Book a Berth in Admiral Trost Center

In August, a 77-room Hampton Inn is scheduled to open at the Admiral Trost Center, according to Terry Johnson, a partner in Columbia Hospitality LLC (which owns the new hotel) and owner of Johnson Properties. The Hampton Inn will be the first hotel in Columbia, just across the Mississippi River from St. Louis. Gray Design Group of St. Louis is the architect on the project, and GRS Construction of Columbia is general contractor. Reliance Bank is providing construction financing on the $6.3 million project.

The intersection of Admiral Parkway (Illinois Route 3) and Valmeyer Road in the heart of this small city is taking on a new look as development of the Admiral Trost Center gains momentum, according to Craig Hiser, president and managing broker of CMJP Properties, broker for the development. Columbia-based Wegmann Properties and Wegmann Group are developers of the center, a commercial and light industrial project that will cover just over 30 acres when completed.

Last December, Maverick Technologies moved into its new 35,000-square-foot, $6 million world headquarters in the Admiral Trost Center. Korte Construction is general contractor on the design-build project. Maverick, which provides engineering, systems integration and consulting in the industrial automation field and employs about 600 people company wide, has 110 employees in the new, two-story building.

In April, Reliance Bank opened a new 3,800-square-foot bank branch, also in the Admiral Trost Center. United Construction of St. Louis was general contractor on the $800,000 project.

Admiral Trost Center is named for Columbia native son Carlisle Trost, USN, a retired United States Navy officer who served as the Navy’s twenty-third Chief of Naval Operations and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1986 to 1990. He oversaw the Navy during the end of the Cold War, and was involved in preparations for the first Persian Gulf War (1991).