Ten months have passed since Del Taco vacated the saucer-shaped building at 212 S. Grand, leaving the historic building in the dark without a tenant.  

If everything goes according to plan, the building may be on its way back to prosperity as Starbucks and Chipotle are near completion of leases that will allow them to occupy the saucer-shaped building by the start of the fall semester.

Rick Yackey, developer and owner of the building, unveiled plans to renovate it during a public meeting at the site on Sept. 14.

The renderings that he presented featured an expansion of the retail space to about 4,800 square feet to allow space for two tenants.

“It’s going to be a great adaptive re-use of the site and we will be able to save the building and we will be able to get something that students can utilize that isn’t drawing problems to this area,” Yackey said at the meeting.

Chipotle will occupy the east side of the building, about 2,000 square feet, while Starbucks will occupy the other 2,800 square feet of the building.

Plans for the renovation include the utilizing of Del Taco’s drive-thru window for Starbucks to use.

The building, originally constructed in 1967 as a Phillips 66 gas station, gained attention in the summer as Yackey first proposed to demolish the building after Del Taco moved out.

Preservationists and passionate citizens protested against the demolition, stating that the building was a St. Louis landmark because of its unique design.

Yackey said that at first he did not believe maintaining the building could be economically feasible.

By September, Yackey had begun finalizing his plans to keep the building and renovate the building for two tenants to occupy.

“Once completed, this building will be next to the Arch as the iconic piece of St. Louis,” Yackey said.

Plans to renovate and expand the building are moving forward as Starbucks and Chipotle are believed to be near completion of leases.