Alex Oliver’s latest project could again make Washington Avenue a destination for dining and drinking.

On Tuesday, the local developer announced plans to bring a food hall to 1122 Washington, reimagining the space that once housed Reign nightclub and Copia Restaurant and Wine Garden. The 10,000-square-foot food hall will seat 230 guests and feature eight vendor stalls and two bars—one inside and one on the back patio beneath a retractable roof. Oliver, whose firm Oliver Properties has been on a buying and rehabbing spree on Wash Ave in the last two years, aims to open the food hall by April 2026.

“We’ve been working on Wash Ave for a while,” Oliver says. “This is really that next big push and launch. It’s something that is a little more grand than what we’ve done so far.”

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Raineri Construction will oversee the renovation and construction at the space, Eimer Design is contributing to the design, and Colicchio Consulting is leading the strategy. South Florida-based Fireten Hospitality is curating the lineup of vendors and will oversee operations once the concept is open.

“When we went down this venture, we were very adamant about finding expertise,” Oliver says. “I know how to develop properties. I know how to manage multifamily [developments]. I don’t know anything about running a food hall.”

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Why It Matters: As local stakeholders look for ways to increase vibrancy on downtown streets, Oliver’s food hall could be a catalyst for more foot traffic.

“Since we started investing downtown, a lot of people have asked me, ‘How do we help downtown grow?’” Oliver says. “The answer is projects like this.”

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The food hall’s proximity to the America’s Center complex will make it a destination for visitors attending conferences and conventions, predicts Ward 14 Alderman Rasheen Aldridge and Explore St. Louis CEO Brad Dean.

“This is not only going to serve residents,” Dean says. “It’s going to serve visitors. It’s going to serve meeting planners and their attendees.”

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What’s Next: Construction is on track to begin October 1.