St. Louis Hills
Encyclopedia
St. Louis Hills is a neighborhood in St. Louis, Missouri
. The neighborhood, which is home to the Chippewa location of Ted Drewes Frozen Custard
, is situated in the southwest of St. Louis. It is bounded by Chippewa Street to the northwest and north, Hampton Avenue to the east, Gravois Avenue to the southeast, and the city limits to the southwest.
Some 80 years later, the rich history and tradition of St. Louis Hills lives on, and the St. Louis Hills Neighborhood Association is formally trying to improve its historical focus on what is considered by many to be the most desirable neighborhood in the City of St. Louis.
. At the time, the land included 2,471 acres. Camp and Reihl’s heirs sold the land to George C. Clarke, who gave it to two sons. When the Village was chartered as the City of St. Louis in 1836, St. Louis Hills was still remote, open and forested land, and essentially remained so until the early 1930’s. In 1876, when the county and city of St. Louis divided responsibilities, the western boundary of St. Louis City was set just west of the River des Peres
(River of the Fathers). Even then, what is now St. Louis Hills, was still open land.
David Rowland Francis, Governor of the state from 1889-1893, became owner of part of the property in 1884 on which he established his vast farm. At the turn of the century, David R. Francis was President of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition
from 1889 until its opening in 1904. Francis originally considered use of his farmland as a site for the World’s Fair, but logistics of transportation and construction to Francis’ land persuaded use of Forest Park as the now famous 1904 World’s Fair site. Francis was appointed U.S. Ambassador to Russia in 1916. The next year, Francis made a gift of the land to the city, and so it was named Francis Park. David Rowland Francis died January 15, 1927.
Cyrus Crane Willmore, for whom the neighborhood’s second park is named, became the visionary developer of the St. Louis Hills 700 acre neighborhood. He came to St. Louis in 1912 after graduation from the University of Illinois law school, and worked for a realty firm until 1922 when he formed his own company. Willmore’s intentions for the area were clear from the beginning: tree lined residential streets for families and single persons, churches and schools throughout, bordered on three sides by developing businesses, and open green spaces in parks. (See Architecture and Parks for more information.)
Names of streets within the neighborhood, as well as early development architecture, reflect Willmore’s English heritage—Nottingham Avenue, Devonshire Avenue, Tamm Avenue to name a few. Eichelberger Street, a main east-west roadway through the center of St. Louis Hills, was originally named Clarke Road for George C. Clarke. Mature trees lining streets throughout the area are predominantly oak
, maple
, poplar
, with birch
trees along Francis Park.
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. The neighborhood, which is home to the Chippewa location of Ted Drewes Frozen Custard
Ted Drewes
Ted Drewes is a frozen custard shop in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. The original St. Louis shop on Natural Bridge Road operated from 1930 to 1958. The Chippewa Street is open much of the year, the South Grand Boulevard location is open in summer. The Chippewa location is open until around midnight...
, is situated in the southwest of St. Louis. It is bounded by Chippewa Street to the northwest and north, Hampton Avenue to the east, Gravois Avenue to the southeast, and the city limits to the southwest.
Overview
St. Louis Hills is rich in its architecture, strategic location, and its history. “Country living in the City” was the phrase used to market St. Louis Hills in the 1930’s, since St. Louis Hills was so far west of any other residential or commercial buildings located within the City limits.Some 80 years later, the rich history and tradition of St. Louis Hills lives on, and the St. Louis Hills Neighborhood Association is formally trying to improve its historical focus on what is considered by many to be the most desirable neighborhood in the City of St. Louis.
St. Louis Hills History
The history of St. Louis Hills, developed from 1930-1950’s, is relatively short by the city’s beginnings in 1763. The land which became St. Louis Hills dates back to deeds granted to pioneer French colonists Madame Ann Camp and Anton Reihle in 1768 by one founder of the Village of St. Louis, Pierre LaclèdePierre Laclède
Pierre Laclède or Pierre Laclède Liguest was a French fur trader who, with his young assistant and "stepson" Auguste Chouteau, founded St...
. At the time, the land included 2,471 acres. Camp and Reihl’s heirs sold the land to George C. Clarke, who gave it to two sons. When the Village was chartered as the City of St. Louis in 1836, St. Louis Hills was still remote, open and forested land, and essentially remained so until the early 1930’s. In 1876, when the county and city of St. Louis divided responsibilities, the western boundary of St. Louis City was set just west of the River des Peres
River des Peres
The River des Peres is a metropolitan river in St. Louis, Missouri. It is the backbone of sanitary and stormwater systems in the city of St. Louis and portions of St. Louis County...
(River of the Fathers). Even then, what is now St. Louis Hills, was still open land.
David Rowland Francis, Governor of the state from 1889-1893, became owner of part of the property in 1884 on which he established his vast farm. At the turn of the century, David R. Francis was President of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition
Louisiana Purchase Exposition
The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the Saint Louis World's Fair, was an international exposition held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States in 1904.- Background :...
from 1889 until its opening in 1904. Francis originally considered use of his farmland as a site for the World’s Fair, but logistics of transportation and construction to Francis’ land persuaded use of Forest Park as the now famous 1904 World’s Fair site. Francis was appointed U.S. Ambassador to Russia in 1916. The next year, Francis made a gift of the land to the city, and so it was named Francis Park. David Rowland Francis died January 15, 1927.
Cyrus Crane Willmore, for whom the neighborhood’s second park is named, became the visionary developer of the St. Louis Hills 700 acre neighborhood. He came to St. Louis in 1912 after graduation from the University of Illinois law school, and worked for a realty firm until 1922 when he formed his own company. Willmore’s intentions for the area were clear from the beginning: tree lined residential streets for families and single persons, churches and schools throughout, bordered on three sides by developing businesses, and open green spaces in parks. (See Architecture and Parks for more information.)
Names of streets within the neighborhood, as well as early development architecture, reflect Willmore’s English heritage—Nottingham Avenue, Devonshire Avenue, Tamm Avenue to name a few. Eichelberger Street, a main east-west roadway through the center of St. Louis Hills, was originally named Clarke Road for George C. Clarke. Mature trees lining streets throughout the area are predominantly oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
, maple
Maple
Acer is a genus of trees or shrubs commonly known as maple.Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or together with the Hippocastanaceae included in the family Sapindaceae. Modern classifications, including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system, favour inclusion in...
, poplar
Poplar
Populus is a genus of 25–35 species of deciduous flowering plants in the family Salicaceae, native to most of the Northern Hemisphere. English names variously applied to different species include poplar , aspen, and cottonwood....
, with birch
Birch
Birch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...
trees along Francis Park.