Photo by RJ Wilner
The Central West End (CWE), a neighborhood that took two consecutive floods to visit! Well, it is a very large neighborhood and during the first visit we only touched about 1/3 of it so we added a second visit to do it justice. We have visited the neighborhood twice before, Photo Flood 11 and Photo Flood 74.
Photo by Ann Yeoman
Due to its large size the CWE is full of historic neighborhoods, such as Portland Place and Westmoreland Place. The southwest section is anchored by the massive Washington University Medical Campus and Barnes-Jewish Hospital. To the southeast is the Cortex Innovation District, a modern hub for bioscience and tech startups. Running north/south is Euclid Avenue, a tree-lined thoroughfare packed with restaurants offering sidewalk patio dining, and shopping opportunities.
Photo by Caren Libby
Photo by Dennis Daugherty
Photo by Jane DiCampo
The World Chess Hall of Fame is located near Maryland Plaza on Euclid. Along Lindell Boulevard is the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis. Completed in 1914, the Cathedral contains the largest collection of mosaic art in the Western Hemisphere, featuring 41.5 million glass tesserae pieces covering 83,000 square feet of walls and ceilings.
Photo by Caren Libby
Photo by Maureen Minich
Photo by Maureen Minich
The CWE was brought into the spotlight during the 1904 World’s Fair in Forest Park, which is adjacent to the neighborhood. Luxury hotels, apartments, and upscale commercial shops along Maryland Avenue and Euclid Avenue were built to accommodate visitors and affluent residents.
Photo by Jane DiCampo
Photo by Mike Matney
Photo by RJ Wilner
Within the CWE is The Chase Park Plaza. The Plaza housed the Chase Club, a premier 1950s nightclub that hosted stars like Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, Nat King Cole, and Elvis Presley. The Plaza has hosted U.S. Presidents (from Coolidge to H.W. Bush), Eleanor Roosevelt, Amelia Earhart, and the Rolling Stones over the years. It also holds a special place in the hearts of professional wrestling fans as it hosted Wrestling at the Chase, which broadcasted live on KPLR Channel 11 from the hotel’s Khorassan Room from 1959 to 1983.
Photo by Maureen Minich
Photo by Meredith McKinley
Photo by Ann Yeoman
After WWII the neighborhood experienced a period of transition. The rapid rise of families moving to the suburbs caused a 25% drop in its population between 1950 and 1970. But in 1973, fearing the complete decay of their surrounding community, the Washington University Medical Center established a dedicated redevelopment corporation (WUMCRC). They poured immense resources into historic preservation, neighborhood safety, and infrastructure. In 1974, the neighborhood was designated a historic district, protecting its rare turn-of-the-century architecture from demolition and establishing strict zoning laws.
Photo by Jane DiCampo
Photo by Mike Matney
Photo by RJ Wilner
The area now contains a massive medical campus and and the multi-billion dollar Cortex Innovation District. In 2015 Swedish retailer IKEA opened their first store in Missouri further enhancing the neighborhood, helping it to continue to thrive. The success of the Central West End positively affects the surrounding neighborhoods and is vital to the city and region as a whole.
Photo by Ann Yeoman
Photo by Mike Matney
Photo by RJ Wilner
