Downtown St. Louis
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Downtown St. Louis is the central business district of
St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
,
Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...
, the hub of tourism and entertainment, and the anchor of the St. Louis metropolitan area. The downtown is bounded by Cole Street to the north, the river front to the east, Chouteau Avenue to the south, and Tucker Boulevard to the west. (If the neighborhood defined by the city as
Downtown West, St. Louis Downtown West is a List of neighborhoods of St. Louis, neighborhood in St. Louis, Missouri. It is, as the name suggests, a section of Downtown St. Louis, downtown that is further inland, west from the banks of the Mississippi River. St. Louis City ...
is included, however, then it extends further west to Jefferson Avenue.) The downtown is the site of many corporate headquarters, including Stifel Financial Corp., HOK,
Spire Inc Spire Inc. () is a public utility holding company based in St. Louis, Missouri, providing natural gas service through its regulated core utility operations while engaging in non-regulated activities that provide business opportunities. Its prima ...
, and a host of other companies.


History

The founding history of the downtown area of St. Louis relates to the founding of the city.
Pierre Laclede Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...
chose to found the city on the bluffs because it had access to the river for trade and transportation, was above most floods and defensible against hostile Native Americans. Laclede found the present-day downtown area the perfect place to run a bustling fur trade with the Native Americans of the region. In the community's early days, Laclede acted as the
de facto ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...
leader of St. Louis. While the settlement was named after
King Louis IX Louis IX (25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270), commonly known as Saint Louis or Louis the Saint, was King of France from 1226 to 1270, and the most illustrious of the Direct Capetians. He was crowned in Reims at the age of 12, following the d ...
of
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
, most residents called it "Laclede Village." Laclede planned the format of the city streets, and oversaw the construction of the settlement's first buildings. Although initial growth was slow, the settlement received a stimulus when France surrendered all of its territorial holdings east of the
Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...
to
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...
after the
Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (175 ...
. Many French colonists moved from east of the Mississippi River to St. Louis to escape British rule. By 1776 St. Louis had 300 residents and almost 75 buildings. By 1804 the population had tripled to 900, yet the village was still without a local government. After the
Louisiana Purchase The Louisiana Purchase (french: Vente de la Louisiane, translation=Sale of Louisiana) was the acquisition of the territory of Louisiana by the United States from the French First Republic in 1803. In return for fifteen million dollars, or app ...
of 1803, a flood of immigrants from the United States came to the village. As the newcomers established an American system of government, French influence and use of the French language began to wane, but the leading French colonial mercantile families continued to have power. With the arrival of the steamboat in 1817, St. Louis became a vital center of American commerce, able to trade goods from the
Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United ...
across the country through the great river system connected by the Mississippi River. By 1836 the city had 15,000 inhabitants, but it did not have basic institutions, such as banks, libraries or public schools. The downtown streets were being renamed after prominent American settlers. By the mid-19th century, the area was becoming more commercial than residential, and more people began to live in the western parts of the city. The commercial activity of St. Louis was centered on Main Street (present-day First Street), Washington Avenue, and Walnut Street. The St. Louis Fire of 1849 destroyed much of this district. In time the city recovered from the fire and regained its place as one of the commercial centers of the Midwest. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the St. Louis downtown experienced a building boom, largely because of a lack of room for businesses to expand. In its heyday, the downtown was a bustling center of commerce. By the mid-20th century, the downtown area began to decline as businesses moved west and to the suburbs, and industries restructured. During the 1970s, owners razed dozens of historic buildings and replaced them with parking lots. Also, in 2004, the historic St. Louis Century Building was demolished to create a parking deck. The present-day downtown has moved further south, yet the Historic Downtown remains. Recent preservation efforts have heightened awareness of the architectural significance of the area. Both major universities in St. Louis began in the downtown region. St. Louis University was founded in 1818 by Bishop DuBourg, who rented a stone house on Market Street to house its first class. The university was discontinued in 1826 because of Bishop DuBourg's pastoral duties, but the institution was rejuvenated two years later by Father Van Quickenborne. The university expanded greatly, constructing numerous buildings. The university moved to its present location in 1888.
Washington University Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...
was founded as Eliot Seminary on February 22, 1853. It received its present name in 1857 at the insistence of its chancellor,
William Greenleaf Eliot William Greenleaf Eliot (August 5, 1811 – January 23, 1887) was an American educator, Unitarian minister, and civic leader in Missouri. He is most notable for founding Washington University in St. Louis, and also contributed to the foundi ...
, as it was chartered on George Washington's birthday. The first school opened on its downtown campus at 17th Street and Washington Avenue was the Smith Academy in 1856. This original building was soon followed by the buildings for other departments. Like St. Louis University, Washington University relocated from the downtown area, in 1904 moving to its present campus to the west. After the 1950s, St. Louis, like many other American industrial cities, suffered from industry restructuring, loss of jobs, and demographic changes accompanying suburbanization following highway construction. It has had economic decline and heavy population losses, with rising rates of poverty and crime. Since the early 1990s, the city has directed urban renewal efforts in the downtown area, with greatly increased investment. Over $4 billion was invested downtown between 1999 and 2006. Recently, the population has grown for the first time in 40 years, and numerous residential and commercial units are being built.


