College Hill- A Once Thriving North St. Louis Urban District named after St. Louis University.

The area was originally called the Town of Lowell but got its name because it was the location of the Saint Louis University College Farm acquired by the University for garden and recreation purposes in 1836. The farm was subdivided in the early 1870s and the development of College Hill began with its annexation into the City of St. Louis in 1871. The neighborhood’s most iconic remaining landmarks, The Grand Avenue Water Tower, was built in 1871 and was thought to. be the largest perfect Corinthian column in existence. Another great monument, the Bissell Tower, was built in 1887. The neighborhood filled in between 1880 and 1920 with a mixture of townhouses and four family flats along with some single-family brick dwellings. The area’s historic commercial center was located along East Grand around the Old Water Tower with a strip along W. Florissant Avenue. This neighborhood was a vibrant and very walkable district into the late 1960s. But the 1970s, with white flight and the expanding area of concentrated Black poverty in North St. Louis, was disastrous for College Hill. The vast majority of structures have been demolished here and the neighborhood’s population now sits at about 10% of its peak. College Hill has lost significantly more of its built environment comparted to neighboring O’Fallon’s Park.

On the bright side, half of College Hill’s residents are homeowners who don’t appear to be going anywhere soon. Given College Hill’s convenience of Dwtn St. Louis (4 miles), solid public transit, great park amenities, and great connectivity and urban grid it is only a matter of time before this once great urban neighborhood comes back, but it could still take a couple decades given the fact that the City of St. Louis is still loosing population.

Click here to view my College Hill Album on Flickr

URBAN STRENGTHS:

* Sidewalks generally consistent but only about 1/4 of all intersections are ADA accessible.
* Decent public transit access and very convenient access to dwtn being just a 25 min bus ride and 10 min drive. Also only a 25 min bike ride.
* Excellent connectivity.
* Decent # of families with kids.
* Limited parks within College Hill but some great ones located on the edge of it (Fairground Park, O’Fallon Park, and Hyde Park.
* Decent tree canopy.
* College Hill has two iconic historic water towers (i.e. Grand Avenue & Bissell Street).

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

This is over a 90% Black neighborhood but some economic diversity.
Limited bike lanes within College Hill but some decent bike paths just outside of the neighborhood and not too hard to get to the Mississippi Riverfront trail that then feeds to Dwtn.
Decent public elementary schools here but only a handful of other smaller private schools and a poorly rated public high school located not too far away.
Limited rentals listed on the market. What does exist is probably pretty cheap.
For sale housing market is pretty limited too. What does sell homes in generally btwn 50K-150K.
Generally pretty high crime rates here and lots of vacancy and blight.
Some decent historic architecture but what is still standing is often blighted. Modern in-fill is very limited.
There is essentially no open businesses or cultural amenities within College Hill. Some retail amenities in neighboring O’Fallon Park.
Since of the bldgs. are gone in the historic commercial districts (Grand Blvd and Florissant) there is not much urban form to speak of. The streetscaping is better along Grand as the sidewalks are often overgrown and missing on Florissant.
Poor density for an urban area.”

University City- An Inner Ring Urban St. Louis Suburb named after Washington University

In the late 19th century University City was primarily a small farming communities. Development of the area really began in the turn of the 20th century largely influenced by Woman magazine editor Edward Gardner Lewis’s decision to break ground for his publishing company’s headquarters: the Magazine Building (now City Hall) in 1903. The building is an ornate octagonal 135-foot tower. He also built several other City Beautiful monuments including Egyptian temple, the Art Academy, and the Lion Gates and incrementally sold off his land holdings around the Magazine Bldg. University City was formally incorporated in 1906and named after Washington University. Between 1910 and 1920, the City was exploding. By the 1920s, University City’s main business corridor, Delmar Boulevard, also referred to as the Loop, was a vibrant streetcar shopping destination. Like inner St. Louis neighborhoods, University City was affected by urban sprawl and white flight. Large numbers of African American families displaced by St. Louis’ extensive urban renewal projects moved in north of Olvie Blvd. Amazingly this black/white divide still largely exists in University City. The city has also had a large middle-class Jewish presence. University City lost about 30% of its population from its peak in 1960s but it appears it’s close to stabilizing at around 35K residents.

