A 19th-century warehouse and a vision forge a downtown loft community and a new beginning A redevelopment project in the heart of Downtown St. Joseph has established a new community of modern lofts while preserving one of the area’s most prominent historic properties. Kansas City-based development firms Sky Real Estate, LLC and Sunflower Development Group, LLC led the effort. The American Electric Building’s preservation plan included the original masonry walls, timber structure and architectural motifs. Several hundred windows were replaced with high-performance models that would maintain the historic look of the building.