SKINKER-DEBALIVIERE (46)

Click [ HERE ] to access the PDF version.

LOCATION
The neighborhood is defined by Delmar Boulevard on the North, Forsyth Boulevard and Lindell Boulevard on the South, DeBaliviere Avenue on the East, and by the City limits on the West.

HISTORY
Designated a Local Historic District by the City of St. Louis in 1978, the Skinker/DeBaliviere neighborhood displays some of the most beautiful variety of architecture in the City. The 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition (World’s Fair) was a catalyst for the building of many architecturally significant homes on the land adjacent to Forest Park. These homes include those in Julius Pitzman’s Parkview Place (1905), which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Washington Heights was platted in 1907 to encompass the area between Delmar and the Forest Park Parkway and between Skinker Boulevard and Des Peres Avenue. The Catlin Tract (1909) and the Washington Heights Addition (1910) followed shortly thereafter. The River Des Peres caused periodic severe flooding in the neighborhood, especially devastating in 1915, until the massive containment project of 1929–31, by which time few vacant lots remained.

DeBaliviere and Delmar Avenues were streets of considerable commercial importance in the years 1920-50, with major food and drug stores, theaters, and restaurants.

Abundant shopping opportunities - combined with good access to public transportation, including four streetcar routes—encouraged the development of the neighborhood in the years following the World’s Fair. With the opening of two easily accessible MetroLink stations (DeBaliviere and Delmar’s Wabash), the neighborhood has regained this historic characteristic.

In the 1950s many families who were displaced by the demolition of the Mill Creek project relocated into Skinker/DeBaliviere. The increased population density and overuse of housing, particularly apartment buildings, caused deterioration and led to the formation of neighborhood groups, as early as 1958, to combat this negative trend. The neighborhood experienced severe population losses from 1960–80. In the mid to late seventies, a variety of rehabilitation projects were developed and housing values began to rebound.

CHARACTERISTICS
There are many large single-family homes and expansive apartment buildings in the neighborhood, many of which have been renovated to their original splendor. The majority of these homes were built from 1907–16. They range from Classic to Tudor Revival to Arts and Crafts to Bungalow. Nearly all homes include spacious rooms and many are ornamented with the exquisitely detailed millwork, art glass, and mantles of the early 20th century style. New development includes the town homes of Kingsbury Square, considered the first new subdivision to be built in the city for 20 years.

Because of the diversity in available housing and its proximity to Washington University and the Delmar “Loop,” the neighborhood is an eclectic mix of families, professionals, and students, as well as second- and third-generation Skinker/DeBaliviere families who had previously moved away. The neighborhood is home to a variety of diverse cultural and ethnic community festivals, as well as intellectual activities centered at Washington University and in Forest Park, the neighborhood’s “front lawn.” This cultural diversity is also evident in the shops, restaurants, and businesses that line Skinker, DeBaliviere, and Delmar. Since 1980, the neighborhood population has increased and, contrary to the City-wide trend, Skinker/DeBaliviere’s population is becoming younger as a result of community efforts successfully reversing previous declines.

INSTITUTIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS
The Skinker-DeBaliviere Community Council, one of the most active community groups in the City, was formed in 1966 to bring together Washington Heights Neighbors, Rosedale-Skinker Association, Delmar Baptist Church, Grace United Methodist Church, St. Roch’s Catholic Church, and Washington University to invest in renovation and marketing of the neighborhood in conjunction with private developers.

The goals of the Skinker-DeBaliviere Community Housing Corporation (SDCHC) are to increase owner occupancy, discourage real estate speculation by absentee landlords, decrease density, and improve the residential character of the neighborhood through close work with other neighborhood organizations.