About Us

Arch Reactor was founded in 2009 at a local pizza joint by a group of friends who liked technology, programming, making, and pizza. Our first decision was to create a donation can to save for our first space. That donation can (and the $7 that started in it) took us from the food court, to a borrowed apartment, to our first space at the Lemp Brewery (which we outgrew in 3 months!), to our second space at the Jefferson Underground, and finally to our current location in the former Dixie Cream Donut Flour factory. Now St. Louis' original and largest hackerspace, Arch Reactor's growing membership continues to bring new skills, projects, equipment, and people to one place.

We fall under the umbrella of the hackerspace and maker movements. While some of our members are involved in the information security industry, you won't have any fear of getting your phone or computer hacked by visiting our space. The hacking we do is creative, not destructive. When we refer to hacking, we mean either the re-purposing or modification of a commercial product, DIY hacking together of a project, or just the act of exciting, creative work.

We are a 501c3 Educational Non-Profit Organization. Our space is a communal workshop for our members to share tools and work on projects. It is also a place to learn new skills, either in one of our classes or from the many experts that make up our membership. Most importantly, we are a welcoming and creative place for all makers in the St. Louis area.

Hours:

Members have keys and 24/7 access to the space, but everyone is always welcome to visit the space when it's open. If you would like to check us out or have a project you would like to bring in to work on, please check the calender for scheduled events. Generally, all events are free and open to the public.* We are open nearly every Tuesday and Sunday night from approximately 7pm until the last full member leaves. Watch the website front page or our Discor server if you are a member of it. and see Archbot's notifications on when the space is open. If it is, come on out!

* Occasionally an event will request a donation to help cover costs, or a class may require material fees. Very rarely, there will be a members-only event, but these are few and far between and will be stated clearly on the calendar far in advance.