Old North Saint Louis
The Old North St. Louis neighborhood was first developed in 1816 when Colonel William Chambers, a U.S. army officer stationed in St. Louis, purchased a tract of land bounded by the present Monroe, Hadley, and Montgomery Streets and the Mississippi River. Shortly after, Chambers and other early founders incorporated the area as the village of North St. Louis, and in 1841, the village of North St. Louis became part of the city of St. Louis. Full development of the area became a focus of the city, and German immigrants started settling between 1841-1859. Many of their landmarks remain in the area.
In the latter part of the nineteenth century, large numbers of Polish immigrants settled in the near north side, including present day Old North St. Louis. Old North St. Louis also has an Afro-American population dating back long before the Civil War period. The former Dessalines School on Hadley and Tyler Streets was established as an Afro-American elementary school in 1866. It remained open until 1973. More recently, immigrant arrivals to the area came in the 1930's, during and after the Depression. Many current residents can trace their origins back to small farm communities in Southeast Missouri, Arkansas, and other states in the south. At this point, the neighborhood was crowded and thriving. Factories, shops, and homes were interspersed, in the classic "walking city" pattern. Some small businesses have a long history in the neighborhood. The North 14th Street Shopping District, the center of the area's commercial activity, has a Businessman's Association dating back to 1902. Stores, like Crown Candy Kitchen and Marx Hardware, are family owned and operated for more than three generations.
Some of the 19th century landmarks remaining include Ames Kindergarden, the Sts. Cyril and Methodius Polish National Catholic Church, the St. Louis Number 6 Bathhouse, and the Mullanphy Immigrant home. Much of the remaining housing stock dates from the late nineteenth century.
The period after the Second World War ushered in another turning point for the neighborhood. The country was pursuing a life of prosperity, one sign of which was a house in the suburbs. Federal policy, private lending policy, and housing developments provided an incentive to build new homes rather than stabilize older neighborhoods. Many residents moved to the suburbs, encouraged by new housing development and highspeed expressways. Highway 70, dedicated in 1971, disconnected the neighborhood from its industrial sector and furthered abandonment in the isolated Eastern half. In the midst of this change, and encouraged by War on Poverty legislation, new neighborhood organizations arose, including Grace Hill, a multi-service center located on Hadley Street in the Grace Hill Episcopal Church, on land which was the site of an indian mound. Grace Hill sponsored a number of neighborhood projects and oversaw both the construction of new housing and rehab of older buildings. Federal programs in the 1960's renamed the area as "Murphy-Blair" honoring two Civil War leaders, David Murphy and Francis Blair. The name lives on in the Murphy Blair Gardens and Townhouses, built under Model City funds in the 1960's. With the elimination of federal funding in the 1970's, the pace of housing demolition increased, but little new housing was built, resulting in declines in both the population and housing stock.
In the late 1970's and 1980's, a gradual change in attitude occurred, as many rediscovered the value of living in the city. Federal tax policies briefly favored the rehabilitation of houses, and the neighborhood. From that rebirth came the Old North St. Louis Restoration Group, and, following that lead, the name of the area was changed from Murphy Blair to Old North St. Louis in the 1980's.
By the mid 1990's over 50 new families had purchased old buildings in the neighborhood, which they moved into and rehabbed. That steady trickle has increased over the last five years, partially as a result of historic tax credits, but also because of the warm, neighborly feel of the area. A food co-op, bike repair club for kids, neighborhood gardens, pot luck suppers and street festivals all add to the small-town flavor of this neighborhood just 10 minutes from downtown.
Browse for more information and do not hesitate to give me a call! 314-862-7500.
