By HFT Staff

Lawrence Group employed its extensive expertise in healthcare, hospitality, multifamily housing and workplace design to envision a new $34 million Ronald McDonald House in St. Louis City, Missouri. 

The new 76,000-square-foot, four-story Grove Ronald McDonald House is under construction in the Forest Park Southeast neighborhood and will replace a pair of older Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) of St. Louis locations on Park Avenue and West Pine to expand the organization’s capacity to serve approximately 450 more families each year (40 percent more than current capacity). 

Ronald McDonald Houses are known throughout the world as welcoming spaces where families of seriously ill children can rest and bond with other families going through similar challenges as their children receive care in nearby hospitals and medical facilities. They provide a true home-away-from-home for families during an extremely difficult time, and as such the spaces are thoughtfully designed with the families' needs in mind. 

The organization’s goal was to combine amenities of its two existing St. Louis City Ronald McDonald Houses into a larger, state-of-the-art facility with easy access to St. Louis Children’s Hospital, SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital and Shriner’s Hospital for Children – St. Louis. In 2019, the organization reported having to turn away a family in need over 3,000 times, with the need continuing to grow in recent years. 

Lawrence Group provided full-service architectural and interior design on the new 72-bedroom building; fixture, equipment and furniture specification and procurement; and landscape design. BSI Constructors is the general contractor on the project. 

Projected to open in summer 2024, the Grove Ronald McDonald House represents the true spirit of collaboration and trust between Lawrence Group, the organization and its key partners, as well as Lawrence Group's continued commitment to the St. Louis community. 

Through Lawrence Group’s design, RMHC St. Louis was able to realize amenities and “wish list” items for the Grove Ronald McDonald House that the organization had long desired, including: 

• Interactive game rooms 
• Wellness suite with fitness, yoga and massage rooms 
• Well-appointed, long-stay guest rooms 
• Work-from-home spaces 
• Rooftop patio 
• Commercial kitchen 
• Laundry facilities 
• Serenity spaces 
• Hospitality lounge on levels 2 to 4 with comfortable seating, TV, small kitchenette and vending machines 
• ADA-compliant playroom featuring an imaginative tree structure and slide 

Lawrence Group’s designers paid particular attention to the guest room interiors, realizing the importance of comfort to the families who will stay there.