Former Cardinal Shannon to detail Heer's restaurant

The restaurant is part of a $26 million renovation project being drawn up by Blue Urban, a St. Louis-based development firm led by CEO Kevin McGowan, Shannon’s son-in-law.

McGowan announced Dec. 17 that Blue Urban would renovate the former department store as 38 condos, two restaurants and offices. He said construction on the vacant seven-story structure would begin in early June and would last no longer than 14 months.

Blue Urban Project Manager Chris Woldum said HBD Contracting, of St. Louis, has been selected as general contractor. HBD has done several of Blue Urban’s historic renovation projects in St. Louis, Woldum said.

Mike Shannon’s is slated to open in Heer’s by early summer 2009. It will be the restaurant’s second location; the first is near Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

Shannon will appear at 4 p.m. Friday at Park Central Square to publicize the restaurant, which has been characterized as a fine dining-sports bar hybrid establishment. Later that night, the Springfield Cardinals will host the St. Louis Cards at Hammons Field.

Shannon is entering his 37th season on the Cardinals radio network, according to www.mlb.com. The St. Louis native started his Major League Baseball career with the Cards in 1962 and won a World Series championship just two seasons later, according to the Web site. Shannon won a second World Series with the Cards in 1967 before a kidney disease forced him to retire from the league in 1970. Shannon was honored for 50 years of service to the Cardinals in 2007, eight years after being inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.

Also on Friday, McGowan will provide an update on the Heer’s condos, which are expected to be complete in summer 2009.

Under his agreement with the city, McGowan has until Sept. 1 to start construction work on Heer’s. He has agreed to pay the city $1,400 for each day of inactivity after the deadline, with a maximum penalty of $250,000.

Woldum said Blue Urban would hold a one-day sales event in May to line up buyers for the condos, which include a 3,000-square-foot penthouse in the building’s signature tower going for $750,000.