Southwest Garden, St. Louis
Southwest Garden is a neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri.
Southwest Garden | |
|---|---|
 Southwest Garden Neighborhood sign at the corner of Shaw and Vandeventer Avenue, March 2011 | |
 Location (red) of Southwest Garden within St. Louis | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Missouri |
| City | St. Louis |
| Wards | 8, 10, 24 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.86 sq mi (2.2 km2) |
| Population (2010)[1] | |
| • Total | 4,885 |
| • Density | 5,700/sq mi (2,200/km2) |
| ZIP code(s) | Parts of 63110, 63139 |
| Area code(s) | 314 |
| Website | stlouis-mo.gov |
About
The Southwest Garden District is a horse head-shaped neighborhood between The Hill and Tower Grove Park. It is bordered by Southwest, I-44 and Columbia Ave. to the North, Tower Grove Avenue and Kingshighway to the East, Hampton Avenue to the West, and Magnolia, Connecticut and Scanlan Avenue to the South.
- Tower Grove Park, a Victorian-era park, is adjacent to the area and offers tennis courts, bike paths and sports fields, large landscaped areas and a farmers' market on Saturdays during the season.
- Sublette Park is located in the neighborhood at the top of St. Louis Hill (namesake of The Hill) and has a playground, a pavilion built by the Boy Scouts of America, tennis courts and soccer field.
- Located at "The Entrance to the Hill,"[2] the Southwest Garden District at Vandeventer Avenue and Shaw has some of the most notable small shops in the area. These shops include Gringo Jones Imports, The Bug Store, and The Do-nut Shop. Another landmark of the area is the old Southwest Bank, now under a different name, with a gold, rotating eagle on top of a time and temperature monitor at the peak of the corner facade of the building.
Southwest Garden is represented by the Aldermen of Wards 8, 10 and 24.
History
Southwest Garden west of Kingshighway has a history similar to its neighbor The Hill. After the "Great Fire" of 1848 destroyed large parts of St. Louis, an ordinance banning frame construction put a premium on brick construction. The demand for brick spurred the mining of clay deposits that had been found west of Kingshighway in the 1830s. As the mines attracted immigrant miners, they began to settle nearby areas.[3]
The establishment of St. Aloysius Gonzaga parish in 1892 helped further spur settlement. As a historically German parish, St. Aloysius Gonzaga represented and attracted more Germans. The parish was located at Magnolia and January Avenues. It was razed in 2006.</ref>
Southwest Garden east of Kingshighway is on land originally purchased by Henry Shaw in the 1850s.
Demographics
In 2010 Southwest Garden's racial makeup was 76.9% White, 16.5% Black, 0.3% Native American, 3.0% Asian, 2.4% Two or More Races, and 1.0% Some Other Race. 3.4% of the people were of Hispanic or Latino origin.[4]