In 1925, St. Louis was a bustling and growing city with a strong economy and a diverse population. The city had a strong industrial base, with major brewing, meatpacking, and manufacturing companies. This made it a significant center for trade and commerce.
The city was also an important transportation hub, located at the Mississippi River intersection and several major rail lines. This facilitated the movement of goods and people, making it a major gateway to the west.
St. Louis had several universities and colleges, such as Washington University and Saint Louis University, as well as museums, theaters, and other cultural institutions. The city also had a vibrant music scene, with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra being one of the best in the country.
St. Louis had a diverse population, a significant African American community, and a growing number of immigrants from Europe and Mexico. This added to the cultural richness of the city, with a variety of neighborhoods, languages, and customs.
However, like many American cities in the 1920s, St. Louis also had its share of problems. There were significant social and economic disparities among different groups, and the city faced challenges such as poverty, crime, and racial tensions. Additionally, the city was facing significant changes as a result of urbanization and industrialization, leading to the growth of slums, pollution, and other urban problems.
#1 Lafayette Avenue, 1500 block of, 1925
#2 View of a young man standing in the doorway at Style Center Clothing Co. on the north side of the 1300 block of Washington Avenue looking west, 1925
#3 Brick rowhouses and sidewalk, includes two cars and pedestrians, 1925
#4 West on Cass Avenue, at the intersection with 13th Street, 1925
The rear of the Crunden Branch Library at the northeast corner of Cass Ave and 14th Street is visible in the right background. The building with the Hyde Park sign was at 1224 Cass Ave, the southeast corner of Cass Ave and 13th Street. The Cass Bank & Trust was later built on that site.
#5 Looking east on Morgan St. at the intersection with Twenty-third Street, 1925
The building at immediate left is 2301 Morgan. Across the street at the northeast corner of Twenty-third & Morgan is the old Central M.E. Church (built 1869) and occupied by that congregation until 1885. The steeple was removed and the church was then used by the Central (Colored) Baptist Church until 1913. In 1933 the building was being used by the Church of God in Christ.
#6 View of two brick dwellings on the 320 block of Gravois. From resource: 3216, 3218-20 Gravois Av., P. 225, P. 226
#7 Park Ave. & Mississippi Ave, 1925
#8 Biddle Street, 1900 block of, 1925
#9 Washington Ave., 2100 block of, 1925
#10 Market Street at Grand Ave, 1925
View of the southeast corner Market Street at the intersection with Grand Ave. The Grand Ave. bridge is off to the right. A woman stands near a fire hydrant. Numerous billboards are posted, including advertising for The Moler System of Colleges, The St. Louis Star newspaper, Chauncey P. Heath Real Estate and Murphy's luggage.
#11 Looking north down Lemp Ave. at Crittenden Street in the Benton Park neighborhood, 1925
#12 3209 – 3211 Easton, 1925
#13 View east from 12th Street & Market, 1925
#14 Bellefontaine Street Car ribbon cutting, 1925
#15 View of the approach to the MacArthur bridge (also known as the Municipal Bridge or Free Bridge from the west, 1925
#16 Looking south from in front of 1109 North 11th Street, looking towards Carr Street, 1925
#17 Doctress L. Svoboda Greer, 1925
#18 Looking east down Chouteau at Vandeventer, 1925
#19 Delmar between Bayard and Euclid, 1925
#20 Looking west on Olive Street from just east of the intersection at North 7th Street downtown. 618 Olive Street shows a sign for a dentist office, 1925
A second dentist sign is seen at 224 North 7th Street, which is the corner of North 7th Street & Olive Street). Burton Clothing Co. was at 720 Olive Street. The 12-story Arcade Building at the SW corner of Olive Street & North 8th Street is behind it. On the right, is the Railway Exchange Building at the NE corner of Olive Street & North 7th Street. Next is the Central National Bank Building (Union Trust Building) at the NW corner of Olive Street & North 7th Street; and then the Chemical Building (with the bay windows) at the NE corner of Olive Street & North 8th Street.
