Checkmate Design LLC
Checkmate Design LLC is an 8-person St. Louis architecture firm specializing in historic renovation and adaptive reuse for property developers and hospitality owners across Missouri and Iowa, integrated with Restoration St. Louis and affiliated construction and hospitality entities.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2001
- HeadquartersSaint Louis, Missouri, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Checkmate Design LLC does
Checkmate Design LLC is an 8-person architecture and design firm founded in 2001 by Amy Gill and headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. The firm specializes in historic renovation and adaptive reuse, restoring architecturally significant buildings — including works by Adler & Sullivan and Daniel Burnham — across the St. Louis and Davenport, Iowa markets. Its core service is architecture and design for historic renovations, mixed-use developments, and hospitality projects, with a stated methodology of merging design and construction into a seamless process to accelerate project turnaround.
The firm's revenue model is professional services: design fees on projects ranging from $80,000 residential rehabs to $40 million commercial restorations. Projects are secured through direct engagement with property developers, real estate investors, and hospitality owners, with a long sales cycle driven by portfolio reputation and historic renovation expertise. Checkmate Design operates as the captive architecture arm of Restoration St. Louis (the affiliated development company) and shares founders Amrit and Amy Gill with a broader integrated ecosystem that includes A&A Contracting, InnKeeper Hospitality Services, and FrontDoor St. Louis, all co-located at 4240 Manchester Avenue.
The firm has completed over 55 historic renovation projects since inception, with marquee work including Hotel Blackhawk, The Current Iowa, Hotel Saint Louis, and The Warrior Hotel — all flying the Marriott Autograph Collection flag — plus residential and mixed-use developments such as Gateway Lofts, City Square, The Moolah, and the Lindell Towers. Customer segments center on property developers/real estate investors and hospitality owners seeking premium boutique hotel restorations and adaptive reuse, with Wells Fargo and Marriott International as notable enterprise logos. There is no indication of external institutional investment, and the firm operates as a privately held, family-controlled Missouri LLC.
Checkmate Design LLC firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Checkmate Design LLC
- Legal name
- Checkmate Design LLC
- Website
- https://checkmatedesign.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2001
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Checkmate Design LLC is an 8-person St. Louis architecture firm specializing in historic renovation and adaptive reuse for property developers and hospitality owners across Missouri and Iowa, integrated with Restoration St. Louis and affiliated construction and hospitality entities.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Checkmate Design LLC industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Architecture Services
- NAICS
- Architectural Services (54131), Residential Remodelers (236118)
- SIC
- Services-Engineering Services (8711), General Bldg Contractors - Residential Bldgs (1520)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Architectural Reconfiguration & Structural Alterations (HSAPAEAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Space Planning & Test Fits (BPABAFAB), Load-Bearing Wall Removal & Structural Beam Installation (HSAPAFAB)
Keywords
Where Checkmate Design LLC is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Saint Louis, Missouri
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Checkmate Design LLC business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Architecture and Design Services: Provides architectural design services for historic renovations, new constructions, mixed-use developments, and hospitality projects. Projects range from $80,000 residential to $40 million commercial restorations.
- Spatial Design: Architecture and spatial design services with a combined fifty years of experience, delivering projects on time and on budget.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Checkmate Design LLC product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Checkmate Design LLC is a privately held architecture and design firm specializing in historic renovation and adaptive reuse of significant buildings. The firm merges architecture and construction into a seamless, developer-friendly process, with project scopes ranging from $80,000 residential rehabs to $40 million restoration projects across St. Louis, MO and Davenport, IA.
Product overview
Checkmate Design LLC is an architecture and construction firm specializing in historic renovation and adaptive reuse projects in the St. Louis, MO and Davenport, IA areas. The company offers comprehensive architecture and design services focused on restoring historically significant buildings. Their portfolio includes boutique hotels (Hotel Blackhawk, The Current Iowa, Hotel Saint Louis, The Warrior Hotel), mixed-use developments, and residential apartment communities. The firm merges design and construction into a seamless process, completing projects ranging from $80,000 residential rehabs to $40 million restoration projects. Notable projects include Gateway Lofts (55-unit apartment building), City Square (mixed-use development), The Moolah (Moorish temple converted to theater and apartments), and various residential loft conversions. The company has completed over 55 projects with a combined 50 years of architecture and spatial design experience.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Historic Renovation Architecture Services Architecture and construction services specializing in the restoration and adaptive reuse of historically significant buildings, focusing on historic renovations around the St. Louis area and downtown Davenport. Engages property developers, real estate investors, and hospitality owners on projects from $80,000 residential rehabs to $40 million commercial restorations.
