St. Louis is an extraordinary city with a rich heritage. We live with our history every day.

Look at a map and you'll see the clashing street grids of what were once independent cities. You'll find street names commemorating our earliest Native American, French, and Spanish heritage. Walk our historic nineteenth century neighborhoods and you'll find surprising reminders of bygone ways of life: horse hitches, carriage blocks, and countless corner storefronts. Drive south, north and west and see the nineteenth century immigrant neighborhoods give way to streets of turn of the century revival style buildings and, even farther out, orderly planned neighborhoods. See the ideals of past generations laid out in parks and playgrounds. Then go downtown and note the juxtaposition of historic landmarks and commercial districts with more modern gleaming skyscrapers. The story of St. Louis is written all around us in the streets, buildings and landscapes that we take for granted every day.

The object of historic preservation is to maintain this legacy of our past for future generations. It makes sense from many perspectives. Preservation has been shown over and over to make economic sense for communities, creating jobs (more jobs than an equivalent expenditure in new construction) and adding to the economy. Preservation embodies the ideas of sustainability (development that does not deplete our society's natural and economic resources) and environmental conservation. Historic environments attracts tourists (and their money) and give us something special to show off to our own visitors. Preservation promotes community pride and neighborhood spirit. It connects us with a shared past, and gives us a common starting place to make our future.

Landmarks Association has been active in community issues since 1959, when a committed group of citizens got together to try to save some of the buildings in the way of the urban renewal wrecking ball. Since that time, we have expanded into areas of education, cultural tourism, research, publication and events.