From an urban perspective University City is pretty walkable (especially around the Loop area). But it has solid public transit throughout most of this evaluation area and a couple smaller urban biz nodes throughout. Retail and cultural amenities are solid and there are lots of well dispersed parks. There is also a good array of rental and for sale price points making the City accessible to middle and upper middle class households. To become a top tier urban district University City needs more density and expanded mixed-use urban nodes. It also needs better schools, and to better racially integrate the City.

Click here to view my University City Album on Flickr

URBAN STRENGTHS:

* 90% of streets have sidewalks and about 65% of curb cuts are to modern standards.
* Good access to Dwtn via transit is you live close to one of the light rail stops or close to the St. Louis border (about 30-40 mins). The western edge is more like 50 mins away. Easy 15-20 min drive to Dwtn throughout.
* Most of the review area is well served by public transit thanks to several light rail stations on the southern edge.
* Overall University City is a pretty walkable City across walking, public transit, and driving. Most of its commercial activity is concentrated in the Loop in the extremely eastern edge of the City but some other smaller commercial notes (i.e. Delmar & North/South Rd, around he Forsyth Blvd station, and pretty convenient access to Dwtn Clayton for those living on the southern edge).
* Decent economic diversity likely thanks to the student population.
* Overall a very safe City, especially the area included in this evaluation.
* Good park amenities including many well distributed small-middle sized parks, a well funded pool & recreation center, and pretty convenient access to Wash U and Forest Park on the City’s Southeastern border.
* Other than the Delmar Loop area, tree canopy is excellent here.
* Good for sale housing diversity with a good number of condos selling btwn 100K-300K, mix of 2-bed condos and modest SF homes that sell btwn 150K-400K, tons of 3 & 4 beds product ranging anywhere from 300K-850K. Housing market is significantly cheaper north of Olive Blvd. The larger mansions sell for more like 1 M.
* Decent amount of rental product but clustered around the Loop, Midland Blvd, I-170/Forsyth Blvd. 1-beds lease btwn 800K-1.8K, 2-beds btwn 1K-2.5K, & more well dispersed 3-bed rentals (in a lot of SF homes) ranging anywhere from 1K-3K.
* Solid cultural amenities (mostly concentrated along Delmar) including plenty of restaurants, cafes, & bars, and several live music venues. Also a handful of art galleries and a performing arts theater located outside of the Loop and Wash U has an Art Museum and performing arts theater.
* Lots of nice historic homes from the 1910s-1940s but also some more modest brick ranges from the 1940s & 1950s mixed in. Great historic commercial bldgs along Delmar Blvd.
* Generally good urban form with just a couple of autocentric uses and blocks.
* Pretty retail amenities but 2/3s of amenities are concentrated in the Loop or along the Autocentric Olive Blvd not included in this eval. This includes several supermarkets & drug stores, decent # of clothing/boutiques, a couple gift stores & book stores, a couple banks, several dessert joints, a couple gyms, a couple local post offices, a public library, a couple doctor’s offices and plenty of churches.

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

* Decent density for an inner ring suburb but lower than most urban St. Louis Neighborhoods.
* The larger blocks of connected but many of the residential streets have deadens, are curvilinear or are closed to thru traffic, a common feature of St. Louis.
* Some short dedicated bike lane segment but nothing terribly useful. Like the rest of St. Louis there is no bike sharing system in University City.
* Quite the racial divide within University City. South of Delmar is 90-95% white. North of Delmar to Olive Blvd is a bit more diverse. North of Olvie is very Black with higher poverty rates. Some pockets of Asian populations thanks to Wash * Schools are pretty underwhelming for a relatively affluent inner ring suburb. Mixture of low and medium ratings for the public schools and only a handful of private schools. At least most of the schools are located within the more walkable part of University City.
* The worth urban form in University City includes the massive surface parking lot behind Delmar & Kingsland Ave and Forest Park Parkway (basically a highway) cutting through the southeastern edge of University City.