- Spatial Design Services Spatial design services delivered alongside architectural services, applying combined fifty years of architecture and spatial design experience to deliver projects on time and on budget for developers and property owners.
Quantifiable outcome
- 55+ historic renovation projects completed successfully
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Checkmate Design LLC
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Checkmate Design LLC technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Checkmate Design LLC partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Space, LLCcoreTeamed up with Space, LLC for completion of the 15th floor and Skybar at Hotel Saint Louis project. Space LLC is handling the rooftop bar development as part of the Marriott Autograph hotel project.
- Trivers AssociatescorePartnered with Trivers Associates for The Moolah Temple renovation project in 2002. Trivers provided architectural expertise for converting the historic Shrine building into a movie palace, boutique bowling alley, and apartments.
- HKW ArchitectscorePartnered with HKW Architects to create the Moolah Garage - a 746 parking space garage with rooftop pool that won the AIA Saint Louis Distinguished Award.
- Cohen Hilberry ArchitectscoreLong-term partnership with Cohen Hilberry Architects on multiple projects including Lindell Towers East, Theresa Park Lofts, and Cloisters. Collaborated on floor plan expansions and modern amenity additions.
- SP ArchitectscoreWorked with SP Architects on Hotel Blackhawk restoration completed in December 2010. SP Architects provided architectural support for the $35 million renovation of the historic 1915 hotel.
- Restoration St. LouiscoreAffiliated company and primary client. Checkmate Design provides architectural services for all Restoration St. Louis projects. Both companies share founders Amrit and Amy Gill and are part of an integrated ecosystem including A&A Contracting, InnKeeper Hospitality Services, and FrontDoor St. Louis.
- Marriott International (Autograph Collection)coreMultiple projects fly the Marriott Autograph Collection flag including Hotel Blackhawk, The Current Iowa, Hotel Saint Louis, and The Warrior Hotel. Marriott provides brand affiliation and loyalty program (Bonvoy) integration.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Checkmate Design LLC competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- HOK: Global architecture and design firm headquartered in St. Louis with extensive experience in adaptive reuse, historic preservation, hospitality design, and mixed-use developments—directly overlapping with Checkmate's core services at much greater scale and geographic breadth.
Direct peers
- Beyer Blinder Belle: National architecture firm specializing in historic preservation, restoration, and adaptive reuse of architecturally significant buildings. Directly comparable to Checkmate for projects involving landmark structures and contextual design.
- HKS Inc. Major hospitality-focused architecture firm with significant hotel and resort design experience. Comparable to Checkmate's work on Marriott Autograph Collection properties and boutique hotel conversions.
- Trivers Associates: St. Louis architecture firm that partnered with Checkmate Design on the Moolah Temple renovation in 2002. Specializes in historic preservation, adaptive reuse, and architectural services directly comparable to Checkmate's portfolio.
- Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates: Engineering and architecture firm specializing in structural evaluation, restoration, and preservation of existing and historic buildings. Comparable to Checkmate for projects requiring both architectural vision and structural expertise on legacy structures.
- Mackey Mitchell Architects: St. Louis-based architecture firm with a strong regional portfolio in adaptive reuse, historic renovation, mixed-use developments, and cultural projects—directly comparable to Checkmate's market focus, scale, and service offering.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Checkmate Design LLC social profiles
Digital presenceCheckmate Design LLC financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Checkmate Design LLC leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Checkmate Design LLC funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Checkmate Design LLC M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Checkmate Design LLC
What does Checkmate Design LLC do?
Checkmate Design LLC is a privately held architecture and design firm specializing in historic renovation and adaptive reuse of significant buildings. The firm merges architecture and construction into a seamless, developer-friendly process, with project scopes ranging from $80,000 residential rehabs to $40 million restoration projects across St. Louis, MO and Davenport, IA.
Is Checkmate Design LLC a public or private company?
Checkmate Design LLC is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Checkmate Design LLC founded?
Checkmate Design LLC was founded in 2001. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Checkmate Design LLC based?
Checkmate Design LLC is headquartered in Saint Louis, Missouri, United States, in the North America region.
How does Checkmate Design LLC make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Architecture and Design Services are the primary driver. The others are spatial Design.
Who are Checkmate Design LLC's main competitors?
HOK is listed as a broad incumbent. Direct peers are Beyer Blinder Belle, HKS Inc., Trivers Associates, Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates and Mackey Mitchell Architects.
Does Checkmate Design LLC have an API?
No public API is recorded for Checkmate Design LLC.
What industry is Checkmate Design LLC in?
Checkmate Design LLC's product category is Architecture Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSAPAEAB, Architectural Reconfiguration & Structural Alterations, with a secondary code of BPABAFAB, Space Planning & Test Fits. Its NAICS code is 54131 and its SIC code is 8711.