KAI joined a crowd of more than 500 people on Feb. 27 to celebrate the official opening of the Northside Movement Center (https://www.northsidemovementcenter.org), a transformative project honoring generations of Black-led organizing while investing in the future of community-led advocacy.

Minority-owned and -led KAI provided at-risk construction management services on the $5.5 million renovation of the former New North Side Family Life Center/Gateway Community Church of Christ building at 5939 Goodfellow Blvd., just miles from Ferguson where protests followed the 2014 death of Michael Brown.

The newly renovated, 36,000-square-foot building will serve as the shared home of ArchCity Defenders (archcitydefenders.org), a holistic legal advocacy organization that fights the criminalization of poverty and state violence, and Action St. Louis (actionstl.org), a grassroots organization working to build power for Black communities in the St. Louis area through organizing, advocacy and racial justice initiatives.

Characterized as a home for movement-building and a centralized location for advocacy, organizing, direct services and events, the center will soon offer rental and co-working space for community groups, along with flexible gathering spaces for meetings and community events.

“As an African American-owned firm rooted in the heart of St. Louis, we are deeply honored to help bring this project to life,” said KAI CEO Michael B. Kennedy. “These civil rights organizations represent more than just legal advocacy. This project is a symbol of empowerment, access, and justice in a community that has long been underserved. We believe that building in neighborhoods like this is not just construction, it’s restoration, healing and investment in our people’s future.”

The organizations’ search for a centralized location in North St. Louis began in 2021 and was driven by a commitment to be rooted in and invest in the communities they serve and organize alongside.

“We’re very excited about this project and to be coming into this community and working with the residents here,” said Blake Strode, executive director of ArchCity Defenders. “Our organizations believe deeply in community power. We provide services, engage in advocacy and organizing, and believe that power is built from the grassroots up. We’re going to be here in this footprint for the people of North Pointe, Mark Twain, Baden, Walnut Park, and surrounding areas to better understand what they need and how we can help them.”

Years in the making, the building was selected for its proximity to communities across North St. Louis city and county where many of the organizations’ clients live, and because the building itself has long served as a neighborhood anchor.

“We were really excited to complete the project because this has been a multi-year process of finding this building, purchasing it, and now completing the rehabilitation phase,” said Kayla Reed, executive director of Action St. Louis. “We focused on North St. Louis because that’s where the residents we serve live. We’re grateful to have a permanent place where they know they can find us, where they can come for resources and to connect with others. We hope to be a lighthouse for the people of North City, a hub where they can get what they need and where we can help connect them to resources.”