Dutchtown- South St. Louis’ Historic German Community now one of its most Diverse Neighborhoods

Dutchtown gets its name as it was the southern center of German-American settlement in St. Louis with rapid development beginning here in the 1870s with the development of the Commons. Dutchtown continued to fill in all the way until about WWII. Post War Dutchtown, like most older inner city St. Louis neighborhoods, began to loose population. It wasn’t until the 90s that African American families began to fill the void and resettle in the neighborhood as Black families from north of Chippewa were displaced by gentrification. By the 2000s significant numbers of Latinos and Asians relocated to Dutchtown and helped slow down the neighborhood’s population loss and helped the neighborhood keep more of its structures intact than other St. Louis’ communities. Dutchtown saw a drop of only 18K-15K from 1990 to 2020. But the influx of new residents has been mainly working class families and Dutchtown still struggles with high commercial vacancies and some residential vacancies, which an influx of higher income families would certainly help stabilize.

Dutchtown is also home to several long standing dessert joints well known in St. Louis (i.e. Ted Drewes frozen custard stand, Merb’s Candies, and Dad’s Cookies). Downtown Dutchtown is located along Meramec Street between South Grand Boulevard and Compton Avenue. Some commercial activity extend northward along Grand Boulevard and along Chippewa but there are a lot of autocentric spots along these blocks. Dutchtown is still an incredible affordable place to rent or buy. One can purchase a nice home here for 200K and rent a nice 2-bed apt for around 1 K. What the district needs is an influx of more households with income to help fill out many of the vacant retail spaces along with quality urban in-fill along Grand Avenue (north of Meramec) and Chippewa St. Hopefully this can be done with an anti-displacement model of encouraging homeownership for existing residents and allow more density in the community for newcomers to arrive.

Click here to view my Dutchtown neighborhood on Flickr

URBAN STRENGTHS:

* Solid density at just under 11K residents per square mile.
* While most of the housing is working class housing, a very interesting mix of typology spanning from the 1880s-1930s from late 19th century Italianate styles, early 20th century 1-story shotguns in a unique brick St. Louis Style, larger vict A frame homes from the 1910s but in brick, many different types of apt bldgs, 1920s-1930s bungalows and tudors from the , and even some 1940s brick range homes.
* Sidewalk infrastructure is fine but ADA curb cuts only include about 40% of all intersections.
* Solid public transit access.
* Solid park amenities starting with Marquette Park which includes an outdoor pool, playground, and recreation center. Several other small-medium parks concentrated in the northern half of the district.
* Excellent diversity indicators esp. racial and economic. The district is about 45% Black but large White, Hispanic, and Asian populations.
* Decent schools including a couple public elementary schools with a 5 rating and several smaller private schools and a large Catholic HS.
* Decent retail amenities including an Asian grocery store, a dollar store, a couple drug stores, several clothing & consignment stores, a couple home good stores, several dessert joins, a couple banks, a book store, a public rec center, a local post office, and a couple churches.

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

* Limited bike lanes within Dutchtown but there are two lengthy bike lanes on the western and eastern edges of the neighborhood that connect all the way to dwtn.
* Lots of rentals and very affordable. Some studios that lease btwn $500-$800, 1-beds lease btwn $600 to the low 1Ks, 2-beds btwn $800 to the low 1Ks, and 3-beds in the 1Ks.
* While its block by block crime is pretty high in Dutchtown still, especially for south St. Louis. Some abandonment and grid, especially in the commercial areas, but limited abandonment with residential structures.
* Modern in-fill is pretty much non-existent other than autocentric crab concentrated along the northern extent of Grand Blvd.
* Good urban form and streetscaping is concentrated along a couple blocks of Meramec a couple blocks east of Grand Blvd. Grand Ave is hit or miss but becomes very autocentric and blighted near Chippewa. Chippewa is very hit or miss.
* Cultural amenities are not inspiring but a decent number of restaurants (several ethnic ones), some bars but very divy, and a handful of cafes. Not much else.
* For-sale options are affordable but limited diversity. 1-beds are very limited. 2-beds sell btwn 75K-175K, 3 & 4 beds btwn 100K-225K.

