Keeley Construction’s Marlowe Announced as an AGC Keystone Finalist

SAINT LOUIS, MO – November 14, 2023 – The Keeley Construction Building Group is proud to announce that the Marlowe was named an AGC Keystone Finalist. The Keeley Building Group worked together with Keeley Properties to construct the Marlowe, a luxury, multifamily residence in the Central West End neighborhood of St. Louis, MO. The vision for the Marlowe came to life on-time and on-budget, bringing an aesthetically pleasing building to the community. The Marlowe is seven stories and houses 205 apartment units ranging from micro-units and studios to two-bedrooms. The residence also offers a full suite of amenities including a luxury pool, 9-hole putting green, fitness center, BBQ station with a shade structure, and more.

Completed in March of 2022, construction of the Marlowe began in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. This presented a unique set of challenges including a reduction in manpower and increased costs due to skyrocketing lumber prices in 2021. The Keeley team was able to implement innovative solutions to ensure that no major delays were caused and the project continued to run smoothly. The Central West End neighborhood is also densely populated with residents, visitors, and other buildings. The team was able to safely implement procedures to protect the public and surrounding buildings, achieving ZERO recordables throughout the entire duration of the project. “Building Marlowe in the middle of a pandemic only presented opportunities. The normalcy of ‘Build a Schedule, Build a Project’ was out the window when dealing with supply chain and manpower constraints. The Keeley team spent a great deal of time collaborating and finding innovative ways to navigate these major procurement delays,“ said Rob Grzyb, Director of Buliding Operations. “We strengthened our relationships with our subcontractors by communicating effectively, gaining their trust and resources in order to deliver alternate materials and schedule work. This allowed us to get creative and open up to new and even better ways to get the job done on future projects.”

Keeley Construction worked closely with developer and owner, Keeley Properties, throughout the entire project. Effective communication was key and the team implemented daily huddles with the foreman onsite to discuss the day’s activities to ensure everything remained on schedule. The team created a delivery process to schedule all deliveries and manage congestion on site and submitted a report to Keeley Properties on a monthly basis to make sure all parties were always up to date on progress, costs, contingency usage, etc. “My favorite part about working with Keeley Construction is that both teams are always going in the same direction, working towards the same end goal,” said Mark Rubin, VP of Development at Keeley Properties. “Culturally, everyone uplifts each other, and it is not construction vs. development. This family culture promotes a more efficient, functional environment where everyone can truly thrive and do what they are good at.”

Since Keeley Properties would be managing the building upon completion, the Keeley Construction team brought the Property Manager into the project early to collaborate about construction and begin to manage the property with tenants. Feedback from Keeley Properties stated that Keeley Construction provided a high level of communication during the move-in process – from the first tenant through full lease up. Keeley Properties was even able to move in tenants early while construction was still occurring. Keeley Construction turned over floors 1-3 to allow tenant move-in while continuing construction on floors 4-7. This integrated approach resulted in a great experience for the tenants and a high lease up curve for the Keeley Properties team.