Fornidos Signs Lease at Gateway South
The homebuilding company plans a regional manufacturing hub in an approximately 55,000-square-foot facility, with ARCO leading the design-build effort.
Fornidos Home Systems has signed a lease for a purpose-built manufacturing facility at Gateway South. The company plans to make the district its regional base for producing building components used in housing developments.
For Gateway South, the project brings a practical connection between the district’s redevelopment and the construction industry it is being built to support. Fornidos will manufacture components here that builders can assemble into homes across the region.
A St. Louis Base for Regional Homebuilding
Fornidos’ panelized construction system moves more of the homebuilding process into a controlled manufacturing setting. Its panels can incorporate framing, insulation, windows, doors and interior finishes before they reach a construction site. The approach is intended to reduce on-site assembly time, with construction drawings, installation guidance and contractor training supporting the builders who use it.
“St. Louis is a natural base for the markets we plan to serve,” said Mark Lee, CEO of Fornidos Home Systems.
The company is advancing several housing projects in the St. Louis region and setting up temporary manufacturing operations using equipment intended for its permanent facility. Those operations will provide capacity to serve customers while the new building is developed.
A Factory Designed Around the Work
The permanent facility is planned for 1120 South Second Street. Its approximately 55,000 square feet will accommodate panel fabrication and assembly, with space organized around Fornidos’ equipment, production workflow and logistics.
ARCO is the project’s design-build team, and permitting is underway. Construction is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2027, with delivery targeted for the fourth quarter.
The facility is part of Gateway South’s first phase, which combines new construction with historic building rehabilitation and planned education and community uses. Together, these projects will bring businesses, workers and services into the riverfront district.
We are building Gateway South around businesses that make things and the people who do that work. A permanent home for Fornidos puts housing production at the center of that effort.