Martin Audio reinforces revived St Louis Armory
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Originally constructed in 1938 as an armoury for the Missouri National Guard - part of the New Deal after the Great Recession - it later became a US tennis HQ before transforming into a concert venue in the 1960s and 1970s (featuring Ike & Tina Turner and the Grateful Dead, among others).
More recently it has had a chequered life, before falling into disrepair. Several times it went back to the drawing board before Jake Miller and Chris Honstain of hospitality specialists Brick + Bev, an affiliate of local developers Green Street Real Estate Ventures, took it over. Honstain and Green Street’s Phil Hulse put their heads together and the project then went into overdrive.
The operators’ principal focus was The Commons, the huge 85,000 sq. ft main concert hall, with a 60ft x 32ft stage - the first of three spaces that will feature Martin Audio components over a phased opening. They were put in contact with Brad Stephens at Martin Audio North America, and their integration partner AVI Systems, who had worked with some of the facility’s operational staff over the previous six years, were awarded the contract.
They in turn specified Martin Audio’s WPL line array as being the optimum solution for the 5,200-cap space - a decision endorsed by both Honstain and production director, Rek Mohr.
The Commons’ sound reinforcement system was designed by AVI’s John VanStipdonk. His FOH system comprises 20 WPL (10 per side), with 12 of the smaller footprint WPS as out-fills (six per side). They have flown 12 SXCF118 subwoofers, with a further four SXH218 ground subs. These are all powered and processed in Martin Audio’s dedicated iKON iK42 and iK81 multichannel amplifiers.
Explaining the subwoofer design philosophy, he says: “We decided to use the cardioid subs for rejection on the stage. There are two hangs of six-deep behind each main array. Additional SXH ground stack subs are brought in for national artists and most larger shows.”
The integrator was assisted in system set-up and tuning by Martin Audio’s Joe Lima. “I had great support from Martin Audio as always; Brad Stephens and Joe were instrumental in making this project a success,” he summarised.
Now, attention turns to finalising the two other key spaces - the EDM dance hall and a nightclub. The 3,200 sq.ft basement EDM space will be more of a challenge, believes Mohr. “The ceiling clearance is 15ft instead of 80ft and there are more highly reflective surfaces, so control is even more important.” There is also a large, 8ft diameter original chimney which is being reactivated.
AVI Systems are finalising Martin Audio installations in all these areas - with four Torus arrays destined for the EDM room and eight CDD15 and four SX218 subs hung in the other space. Adorn speakers also feature in the ancillary areas, including the restrooms.
