The Korte Company has a rich history of construction projects in downtown St. Louis. The Hard Rock Cafe is no exception.
As the construction manager, The Korte Company began work on the Hard Rock restaurant and retail center, which was located within the historic St. Louis Union Station.
The project presented a number of unique construction and engineering challenges, namely an extremely aggressive construction schedule. Hard Rock, a music-themed restaurant, founded in 1971, was quickly expanding across the U.S. and needed the new facility to be completed in just 70 days.
Not only was this an extremely aggressive construction schedule, but the project was located adjacent to a portion of the St. Louis MetroLink tracks. The Hard Rock’s foundation was constructed just seven feet away from a structural element of the train’s platform, necessitating foundation walls to be dug 15 feet below grade to ensure the integrity of the surrounding structures.
The majority of construction took place in an extremely constrained area. At one point, all utilities (electric, gas and water) were installed simultaneously within a 50-foot-long trench measuring just 6 feet wide. Additionally, The Korte Company had to work above existing train tunnels that had been in place for over 100 years.
In order to successfully deliver the project on time, The Korte Company worked two shifts for the last six weeks of the project, including around-the-clock shifts during the last week. At the end of the day, The Hard Rock was delivered on time and on budget.