Government and infrastructure

The
United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U ...
operates the St. Louis Main Post Office at 1720 Market Street in Downtown St. Louis. Also located in the downtown neighborhood, the St. Louis City Hall at 1200 Market Street.
St. Louis MetroLink MetroLink is the Greater St. Louis Metropolitan mass transit system serving Missouri and the Metro East area of Illinois. The system consists of two rail lines (Red Line and Blue Line) connecting St. Louis Lambert International Airport and ...
Blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when ...
and
Red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...
light rail lines service downtown with the Stadium, 8th & Pine, Convention Center, and
Laclede's Landing Laclede's Landing (), colloquially "the Landing", is a small urban historic district in St. Louis, Missouri. It marks the northern part of the original settlement founded by the Frenchman Pierre Laclède, whose landing on the riverside the placenam ...
stations.


Economy

Nestlé Purina PetCare Nestlé Purina Petcare (), or simply Purina, is an American subsidiary of the Swiss corporation Nestlé, based in St. Louis, Missouri. It produces and markets pet food, treats, cat and dog litter. Some of its pet food brands include Purina Pro P ...
and
Peabody Energy Corporation Peabody Energy is a coal mining and energy company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Its primary business consists of the mining, sale, and distribution of coal, which is purchased for use in electricity generation and steelmaking. Peabody ...
are headquartered in Downtown St. Louis.
Ralcorp Ralcorp Holdings is a manufacturer of various food products, including breakfast cereal, cookies, crackers, chocolate, snack foods, mayonnaise, pasta, and peanut butter. The company is based in St. Louis, Missouri. The majority of the items Ralc ...
and its former subsidiary
Post Foods Post Consumer Brands (previously Post Cereals and Postum Cereals; also known as simply "Post") is an American breakfast cereal manufacturer headquartered in Lakeville, Minnesota. The company, founded in 1895 by C. W. Post, owns a large portfoli ...
have their headquarters in the Bank of America Plaza in Downtown St. Louis. In 1999, prior to its merger with
American Airlines American Airlines is a major airlines of the United States, major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the world when measured ...
, Trans World Airlines was headquartered in One City Centre at 515 North 6th Street. In 2006, John Steffen, owner of One City Centre, announced that he planned to redevelop it into a mixed-use building called 600 Washington. Prior to a 2005 merger with
Federated Department Stores Macy's, Inc. (originally Federated Department Stores, Inc.) is an American conglomerate holding company. Upon its establishment, Federated held ownership of the regional department store chains Abraham & Straus, Lazarus, Filene's, and Shillito ...
,
May Department Stores The May Department Stores Company was an American department store holding company, formerly headquartered in downtown St. Louis, Missouri. It was founded in Leadville, Colorado, by David May in 1877, moving to St. Louis in 1905. After many c ...
was headquartered in Downtown. The
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis is one of 12 regional Reserve Banks that, along with the Board of Governors in Washington, D.C., make up the United States' central bank. Missouri is the only state to have two main Federal Reserve Banks (Ka ...
, a regional Federal Reserve Bank covering the 8th district of the Federal Reserve System, is located at 411
Locust Street Locust Street is a major historic street in Center City, Philadelphia, Center City Philadelphia. The street is the location of several prominent Philadelphia-based buildings, historic sights, and Tower block, high-rise residential locations. It ...
at its terminus with North Broadway.


Education

St. Louis Public Schools has its headquarters in Downtown St. Louis. The
St. Louis University School of Law Saint Louis University School of Law, also known as SLU LAW, is a private American law school located in St. Louis, Missouri. It is one of the professional graduate schools of Saint Louis University. The University hosted a law school briefly fro ...
(SLU LAW) moved from the main SLU campus in Midtown to a new facility on North Tucker Boulevard during the summer of 2013. In 2015,
Webster Groves Webster Groves is an inner-ring suburb of St. Louis in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 22,995 at the 2010 census. The city is home to the main campus of Webster University. Geography Webster Groves is located at ( ...
-based
Webster University Webster University is a private university with its main campus in Webster Groves, Missouri. It has multiple branch locations across the United States and countries across Europe, Asia, and Africa. It offers undergraduate and graduate program ...
opened a downtown campus on Olive Street.


Demographics

In 2020 Downtown's racial makeup was 43.3% White, 44.2% Black, 0.3% Native American, 4.4% Asian, 5.6% Two or More Races, and 2.1% Some Other Race. 4.9% of the people were of Hispanic or Latino origin.


See also

* Laclede's Landing, St. Louis *
List of tallest buildings in St. Louis The tallest buildings in St. Louis, Missouri, include the Gateway Arch, which is also the tallest accessible structure in Missouri and the tallest monument in a national park, rising higher than the Washington Monument.The Gateway Arch is a ...
*
Downtown West, St. Louis Downtown West is a List of neighborhoods of St. Louis, neighborhood in St. Louis, Missouri. It is, as the name suggests, a section of Downtown St. Louis, downtown that is further inland, west from the banks of the Mississippi River. St. Louis City ...
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Downtown and Downtown West St. Louis


References


External links


Downtown St. LouisDowntown BrochuresHistory of the Central Business DistrictBuilt St. Louis
{{coord, 38.6260, -90.1922, dim:2000_region:US-MO, display=title Neighborhoods in St. Louis Economy of St. Louis
St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...