PARIC :: THE NEXT LEVEL STARTS HERE

When July's heat hits the downtown pavement, hundreds of tourists, residents, and conventioneers will be heading 400 feet up to the new Three Sixty rooftop bar at the St. Louis Hilton at the Ballpark.

The $7 million bar which will hold up to 400 people and seat 275, is the brainchild of Stephen and Robert O'Loughlin of Lodging Hospitality Management Inc. (LHM), and will offer a 360-degree view of the Arch and riverfront, the St. Louis skyline and Busch Stadium.

Stephen O'Loughlin, president, said they wanted to showcase the Hilton Ballpark, their flagship hotel by adding a new attraction.

"It's been fun to add new elements like the Arch Street Ballroom that we constructed a few years ago, so it's making an iconic property more iconic," he says. "It's like an amusement park like Six Flags, where every few years, they add a new ride. We look at the Ballpark the same way. If there's a way to enhance that experience, to bring new customers to the hotel or give existing customers a new experience, then it's going to make the property even more successful."

The O'Loughlins got the idea last year when they were in Chicago at the ROOF, a rooftop bar in theWit Hotel, done by developer Bob Amick, president of Concentrics Restaurant.

Concentrics owns, manages and develops restaurants across the U.S., including cibo matto, Chicago, Luma on Park, Orlando, Fla., and Two Urban Licks in Atlanta. Amick has been nominated for several James Beard Awards including "Outstanding Restaurateur" and "Best Restaurant." Concentrics' restaurants have been named to Conde Nast Traveler's "Hot List;" Bon Appetit's "Hot 50 Tables;" and Esquire's "Best New Restaurants." Amick's team anticipates that Three Sixty will be as well received as the ROOF which was named "Best Rooftop Bar in the World" by ABC News.

The fit for this project seemed natural. "We started thinking about our location with the Arch and the river on one side, and Busch Stadium on the other side with great city views," O'Loughlin says. "We explored it a little further by looking at other rooftop bars, and decided to make the call to Bob Amick. Then it came together very quickly."

Amick says the O'Loughlins' idea was a rooftop bar.

"I had done theWit in Chicago a few years ago, and it had three restaurants, plus a rooftop which was the first rooftop I'd ever done," Amick says. “I do one-of-a-kind restaurants, and don't ever repeat myself because I'm always looking for great projects.

"I had done some work for Hilton and Steve asked me if I would consider doing a project in St. Louis. I said 'Sure, let's take a look.’ Doing a rooftop for Hilton seemed like a great project," he says.

O'Loughlin says that Three Sixty will be a unique experience similar to rooftop bars in New York.

"The views will make this another destination, like going to the Arch, the Zoo or the Cardinal games, bringing your family:' he says.

Besides the views, the bar itself will be a showcase, catering to whatever the customers want and will feature a small plate menu.

"A third of the space is always outside," Amick says. "A third is what I call flex space, it can be open or closed, and a third is inside. It's really geared to be an open-air space."

Sliding glass doors will bring the outdoors inside, weather permitting, and 6 fire pits will make the roof accommodating when the weather is less than permitting.

Brian Finkel, lead architect on the project from The Johnson Studio, Atlanta, Ga., says, "Three Sixty will offer several experiences both indoors and out. Voyeurs can perch on stylish, comfortable seating and take in the panoramic views. Inside will offer a lively bar and lounge with views of the 2 open kitchens featuring counter seating. Guests can sit at one of the communal tables or book the private room. Lots of warm wood provides an inviting backdrop for pops of grassy green-a nod to the neighboring ballpark."

While constructing a building with a roof- top bar is challenging, building a rooftop bar on a roof that wasn't designed to hold a bar brings its own special quirks.

In other words, adding 25 feet on the existing 280-foot building. To meet that challenge, LHM hired Paric.

Paric Vice President Todd Goodrich says that the original structure was designed as a roof and nothing else. "Now we're putting 275 people on it so that means different structural requirements. There's nothing involved with this project that is not a challenge."

Part of the scope of the project was to extend all 3 existing elevators up one level to the new rooftop bar. Each elevator is suspended, the equipment relocated, then the elevator is reattached.

"Then we demolish the existing structure in the shaft and put the elevator back into operation. We have to do that with each of the 3 elevators that will be extended to the new bar on the roof,” Goodrich says.

Since the site (referred to as "tight" which is an understatement) is located on a busy intersection, the logistics of delivery is not an easy task.

"Most deliveries go directly from truck to roof via crane,’ he says. ”We have a very large 400-foot crane. Anything going to the roof goes by crane, and it is a sight to behold.