Marine Villa- South St. Louis Neighborhood sandwiched between Cherokee and Jefferson/Broadway showing signs of life

The neighborhood’s name is a tribute to the many rivermen who once lived and worked in the area. Originally part of the St. Louis Commons, this area was subdivided and gridded in 1855. The Lemp Brewery relocated from downtown to the northern edge of the Marine Villa neighborhood in the 1860s, and the neighborhood saw an influx of German immigrants. By the 1890s the streetcar came through the neighborhood along Broadway creating an explosion in population and construction. Yet Marina Villa experienced serious disinvestment especially in the segment of the neighborhood south of Broadway Ave. The northern half of the district has benefitted from the reinvestment along Cherokee St. While Marine Villa is still loosing population it is at a much slower rate than it was before 2000. There are also some signs of life in the housing market.

From an urban perspective Marine Villa needs to continue to build off of its strong edge along Cherokee St and relatively healthy housing market north of Broadway. This includes the Jefferson Business District which grows more stable the closer to Cherokee one gets. Hopefully the planned north-south Green Line becomes a reality as it could really transform the neighborhood and bring back a historic streetcar line. Marine Villa simply needs more density and investment which would drive better retail & cultural amenities to areas outside of just Cherokee Street and clean up the significant amount of blight south of Broadway.

Click here to view my Marine Villa Album on Flickr

URBAN STRENGTHS:

* Sidewalk infrastructure is fine but ADA curb cuts only include about 1/2 of all intersections.
* Decent tree canopy throughout Marine Villa unless it’s a more industrial section.
* Nice bike path that cuts through Marine Villa and connects all the way north to Dwtn. Convenient access to dwtn across all modes being only an 8 minute drive or a 25 min bus ride.
* Solid diversity indicators esp. racial and generational. The neighborhood is 1/2 Black but with large White and Hispanic populations. Economic diversity is not a great as there is still pretty high poverty (20%) and mostly low-moderate incomes.
* Some rentals but not a ton. 1-beds lease btwn $800- the low 1Ks, 2-beds in the low-mid 1Ks. Some 3 & 4 beds as well that generally lease in the mid-high 1Ks.
* Very attractive historic bldgs and breweries along Cherokee St (the main biz district) or a couple blocks south. Generally solid stock all the way to Broadway. South of Broadway there are more mid century ranch homes mixed in and the historic stock is less well maintained.
* Good urban form and streetscaping along Cherokee St. Decent urban form along Jefferson. Broadway Ave however is pretty blighted and autocentric.
* Cultural amenities are concentrated along Cherokee and including a nice array of restaurants, bars, and cafes along with a couple local breweries in historic brewing bldgs. Also a live music venue, and couple historic mansions.
* Several boutiques, gift stores, and antiques/home good stores especially along Cherokee St known as antique row. Also a couple book stores, several salons & barbers, a couple doctor’s offices, a Save-a-Lot, and a couple dessert joints.

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

Good amount of blight still remains across Marine Villa especially south of Broadway. Crime is def higher than the City’s higher end districts but appears pretty average for St. Louis.
Below average density for an urban district. Marine Ville was historically much denser.
The street grid gets messed up by Broadway Ave cutting across it and the industrial uses.
Some decent parks in adjacent neighborhoods but literally none within Marine Villa.
Several smaller schools within or nearby Marine Village but the few that are rated are rated poorly.
Not a ton of for sale product on the market in Marine Villa, which tells me the % of homeowners is likely pretty low or the price points are low enough that few homeowners list on the MLS.
Modern in-fill is very limited in Marine Villa. What does exist is generally auto centric crud.
Missing several key retail amenities including churches, drug stores, etc.”

