Have a wonderful experience in historic Downtown St. Louis! Stroll the streets of our traditional Central Business District that offers many places to eat, shop and relax. Enjoy the convenient parking and easy access to all of our businesses.
Downtown St. Louis is a quaint, picturesque place that is the focal point of the City and is home to many community events. In addition to the businesses, downtown still has the town's key features including St. Louis High School, Clapp Park and the W.T. Morris Memorial Swimming Pool. The renovated GEM Theater is home to regular Blues performances and an annual St. Louis Blues Festival has been hosted by the GEM in cooperation with River Rock Bar & Grill, the City and the Gratiot Area Chamber. The downtown is truly part of a neighborhood, as the business district is surrounded by residential homes. You can see a nice selection of Victorian homes, especially along M-46 including the magnificent Elwell Castle on the corner of M-46 and Delaware Street.
In 2007 the City partnered with MDOT and the St. Louis Area Historical Society on an Enhancement Project at the Depot Museum and South Main Street leading into downtown. Victorian lighting, stamped concrete, sidewalks and landscaping were added and the Depot site got paving, landscaping and historic light poles plus renovation of the depot exterior, a historic toll booth from the Old Plank Road and a new Transportation Pavilion for the display of a 1917 Republic Truck and other local historic items related to transportation. This $700,000 project added to the already historic atmosphere of the downtown. This continued the plan started in 2003 when three blocks of M-46 received $344,000 in enhancement money and another $240,000 of CDBG funds helped repave downtown parking lots and alleyways. To continue to improve the aesthetics of the downtown, the City in 2010 replaced 57 Victorian light poles with the help of an MEDC grant.
Business activity has increased over this time period, with many new businesses locating downtown. Downtown St. Louis has a nice selection of retail and specialty shops as well as places to eat and get together. For a complete listing of everything in the downtown, please click on the Business Lists section on the left-hand bar.
Building owners have shown also a lot of pride in the appearance of their storefronts. The DDA Facade Grant and Sign Program was instituted in 2006 and has provided grant money to businesses to help improve the appearance of their storefronts. Since the program's inception, 30 grants have been awarded and every year more businesses invest in their properties and downtown continues to look better and better.
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