ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - Less than two years after opening, Armory STL is set to 'temporarily,' close its doors.
In a statement released on its Facebook page, Armory STL says it will 'temporarily,' close its doors, citing lack of funding for subsequent several phases of the project that were never completed, which included a large lower level with entertainment venues and a rooftop beer garden on the east end of the building.
"This first phase that we opened was never meant to live on it's own," said Jimmy Smith, COO of 'The Armory' in a statement. "Even if we could have added the rooftop, this whole picture would be different. What we have planned out there was amazing."
Jacob Miller, a managing partner with Armory STL, tell KMOX reporter Sean Malone as part of their 'complicated' lease agreement with Green Street Real Estate, they were supposed to be given a tenant fund to build out the building. Miller says that's when the breakdown started.
"Not only did the landlord fail to fund the entire buildout of what we built, they only funded a small portion," said Miller.
Miller says when Green Street failed to do so, Armory STL had to take it financially upon themselves just to open nearly two years ago.
"We had vendors in our ears, so we had to take a bunch of debt, and short-term debt, really challenging debt" said Miller. "And there was just no end in sight because the landlord didn't fulfill its obligations."
Armory STL, located on the 3600 block of Market Street in Midtown, opened in December 2022, It resided inside the building that formerly was 138th Infantry Missouri National Guard Armory.
The 250,000-square-foot indoor space had six bars with more than 500 feet of bar space and over 90 taps, along with more than 40 interactive games, a two-story slide and six 30-foot LED screens.
Miller says Armory STL was not designed to survive on its own. He estimates one of the unopened parts of the project, a rooftop beer garden, would have brought in millions this summer.
KMOX stopped by Green Street's offices seeking comment but was told an appointment was necessary.