Forest Park Southeast- Home of the Artsy “The Grove” Business District and a Successfull Revitalization Effort

While railroad lines passthrough the area in the Civil War, development did not come to Forest Park SE until after it was annexed into St. Louis in 1876. It was at this time that the City’s limits shifted westward from Grand Boulevard to Skinker Boulevard. In the late 1800 multiple streetcar lines were extended westward and the neighborhood grew rapidly centered on the vibrant commercial district on Manchester Avenue. While its proximity to industry and railroads made it less desirable, Forest Park SE was ideal to house a diverse working-class population. By 1910 Forest Park SE was largely built and the neighborhood remained a stable working class enclave until the 1960s when the twin forces of deindustrialization and suburbanization resulted in severe disinvestment and depopulation. By the 1990s, Forest Park SE had high crime and 1/3 of its population in poverty. But this state of disinvestment thankfully did not fester the 1990s brought revitalization thanks to the arrival of many LGBT-oriented businesses along Manchester Avenue. By the end of that 20th century, local business owners began marketing the Manchester business district as “The Grove”. Thanks to its proximity to Central West End and the Washington University Medical Center the gentrification of Forest Park SE continued into the 21st century. The tireless work of the Washington University Medical Center Redevelopment Corporation (WUMCRC) also played a large roll in the neighborhood’s comeback as over 500 vacant properties, concentrated in the southern half of the neighborhood, were revitalized . Thanks to these efforts the community’s population finally rebounded between 2010-2020 gaining over 500 new residents. Sadly the racial demographics of the neighborhood have shifted tremendously since 2000 moving from a 77% Black population to around 25%. While many White households have moved in, the neighborhood’s Hispanic and Asian population has increased.

This is a solid neighborhood from an urban perspective with great food & beverage bizs along the Grove, decent retail amenities, and even some restaurants/bars sprinkled into residential blocks. The Forest Park SE housing market has stabilized offering a great variety of rentals and for sale 2-4 bedrooms ranging from 250K-550K. The Community also offers good public transit, convenient park access thanks to the close proximity of Forest Park, and a very artsy eclectic historic vibe creating a buzz for the neighborhood. However, for this to be a top tier urban district is needs more housing & density which will hopefully fill in needed retail amenities along with better schools and bike infrastructure.

Click here to view my Forest Park Southeast Album on Flickr

URBAN STRENGTHS:

* Good sidewalk infrastructure with about 65% of all ADA curb cuts are up to standard, very high for a St. Louis neighborhood.
* Solid public transit access thanks to the neighborhood’s close proximity to a train station. Dwtn is only 30-35 min via public transit and also close the Central West End which has a lot of medical jobs.
* Excellent racial and economic diversity. Not a ton of family households however.
*Good pedestrian access to the SE corner of Forest Park and Hudlin Park even with the Highway barrier. A couple small and medium parks within the neighborhood.
* Lots of rental options with 1-beds ranging in price anywhere from 850$-2K, 2-bed btwn the low 1Ks- the upper 2Ks, and 3-beds btwn 2-3.5K. This is more expensive than the majority of St. Louis neighborhoods but also a decent # dedicated affordable rentals.
* Nice mix of historic and new construction housing but mostly 3 & 4 bedrooms. Good # off 2-beds which sell btwn 250K-450K, 3 & 4 beds sell btwn 300K-550K.
* Solid cultural amenities including plenty of restaurants, bars & cafes, a couple breweries and art galleries, and plenty of night clubs and life music venues. Also decent access to the museums in Forest Park but generally about a 2 mile walk.
* Attractive mostly modest brick historic homes from the late 19th century. Very attractive historic commercial bldgs along Manchester Ave.
* Urban form is generally good along Manchester Ave and most residential streets but you get a fair amount of autocentric industrial uses along the edges of the neighborhood and lots of underutilized surface lots.
* Decent retail amenities including a couple grocerias (no supermarkets here), a couple of banks, a decent # of clothing stores & boutiques,/gift shops, several dessert joints & bakeries, a couple gyms, tons of salons & barbershops, several churches, a local post office, and a couple local health centers.
* Lots of murals and arts along the Grove.
* Good mix of uses throughout the district including several restaurants/cafes/bars mixed into the more residential streets.

