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

Going to the Dogs or Riding to the Hounds?

By Peggy Griesbach

The original suggestion for this article was to query a number of locally prominent people on the subject of the gentrification of the neighborhood — the rising property values followed by the rising income of residents followed by subtle and not so subtle changes in the social character of Skinker-DeBaliviere.…

In the First Person

When one of the relative newcomers to Skinker-DeBaliviere asked me (I suppose she sees me as a local greybeard) to write about the "decade of change," my immediate response was a firm no. But she smiled and I said maybe. If she had been fortunate enough to live here in…

Historic District Supplement — Statement of Significance

Author not credited

Originally a portion of the 18th century Spanish land grant to Marie Louise Chouteau Papin, sister of St. Louis cofounder Auguste Chouteau, much of the Skinker-DeBaliviere-Catlin Tract-Parkview Historic District remained within extended Chouteau-Papin family until late in the nineteenth century. North of Delmar, the land belonged to James Clemens, Jr.…

Why Skinker-DeBaliviere?

April 1976 Historic District Supplement: the contemporary case for proposed designation. There are presently five designated Historic Districts in the City: Lafayette Park, Central West End, Kingsbury Place/Washington Park, Carondelet and Compton Heights - are under study. Each has historical or architectural distinction within the city_ which must be presented…

A History of Redevelopment Efforts in the S-D Area

Late in 1970 residents of the SD area, especially those active on the SkinkerDebaliviere Community Council,.began to consider the prospect of redeveloping those blocks with the most deteriorated housing. The proposed redevelopment area became known as "the triangle area". It began at the southwest corner of Delmar and DeBaliviere and…

The Way We Were

Author not credited

Photographs courtesy of Etta Taylor of Parkview, granddaughter of George W. Lubke, one of our “Founding Fathers.” Washington Heights — in process, 1902. The “grading gang” that did it — John Scott & Sons, railroad builders, graded the entire area from DeBaliviere to Mehlville Ave. with a 40′“most desirable eastern…

I Remember When — River Des Peres and Rosedale Cafe

Author not credited

Do you remember when the River Des Peres was still an open river dividing our neighborhood? This picture was taken in 1931, right before the river was encased in its huge pipe. It was taken from a spot which is now in front of Hamilton Branch III School, looking west.…

Heritage St. Louis

By Kathleen Harleman, Georgiana Stuart, Susan Tepas

The History Committees for Parkview and The Rosedale Neighborhood Association are getting back to the task of producing the Heritage/St. Louis survey after taking a break for the holidays. So, if you see someone taking pictures of your house, it is probably these people. Denise B. Barkau has volunteered to…

I Remember When….

By Avis Carlson, Susan Tepas

Mr. and Mrs. George E. Fifield and their children moved to St. Louis in April, 1917, from the Chicago area. Mr. Fifield was a buyer for the prominent Rothschild Hat Company. As they already owned property in the Chicago area, the Fifields decided to rent the house at 6163 McPherson…

Neighborhood History

By Avis Carlson

Have you ever walked through our neighborhood and wondered how it came into being? Or speculated as to how Parkview came to be laid out on the circular plan which is so different from the "private streets" east of DeBaliviere? Or wondered how the streets came to be named Kingsbury,…

The Walshes — Longtime Residents Recall Neighborhood Events

When you talk about urban changes and the Skinker-DeBaliviere area with Mr. and Mrs. Bill Walsh (properly Mr. and Mrs. William D.), you are apt to get a smile and a question, "Which changes?" The smiles are second nature and the question a sincere inquiry into your interest. It's just…

A Historic Occasion — The Kingsbury Time Capsule

By Jim Hitchcock

One of the city's major construction jobs spontaneously occurred September 27 at the corner of Skinker and Kingsbury, when a World's Fair era column which had fallen was rebuilt by a handful of amateur Kingsbury street craftsmen. The seven-foot-tall column, adjacent to higher columns which "guard" Kingsbury from the roaring…

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.