#21 View of Market street looking north east toward Twelfth, 1925
#22 South view down Thirteenth Street at Cass Ave. Beehler Steel Products Co. was at 1439 North 13th Street, 1925
#23 South East corner Twelfth and Chestnut, 1925
#24 View from the street of the building that once housed The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company (A&P) and the office of Dentist, Dr. Avner N. Spielberg, 1925
#25 View of the southwest corner of Gravois and Wyoming in the Tower Grove East neighborhood. St. Pius V Catholic Church is visible in the distance, 1925
#26 North Taylor Ave., 1400 block of, 1925
#27 View of the intersection of South Vandeventer Ave. and the Wabash and Rock Island Railroad, 1925
#28 200 block of North 7th, 1925
#29 Sarah Ave. at Clayton Ave., 1925
Looking north on Sarah Ave at Clayton Ave. The buildings at left center just past the railroad crossing were part of the Empire Brewing Co., and later used by U.S. Steel Supply Co. The brewery closed in 1918. On a brick wall in the foreground, several advertisements are visible, including one for the Mississippi Valley Trust Company. Remnants of earlier advertisements cover the wall. A telephone marker bearing the logo of Southwestern Bell protrudes from the wall near a doorway. Unintelligible writing on back of resource
#30 Kingshighway Blvd. at Oakland Ave., 1925
#31 Superintendent’s residence, St. Louis City Workhouse, 1925
View of the front yard at the Superintendent's residence of the St. Louis City Workhouse at the southeast corner of S. Broadway & Meramec Street. A woman sits with a small dog and a man stands near a double seated glider. Lemen0232, Lemen0233, Lemen0234 are related views. The residence at center background with tower is 2722-2724 Meramec Street.
#32 Looking south down North 19th Street at the intersection with Olive Street, 1925
#33 View northeast overlooking the stone quarry of the St. Louis City Workhouse at SE corner of South Broadway & Meramec Street, 1925
#34 View of a young man crossing Sixth street at Washington. Kresge’s is across the street, 1925
#35 View of the 1400 block of Franklin from 1407, 1925
#36 This is the view looking east at Connecticut Street at the intersection with South Spring Ave., 1925
#37 Grand Blvd. at Washington Blvd., 1925
#38 Adams and Jefferson, 1925
View of the buildings that included 318, 320, 324 Jefferson and 2351, 2353, 2355, 2357, and 2361 Adams. At the time of the photograph, Drosky Brothers Grocery and Meat Market operated on the first floor of the corner building at 2361 Adams. This surrounding area is now part of I-64. From resource: North east corner of Jefferson and Adams.
#39 Schiller Place, 4200 block of, 1925
#40 The view north down North 9th Street from in front of the vacant lot at 1407 North 9th Street, looking towards Cass Ave, 1925
#41 Looking east from the intersection of Olive Blvd and Channing Street. Channing does not exist anymore at this location. Now it is referred to as the Greenway Trail.
#42 Looking west from the intersection of Twelfth Street and Morrison Ave, 1925
#43 Grand and Olive looking north, 1925
#44 Chestnut and Broadway looking west, 1925
#45 The northwest corner of Clara Ave. & Delmar Blvd. The Windermere Hotel was located at 5603 Delmar Blvd., 1925
#46 N. 20th St. at E. Gano Ave., 1925
Looking north down North 20th Street near East Gano Ave. in the College Hill neighborhood. The church at center is Our Lady of Perpetual Help at the northwest corner of East Linton Ave. & North 20th Street. The building at far left (behind the planter) is 4823 North 20th Street. The buildings at near far right (next to fence) is 4814 and 4816 North 20th Street (still standing).