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

Poor bike infrastructure within Forest Park SE but good dedicated connections on the western and eastern borders allowing one to bike into Dwtn or out to the western edge of St. Louis.
so so density.
Generally a pretty safe area but definitively some grid on the edges of the neighborhood and lingering crime from 2 decades ago.
Tree canopy is so so in the residential streets and non-existent in the industrial areas.
The only schools located within Forest Park SE is a poorly rated Elementary School and large pre-K. Some schools on the periphery of the neighborhood but mixed ratings.
Missing several key retail amenities including a supermarket, a local library, bookstores, hardware store, etc.”

Botanical Heights- Successfull Revitalization Story of a South St. Louis Neighborhood ravaged by the I-44 Freeway and Crime & Drugs Issues

The area, originally referred to as McRee Town, was developed as a working-class neighborhood in the late 19th century with a mix of single-family and multi-family homes. But the neighborhood faced many challenges in the post War era including the construction of Interstate 44, and by the 80s and 90s major crime and drug issues leading to a concentration of low income African American Households. By 2000 over 50% of remaining structures in the neighborhood were vacant and in disrepair. But the community responded and by 2007 the local CDC, the Garden District Commission, took an aggressive approach buying out blocks of housing and restabilizing them or building new construction.

Botanical Heights received its rebranding in the early 2000s as the community sought a fresh start. From an urban perspective, this is a solid district but still has missing pieces before it becomes a top tier neighborhood (i.e. more density, better parks, more rental diversity, better schools, and more amenities in the business district). Tower Grove Avenue is an attractive two-block biz node but largely contains food and beverage businesses. But the core revitalization strategy of the Garden District Commission has been successful and now for sale homes sell anywhere from the 200s, topping out at around 500K. Given the neighborhood proximity to Dwtn, the Central West End, and other stable and attractive South St. Louis neighborhoods, the trajectory of the neighborhood seems good. I just hope it can retain its economic and racial diversity.

Click here to view my Botanical Heights Neighborhoo on Flickr

URBAN STRENGTHS:

Solid public transit access thanks to decent access to the light rail just north of the neighborhood. Thanks to good transit access and several dedicated bike lanes, there is good access to Dwtn among all modes.
Good sidewalk infrastructure and about 50% of all curbs are ADA compliant.
This was previously a pretty poor and Black dominate neighborhood. Since 2000 Botanical Heights has moved from 88% Black to 50% Black welcoming more white households with means. Many would call this gentrification but having concentrated Black poverty in a community isn’t a positive outcome either. The neighborhood is also pretty family friendly as well.
Nice mix of historic and new construction housing but mostly 3 & 4 bedrooms. The handful of 2-bed sell in the 200Ks and 300Ks 3 & 4 beds sell btwn 250K-500K.
Solid historic fabric in the residential and commercial areas. Also lots of residential in-fill housing including a mix of more traditional brick homes and modern infill.
Decent cultural amenities including a fair number of restaurants, bars & cafes concentrated along Tower Grove Ave. Missouri Botanical Gardens is also located just south of the neighborhood.

