#134: Old North St. Louis

Not many people know that there was an independent village just north of St. Louis, simply known as North St. Louis. Established in 1816, this was to separate itself from the busy part of the city at that time. It was annexed into the city of St. Louis in 1841. Its status went from village to neighborhood.

The north St. Louis neighborhood was a densely populated area for quite some time. History, at the moment, does not record the period of time, but the area suffered for several decades as people moved out of the area and businesses and buildings were becoming deteriorated. Crime was happening. Things got so bad that in 1977, the business district was in redevelopment but all it did was 'welcome crime'. Needless to say it was a failed project.

It wasn't until 1981 that a group of people from that neighborhood banded together to form the Old North St. Louis Restoration Group. They would re-build each other's homes while cleaning up the area at the same time. The group continued to move forward by giving the Crown Square, the area just across from Crown Candy Kitchen, a complete facelift. After several years, the experiment worked and the pedestrian mall opened in 2010. This would only be the beginning of several current and future redevelopments in the area that brought us its classic red-brick buildings and its award-winning community gardens.

Here are some of the 'dummies' (or whatever you prefer to call them) that I believe are to help re-live the past of North St. Louis:

Right side of the cake

An episode of KETC Channel 9's 'Living St. Louis' devoted to Old North

Old North St. Louis Restoration Group on FB 

Old North St. Louis Restoration Group Official website 

2700 North 14th Street, ST. LOUIS, MO, 63106

Cake artist: Jack Bowe

UPDATE (9/4/2016): The cake is still there.