#47 North Broadway near Aurora, 1925
#48 Alanson Building on 5800 block of Delmar, 1925
#49 St. Louis Ave. at N. Sarah St., 1925
#50 View of a cow grazing in muddy yard, 1925
#51 View of billboards and streetcars looking west down Market Street at the intersection with Grand Ave., 1925
#52 Looking east toward Eads Bridge Trolley Station at Third and Washington, 1925
#53 Looking south on Goodfellow Blvd. at the intersection with Cote Brilliante Ave. in the Wells-Goodfellow neighborhood, 1925
#54 West Florissant and John, 1925
#55 Clayton Ave. at W. Billon (Hampton) Ave., 1925
#56 Franklin & Washington, 1925
#57 Traffic signal at 12th, 1925
#58 Locust east from Broadway, 1925
#59 Looking north on Arkansas Avenue from Magnolia in the Tower Grove East neighborhood, 1925
#60 1800 block of Division, 1925
#61 Grand north from West Pine and Lawton, 1925
#62 Fourth and Washington, 1925
#63 View of the buildings whose addresses were 111, 113, 115, 119 14th Street and cars parked in front, 1925
#64 Gravois Park Pavilion in the Gravois Park neighborhood just south of the Cherokee Street district in south St. Louis, 1925
The park is bounded by Louisiana on the west, S. Compton on the east, Potomac on the north and Miami on the south side. This photograph of the Gravois Park Pavilion appears on page 23 of the Annual Report of the Division of Parks and Recreation, Department of Public Welfare, City of St. Louis ending fiscal year April, 1925. City Ordinance 33140 authorized $8,500 of 1924 Bond Issue for construction. The pavilion includes a bandstand and lower level comfort station and was constructed by the Construction Division of the Division of Parks and Recreation. It was design by H. E. George, an architect for the City of St. Louis.
#65 South 11th Street, 1500 block of, 1925
#66 Washington west from Fourth, 1925
#67 S. Vandeventer, 1200 block, 1925
#68 Chestnut near 14th, 1925
View of the buildings and businesses that once stood on the North side of the 1400 block of Chestnut which is now green space. Golden Ruling and Binding Company was at 1409, Capewell Horse and Nail Company at 1413, and Toman Auto Repair Company was at 1415 Chestnut at the time this photograph was taken.
#69 St. Louis Ave., 4500 block of, 1925
#70 Washington Avenue, looking east from Sixth, 1925
#71 A building demolition south east corner of Fourth & Chestnut, 1925
#72 View south down Academy Ave., showing the Raymond Place Market at the southeast corner of Page Blvd. and Academy Ave, 1925
#73 View looking North down Leffingwell from the drug store on the corner of Clark that had been occupied at one time by Lewis Caldwell, 1925
#74 View of a grocery at Withnell and Lemp in the Benton Park neighborhood, 1925
#75 View of a one-story brick dwelling next to a muddy lane in the Ville neighborhood, 1925
#76 Looking east down the south sidewalk of Market Street, towards the intersection with Broadway (Fifth Street), 1925
The building at far left, with the arched windows, is the Allen Building, at the northwest corner of Broadway and Market Street. The building behind that, at left center, is the Old Courthouse. The building behind the Old Courthouse, at center, is the Merrell Drug Co. building at the northeast corner of Market and Fourth Street. In the left foreground a man is holding cable near an open manhole.
#77 View of three-story structure on the 4900 block of Gravois. Lungstras Dyeing & Cleaning was located at 4908 and Brinkmann Realty Company at 4910 Gravois, 1925
#78 View of storefronts on Biddle Street, possibly at the intersection of Biddle and 15th Street, 1925
#79 View looking West on Utah Street between Arkansas Avenue and Grand, 1925
#80 Looking north on Oregon Ave. at the intersection with Meramec Street in the Dutchtown neighborhood of south St. Louis. George Ehrhard’s Shoe Repair, at 4207 Oregon Ave., 1925
#81 View of a group of five people – three women and two men – standing at the door in front of 6324 Mardel, 1925
#82 Robert Koch (Quarantine) Hospital employee dormitories, 1925
#83 Looking north down Kingshighway Memorial Boulevard from the intersection with Easton Avenue, 1925
#84 Looking west on Franklin Ave. at the intersection with North Broadway (Fifth Street), 1925
Directly in view is a large brick pile signaling a demolition. The photo was taken in front of approximately 511 Franklin Ave. The 3-story building at left center is at 600 Franklin Ave. Further up the block at left center, the building with the pointed roof is the Globe Store & Office Fixture Co. at 700 Franklin Ave
#85 S. 12th Street, 110-112, 1925
#86 Chouteau Ave. west of Spring Ave., 1925
#87 Delmar Blvd. between Goodfellow Blvd. and DeBaliviere Blvd, 1925
#88 Minnesota Ave. & Eiler St., 1925
#89 South Broadway from Meramec Street, 1925
Looking southwest from the Superintendent’s residence of the St. Louis City Workhouse at the SE corner of South Broadway & Meramec Street. The view is southwest down South Broadway. The building with the pointed tower at center is the Home of the Friendless at the NW corner of South Broadway & Dakota Street (later the Charless Home – 4431 South Broadway). The tall building left of that is the Mt. Pleasant School at 4528 Nebraska Ave. Compare to photos
#90 The view north down Blair Ave. from just north of O’Fallon Street, 1925. The building on the left is 1311 Blair Ave. Two men stand at a driveway on the right.