URBAN STRENGTHS:

only a handful of parks within the neighborhood but pretty close proximity to Missouri Botanical Gardens and Compton Hill to the south but I-44 separates them.
So so urban density.
There is a history of high crime in Botanical Heights but this is much improved since the 2010s. Still some blight especially along the industrial edges.
Tree canopy is a bit sparse in spots but improving thanks to the stabilization of the neighborhood.
Rental options are pretty limited. Some 1 & 2 beds. 1-bed lease in the low 1Ks and 2-beds in the 1Ks. More 3-bed options that lease from the mid 1Ks to the mid 2Ks.
School options are so so. A couple of private elementary schools within Botanical Heights. Several mixed-rated public schools on the edges of the neighborhood and also a really well rated public high school just east of it.
Urban form is mixed. Decent urban form along the two block biz district on Tower Grove Ave. Not as nice along Father Biondi ( the eastern edge). Along plenty of industrial uses along the edges of the district.
Beyond food & beverage businesses, retail amenities are pretty limited. There are a handful of boutiques, a running store, a couple bakeries/desert joints, several doctor’s offices and a major hospital on the eastern edge of the neighborhood. The extensive Forest Park SE biz district is only a 1-15 min walk from Botanical Heights.”

Benton Park West- Heart of Saint Louis’ Hispanic Community

Benton Park West is a South St. Louis Neighborhood on the upswing welcoming an influx of new Hispanic families and young professionals looking for cheap housing in a hip and walkable urban district. The neighborhood hosts St. Louis’ largest concentration of Hispanic owned restaurants and businesses along Cherokee Street. Historically, the neighborhood likely saw significant population loss in the post WWII era but rebounded in the 90s likely due to an large influx of African Americans from the North St. Louis. But this was short lived as the neighborhood lost 18% of its population btwn 2000 and 2010 but this trend appears to have been reversed as Hispanics and young professionals have increasingly moved into the neighborhood since 2010.

This is a solid urban district from an urban perspective and I’m glad that the commercial district along Cherokee is in tact and vibrant, uplifted by a large influx of Hispanics since 2010. Other attributes of Benton Park West are its racial diversity, decent tree canopy, attractive late 19th century brick residential structures, affordable housing, and good retail amenities. What Benton Park West needs to become a top notch urban district is rebuilding its historic density and filling in the awful stroad along Gravois and to a lesser extend Jefferson St with quality mixed-use infill. Not sure the housing market in St. Louis is strong enough to support new construction in this part of tow yet but hopefully in a decade. Benton Park West also needs better bike and public transit infrastructure, more walkable schools, more parks, and renovation of a decent number of blighted buildings.

Click here to view my Benton Park West Album on Flickr

URBAN STRENGTHS:

* Solid sidewalks but ADA curbs and almost all outdated except along Cherokee St.
* Pretty good urban density.
* Solid urban street grid.
* Solid diversity metrics with great racial diversity about 40/40 white and black with a growing Hispanic population. Large working class population and poverty is under 20%. Lots of large families here.
* Decent tree canopy.
* Solid brick historic architecture throughout the residential streets of Benton Park West. Mix of late 19th century and early 20th century commercial architecture.
* Solid pedestrian activity esp. along Cherokee St.
* Good urban form along Cherokee St but a pretty terrible strode along Gravois. Urban form is hit or miss along Jefferson St.
* Great array of restaurants, bars, and cafes concentrated and several art galleries concentrated along Cherokee St. Also a couple night clubs & music venue, a couple community theaters through Benton Park West.
* Good retail amenities including a major Save a Lot, several grocerias, tons of boutiques & clothing stores, lots of gift and antique stores, a couple book stores, a pharmacy, plenty of bakery and dessert joints, a couple gyms & a local Recreation Center.
* Decent amount of rentals and pretty affordable. 1-beds lease btwn $850 & 1.2 K, 2-beds in the low-mid 1Ks, and 3ks lease anywhere from 1K-2.5K.
* Pretty affordable for sale options. Definitively a neighborhood, which attracts first time home buyers.. Some small SF homes sell in the 100Ks, 2-beds btwn 150K-225K, 3 & 4 beds btwn 150K-400K.

