St. Louis, Missouri STL

Oldest neighborhood newspaper in St. Louis · Independent and all volunteer-run since 1970

Neighborhood History & Memories

Explore Skinker-DeBaliviere through neighborhood chronicles, oral histories, residents’ recollections and photographs. Discover the people, places and traditions that shaped this community.

Photographs from our shared past

1902: Looking east from Skinker at Lindell. Reproduced in Neighborhood Chronicles, April–May 1999. Photographer not identified in the article.

Garavelli’s in 1932. Courtesy of the Missouri Historical Society. Reproduced in Neighborhood Chronicles, September 1999.

Delmar Air Dome at Delmar and Hamilton, an outdoor theatre. Date unknown. Courtesy of the Missouri Historical Society; reproduced September 1999.

Garavelli’s formal dining room. Date unknown. Courtesy of the Missouri Historical Society; reproduced September 1999.

Municipal Auto Bus outside the Jefferson Memorial Building. Date unknown; the original caption suggests 1915–1925 from the clothing. Courtesy of the Missouri Historical Society; reproduced September 1999.

A historical prom photograph from Times Past. Date and individual identifications unknown. The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, November 1984, page 8; photographer not credited.

Boaters in Forest Park in 1897. Photo by Emil Boehl, from the collections of the Missouri Historical Society. Reproduced in The Times, March 1991.

Captions distinguish the date of a photograph from the date it appeared in the newspaper. Where the original gives no date or photographer, that uncertainty is retained.

Stories and recollections

Hamilton Elementary Looks Set to Close

October 26, 2026

By David Powell

On October 20, 2026, Hamilton Elementary hosted a St. Louis Public Schools (SLPS) meeting on the proposal to close the school. The families who attended came because losing Hamilton will have a personal cost. “I hate it, they're making it hard for people like us that live in the area,”…

Lu Green, Neighborhood and Community Leader, Dies

November–December 2026

Author not credited

Lu Green Skinker DeBaliviere lost another community catalyst and connector on August 31 with the death of former longtime resident, Lucille “Lu” Green, 83. Ms. Green was the sister of longtime residents Vince Schoemehl (married to Lois and a resident of the 6100 Westminster block) and Jim Schoemehl (married to…

Celebrating 50 Years of Cookies and Community:

September–October 2026

The Skinker DeBaliviere Cookie Exchange Party For 50 years a group of ladies gathered at Jan Bierman’s for the annual Christmas Cookie Party. The objective was simple: bake 10 to 14 dozen cookies, no chocolate chip or oatmeal cookies, no holiday bread and no candy. Scouring cookbooks and newspapers for…

Skinker DeBaliviere Neighborhood Mourns Jo Ann Vatcha, Long-Time Resident

September–October 2026

By Margaret Welch

The Skinker DeBaliviere neighborhood, the city of St. Louis and this newspaper lost a champion with the death of Jo Ann Vatcha, a longtime resident of the 6100 Westminster Place block.

Linda Edwards, Creator of Iconic Blueberry Hill Windows, Mourned

June–July 2026

By Margaret Welch

Remembered for her irreverent humor, wit and her must-see Blueberry Hill windows adorning the Delmar Loop for 40 years, Linda Edwards died February 15. According to the family’s obituary, she grew up in the Skinker DeBaliviere neighborhood and attended St. Roch’s School. She met her husband Joe in 1972. Together…

A History of a St. Louis House

A HISTORY OF A ST. LOUIS HOUSE By Tony Nipert Following the 1904 World’s Fair, Skinker DeBaliviere turned from farmland to a dense urban neighborhood. By 1912 in the southeastern corner of the neighborhood, an R.O. Brown Real Estate Company applied for building permits at 5765-67-69-71 Pershing Avenue. At that…

House History

By Jo Ann Vatcha

1914–1919 The first owners of 6117 Westminster were Otto and Rosa Starck. VP of Stephens Lithographic, noted in a book called “Historical and Descriptive Review of St. Louis: Her Enterprising Business Houses and Progressive Men,” published in 1894, Otto and Rosa bought the newly built house in 1914 in our…

A Synagogue on DeBaliviere

By Jo Ann Vatcha

Many of us have driven by the simple building with the “permastone” facade by the fire station on DeBaliviere and noticed its windows with the Star of David, briefly wondering about its history. A few years ago, Marj Weir and I spent many enjoyable hours at the MOHIS Research Center…

News of Neighbors

By Rachel Boxdorfer

While we enjoy a beautiful and busy spring, we are looking to a busy summer here in the neighborhood too. Let this serve as a reminder to watch for many wonderful events like the Garden Tour, the concerts at Greg Freeman Park, and festivities for the 50th anniversary of the…

It’s Always History in Skinker DeBaliviere: Hamilton School

By Jo Ann Vatcha

The Times has been gratified by the many positive comments about our series about the history of our great neighborhood. This past summer, Marj Weir and I were so fortunate to attend a gathering of several current residents of the Willows who share something remarkable: they all went to Hamilton…

The Way We Were

By Mary Jane Barlett Conrades

The Skinker-DeBaliviere neighborhood—I know it well—but I didn't realize it had a name. Good! That's better than "the Old Neighborhood." I grew up there on McPherson Avenue—6150 to be exact. My grandparents, Charles and Mollie Devlin Bartlett, bought the house in about 1914 when it was brand new. (They had…

The Girl Who Owned DeBaliviere

By Marjorie Weir, Jo Ann Vatcha

In the 1920’s the five blocks of DeBaliviere were a distinctly different place, Families were raised in the apartments above the store fronts that filled the street then. One small girl of eight was living at 311a, above Charles Young’s grocery store. To Young’s on the south was Ted’s pool…

Explore the collection by theme

Neighborhood Chronicles

Accounts of the neighborhood’s development and community traditions.

I Remember When

First-person recollections of streets, neighbors and everyday life.

Memories and recollections

Explore residents’ memories and the people who shaped the neighborhood.

School History

Discover Hamilton School and other neighborhood institutions.

House History

Follow the histories of local houses and their residents.

Share a neighborhood memory

Have a photograph, recollection or correction? Tell us the year, location, names and photographer when known. Contributions are reviewed before publication.