel and museum designed by Hufft in 2023. The design revitalizes and restores the building’s key historic features with an atmosphere that feels like a museum while remaining comfortable and homelike, and evokes the YMCA’s 1920s mission to welcome both locals and travelers.
A Storytelling Design Approach
The design of 21c St. Louis begins with the history of the building—revitalizing and restoring key historic features that tell a story. Inspired by the YMCA’s 1920s mission, the space is a destination welcoming both locals and travelers.
A Comfortable, Homelike Atmosphere
It creates an atmosphere that feels like a museum while remaining comfortable and homelike, with a dose of nostalgia. Walls and ceilings were opened to expand visual connections, using arches and soft curving forms to echo the building’s existing architectural language.
Beautiful Textures and Tones
A neutral base palette allows experiential engagement with art, while textures like leather and wood integrate seamlessly into the historic fabric, offering their own patina and weathered story.
Idol Wolf Restaurant and Bar
From the historic lobby, the restaurant and bar, Idol Wolf, lures guests with gradating levels of immersion—from the naturally lit bar to the intimate firelit private dining room. The materiality, tones, and textures are inspired by Spanish heritage—flamenco dancing, horseback riding, and tapas culture.
Custom Furniture Delivers Elegance
A series of custom furniture pieces, fabricated in-house, address the restaurant’s functional needs with elegance. These include an oversized bar cart for celebratory sangria service, a ‘gueridon’ for showcasing dishes and water carafes, and a rolling butcher block cutting station. Crafted from hand-glued and milled solid maple, each piece was routed on the CNC and paired with powder-coated steel frames.
Good Press Cafe
The café, Good Press, was designed as a friendly corner, resembling a refined VW bus with a roof rack and café curtains.
Library and Vaulted Ceiling
In the library, a cascading banquette leads the eye to art on the vaulted ceiling.
Locust Street Athletic Swim Club
On the lower level, the Locust Street Athletic Swim Club pays homage to the YMCA’s roots with nostalgic blocks of color set against an industrial backdrop.
Whimsical Wellness Discovery
Meandering halls guide guests from reception to the historic pool, creating moments of whimsy, wellness, and discovery along the way.
Photography courtesy of Hufft
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