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

* Bike infrastructure is limited to a pair of dedicated bike paths running down Gravois. Limited dockless bike or scooter options in Benton Park West.
* Only a handful of walkable schools within Benton Park West and not a handful of smaller schools in adjacent neighborhoods.
* Parks within Benton Park West are limited and small but two large parks on the edges of the neighborhood (Gravios Park & Benton Park).
* Still some safety concerns and plenty of blight but neighborhood is improving has much less crime than it did a couple decades ago.
* Not much modern in fill and what does exist is unattractive autocentric uses along Gravois and Jefferson St.
* Missing some key retail amenities including a local post office, hardware store, and public library although there is a library just to the west of Benton Park West.

Benton Park- Historic St. Louis District with many remaining Historic Breweries and St. Louis Antique Row

The area now comprising Benton Park proper was first used as the City Cemetery, from 1842–1865. The cemetery was converted to a City Park and named after Thomas Hart Benton. Benton Park was one of the neighborhoods that filled out in the Mid-19th Century as St. Louis became the 4th largest City in 1870 at just over 300K people. By the 1880s, the neighborhood was mostly built out. As Benton Park grew, it attracted several breweries due to its location above a system of caves and St. Louis’s large German immigrant population creating many breweries with a strong European character, many of which are still standing along or near Cherokee St.

Because Benton Park was mostly built out by the 1880s, it has a very mixed-use character with many restaurants and bars mixed into the residential parts of the district. The Neighborhood, like most of St. Louis, experienced decline and vacancy in the post War Era but finally hit bottom in 2010 and has increased modestly since then. Benton Park has experienced a resurgence in the past several decades and has managed to retain much of its historic mid-late 19th residential fabric and now hosts an attractive mixed-use district along Cherokee St, also referred to as Antique Row, with a wonderful array of historic commercial and brewery buildings. For Benton Park to become a top notch urban district it needs to return to its historic density which is likely 3 times the amount of its 10K per square mile density mark. Benton Park also needs to focus on re-urbanizing the awful stroad running along Gravois and to a lesser extent Jefferson Ave. The neighborhood could also use better public transit, bike infrastructure, walkable schools, and more crucial retail amenities.

Click here to view my Benton Park Album on Flickr

URBAN STRENGTHS:

Gorgeous mid-late 19th century brick architecture throughout the neighborhood.
Overall a pretty same community with some crime issues. Pockets of blight still remain in the community.
Solid sidewalks but ADA curbs and almost all outdated.
Solid park amenities with several well dispersed small & medium parks with Benton Park as the crown jewel, which contains a rec center.
Solid tree canopy throughout most of Benton Park.
Overall urban form is pretty good in Benton Park including the very in tact and historic Cherokee St. But Gravois (old route 66) is a pretty terrible stroud with lots of autocentric bldgs and surface lots. Jefferson Ave is a mixed bag.
A fair amount of rental options with a good mix of price points. 1-beds generally rent in the low 1Ks, 2-beds in the mid 1Ks, 3-beds from the mid 1Ks to mid 2Ks.
Nice array of for sale price points. Some 1-bed condos and small SF homes sell in the 100Ks, 2-beds btwn 150K-300K, 3 & 4 beds btwn 300K-500K.
Nice array of restaurants, bars, and cafes along with a local brewery in a historic brewing bldg. Also a couple local performing arts theaters, a local house museum, and a couple live music venues.
Several boutiques, gift stores, and antiques/home good stores especially along Cherokee St known as antique row. Also a couple book stores, several salons & barbers, a local post office, a health clinic, a couple churches, anda couple dessert joints.
Good mixed-use through the neighborhood including plenty of restaurants, bars, a and cafes located on predominately residential streets.

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

So so public transit for an urban district.
Pretty good density but assuming given the typology and age that this neighborhood was at least double this density in its prime.
Bike infrastructure is limited to a pair of dedicated bike paths running down Gravois. Limited dockless bike or scooter options in Benton Park.
Limited modern in-fill and what does exist is generally unattractive auto centric uses.
No walkable schools within Benton Park and not many good schools in adjacent neighborhoods.
Missing several key retail amenities including a public library, pharmacy, grocery store, hardware store, banks, etc.”