#91 View of a man, woman (and dog) posing on the grounds at the Superintendent’s residence of the St. Louis City Workhouse at the SE corner of South Broadway & Meramec Street.
#92 View of 2700 block of Franklin Avenue (now Dr. Martin Luther King) at the intersection of Leffingwell, 1925
#93 This is the 5500 block of Minnesota Ave. The residence is at 5505 Minnesota Ave. (SW corner of Minnesota Ave. & Fassen Street), 1925
#94 View of a man on a horse-drawn wagon in front a of several buildings on the west side of South Vandeventer Ave. in the 800 block between Gratiot and Papin Streets, 1925
#95 Looking west on O’Fallon Street at the intersection with North 22nd Street, 1925
#96 View of looking east on Locust at 7th of several men and boys standing on the corner in front of Judge & Dolph’s Drugstore, 1925
#97 Unidentified St. Louis intersection, 1925
#98 Looking west down Carr Street towards the intersection with Nineteenth Street, 1925
#99 View looking west on North Market Street at the northwest corner with Grand Blvd, 1925
#100 The view west down Hebert Street at the intersection with North 21st Street and Florissant Ave., 1925
#101 Looking west on McPherson Ave. at the intersection with North Newstead Avenue in the Central West End neighborhood, 1925
#102 European Sycamores planted at the southeast corner of Keokuk Street and California Avenue in south St. Louis City, 1925
#103 Looking south down North 6th Street from in front of 717 North 6th Street (west side of North 6th St.), 1925
#104 Large group of children pose for the camera while sitting on a playground merry-go-round, 1925
#105 Looking west down Chouteau Ave. at South Spring Ave. The St. Louis Independent Packing Co. at right center was located at 3857 Chouteau Ave, 1925
#106 Calvary Ave. construction, 1925
#107 Looking north down Michigan Ave. from in front of 7520 Michigan Ave. (at Steins Street) in the Patch neighborhood of South St. Louis, 1925
#108 The northeast corner of North 4th Street & Chestnut St. The Pierce Building, which extended the entire block of North 4th Street between Chestnut Street & Pine Street (112 North 4th Street) is at center, 1925
#109 Looking west along the north side of Sutherland from approximately 4963, 1925
#110 Union Blvd. at Easton Ave, 1925
#111 Washington Place & Kingshighway Blvd, 1925
#112 City Vehicles parked at Municipal Courts Building, 1925
#113 View of the Hotel Jack at 305A Lucas Ave. The building was at the NW corner of Lucas Ave. & North 3rd Street, 1925
#114 Kingshighway N.W. from Wabash R.R., 1925
#115 View of the south west corner of North Grand and Garfield, 1925
#116 North Garrison Ave., 1800 block of, 1925
#117 Chestnut St. at N. 11th St., 1925
The Bush-Burns Realty Co. was located at 1105 Chestnut Street. A large sign in front of the building reads, "Berkley Acres, The Ideal Home Site". The Municipal Nurses Office, seen in right foreground, was part of the City Health & Police Dept. building, which was later replaced by the Civil Courts Building.
St Louis has a glorious history through photos from just 100 years ago. There is no doubt that my grandparents hung around some of these streets. St Louis produced bricks and used them in their buildings, streets, etc., as evidenced by the brickwork. Some of the billboards were interesting to read. The charm was there, the shabbiness was a problem, and the rural aspect of the city was evident (cows grazing near city streets! ).