New Literary Center Opens

A new literary arts venue is now open in the Grand Center Arts District in St. Louis. High Low is the latest development project from the Kranzberg Arts Foundation, created to serve as a place for freedom of expression through spoken and written word. The renovated two-story building located at 3301 Washington Avenue includes a 1,500-square-foot main level library and café, gallery, event space, office space for non-profits, and a writer’s suite.

Several local organizations already have offices at the High Low, and will act as programming partners to serve the St. Louis literary community. Those include Flood Editions, “River Styx” (St. Louis' oldest literary magazine), the Shirley Bradley LeFlore Foundation and the Creative Arts and Expressions Lab, the St. Louis Poet Laureate Jane Ellen Ibur, St. Louis Poetry Center, St. Louis Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts (VLAA), Tennessee Williams Festival, and UrbArts Poetics. 

“We are thrilled to partner with St. Louis' top literary arts organizations and those that support local writers to provide this unique, collaborative space for everyone to enjoy," says Chris Hansen, Executive Director of the Kranzberg Arts Foundation. "We look forward to serving and supporting the literary community in the same way we have supported the music, visual and performing arts communities locally."

The progressive library will feature rotating collections of books, magazines, literary journals, newspapers and articles. The library is being sourced from the donations of private individuals, institutions, and Left Bank Books. 

The café, Blueprint Coffee at High Low, will operate daily from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. with a full-service coffee program by Blueprint Coffee and a fast-casual food service program developed by lauded local chef Rob Connoley. Dynamic seating options including comfortable sectionals, focused workspaces and storefront café seating will offer patrons a variety of spaces to meet and work.

The 600-square-foot gallery space (expandable up to 2,600 square-feet) will host rotating exhibits dedicated to literary arts-focused exhibitions in a temperature and humidity controlled environment to protect collections. A 2,000-square-foot/200 capacity dynamic performance and event space is dedicated to literary-arts-focused content from poetry readings to storytelling and literary series to book signings.

Two distinct workspaces occupy the building's second floor. The 1,000-square-foot Writer's Suite houses KAF's forthcoming Writers-in-Residence program designed to support local up-and-coming writers and attract national and international writers to the community. Additional spaces are available for rent by local writers on a weekly or monthly basis.

“St. Louis is a literary city. High Low fills a niche that we feel is needed to create a place where writers and literary institutions can collaborate to further the literary arts. It will be a welcoming place for all to enjoy," says KAF founder Ken Kranzberg.

Kranzberg Arts Foundation worked with SPACE Architecture + Design to complete the project. KAF previously collaborated with SPACE on several other development projects including The Grandel and .ZACK in the Grand Center Arts District.

For updated information on events, tickets and the venue, visit https://kranzbergartsfoundation.org/high-low/.