SOUTH SIDE SPACES - Key Persons
Emily aims to help turn dreams into realities with tenant ideas and development projects alike. She thrives on seeing old buildings transformed for new purposes and given life by the people, businesses, and communities that occupy them. Ever a pupil at heart, she has a strong desire to constantly learn and improve, and implement new strategies to evolving processes and skills. The vast majority of the photos on the website were taken by her, and she wrote & researched most project pages and property descriptions.
Jason is responsible for providing the vision, planning, and pre-development work for our projects. He seeks to lower barriers to entry for small businesses and challenges our small team to use our limited resources in ways that make the biggest positive impact on the community. Jason has a penchant for taking on projects with architectural and historical significance.
Jason lives on Cherokee Street in Benton Park West and serves as a board member on the Cherokee Street Community Improvement District and National Building Arts Center boards. His time off is spent paddling Missouri rivers and camping in the Mark Twain National Forest.
Jessica is a licensed architect and owner of Virescent, a design firm specializing in sustainably-minded historic renovations and contemporary new construction. Jessica is a native St. Louisan and city dweller. Prior to moving back to St. Louis, Jessica worked as a sustainable building consultant in Zürich, Switzerland where she secured the certification for the first LEED Platinum building in Switzerland.
Megan is a St. Louis city dweller who is drawn to anything vintage. She's an avid thrifter who abides by a secondhand first rule whenever possible. Prior to joining South Side Spaces, she worked in different managerial and leasing roles where navigating damage control calmly served as her superpower.
In her free time, she can be found refinishing vintage furniture, scouring this city for hidden gems at local flea markets, or camping in the Missouri countryside with an old black Lab who doesn't understand the meaning of personal space. Megan resides in a historic city apartment with her senior pup, a cat named George Bailey, and far too many succulents.
Missy has experience in property and project management, in addition to community development and event planning. Missy loves hands-on work and understands the love and care needed to restore the beautiful spaces in South City. She is currently renovating her 130+ year old home a few blocks from Cherokee Street. Missy knew she was home with South Side Spaces when she saw a vintage optometrist chair in Nebula - it's just like the one she has in her dining room! Her interior decorating style takes cues from the Addams Family home: part oddities museum, part monument to the history of St. Louis - it's full of treasures, taxidermy, and great conversation pieces. Ever find yourself at a really weird yard sale in South City? Missy was probably your host.
Born and raised in Tajikistan, Petr has traveled the globe gathering skills in a variety of trades and developing a deep appreciation for architecture and building design. While living in Ukraine, he honed his craft for woodworking by clearing trees for a large rail company. Each day, his team would start by chopping down a tree and then process the lumber into beautiful, finished products ready for sale by close of business. A true jack-of-all-trades, it's no wonder Petr can fix or build just about anything.
Petr has been with South Side Spaces for over a decade and plays a critical role in all maintenance and construction projects. Outside of work, he loves to spend time with his family - his favorite pastime is playing games with his two grandsons. And in over 30 years of marriage, he and his wife have never had an argument!