WELLS/GOODFELLOW (50)
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LOCATION
This neighborhood is bounded by the City limits on the Northwest, by Dr. Martin Luther King Drive on the Southwest, by Natural Bridge Avenue on the Northeast, and by Union Boulevard on the Southeast. It is surrounded by the Mark Twain/I-70 Industrial, Hamilton Heights, and the Kingsway West neighborhoods.

HISTORY
Wells/Goodfellow is part of an historic section known as Arlington, which takes its name from John W. Burd's Arlington Grove subdivision of 1868. A memorable disaster in the history of the Arlington area occurred in October 1916, when the Christian Brothers College building at North Kingshighway and Easton Avenue (now Martin Luther King Drive) was destroyed by fire, one of the worst in the City's history, taking 10 lives.
The area received its name from John W. Burd's Arlington Grove subdivision of 1868. More subdivisions were built in the mid-1880s, with residential construction continuing until 1910. By the mid-1920s, the last of the residential subdivisions were opened.

CHARACTERISTICS
The Wells/Goodfellow neighborhood is dominated by many single-family dwellings in both the Dutch and shotgun styles. Many two- and four-family buildings are located along its major streets, with businesses concentrated mainly on Goodfellow. Its crime rate remains relatively low, despite the abandoned buildings. A recently organized block unit in the 5700 block of Kennerly is in the process of resolving incidences of drug- and gang-related activity through increased surveillance by neighbors and the Police.
The new City Plaza Schnucks was recently added to the neighborhood, the first new grocery store in North City in several decades. Commercial activity is primarily located along Martin Luther King Drive, Natural Bridge, Goodfellow and Union Boulevard, with a mixture of light industry on Martin Luther King Drive west of Union. There are also some commercial properties along the south side of Natural Bridge, west of Kingshighway to the City limits. Much of the northwestern part of Wells/Goodfellow, along the railway line, is industrial in character, providing a separation between the neighborhood and the suburban municipalities of Pine Lawn and Hillsdale across the City line. Connolly's Goody Goody restaurant is located on Natural Bridge just west of Goodfellow.
Housing in the area consists principally of a mixture of single-family dwellings and two-family flats. There are also some four-family flats and multiple-family dwellings near Union and along Clara Avenue, as well as a few suburban-style apartment complexes on Goodfellow north of St. Louis Avenue.

INSTITUTIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS
The Hamilton Heights Housing Corporation is active in the neighborhood, establishing low-income housing and rehabilitating buildings such as the one at 5500 Natural Bridge.
Day care centers in the neighborhood include Uncle Sam's Kids, Fairy Tale Day Care Center, Successful Children's Academy, and Hamilton Heights Day Care. Mathews-Dickey Boys Club North is located just north of the neighborhood along Union, providing activities for the area's youth. The North Patrol Division Police Station, also on Union, serves the area. Barrett Brothers Park is located at Goodfellow and St. Louis Avenue.

PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT
The new City Plaza Schnucks and shopping center provides a great opportunity for stimulating further redevelopment in Wells/Goodfellow. Although there have been no strong interests in residential development in this neighborhood in recent years, six rental rehab units with a total development cost of $395,000 were recently approved. The rebuilding of the Natural Bridge viaduct over the Terminal Railroad line also provides the chance to improve access to the neighborhood, while finally eliminating the dangerous detour routes along such residential streets as Belt and Clara. Many vacant and under-utilized properties are available, but incentives need to be provided. The vacant site adjacent to the City limit on Natural Bridge needs reutilization, possibly in cooperation with St. Louis County and the City of Pine Lawn. The City portion of the Wellston business district along Martin Luther King Drive also needs major attention and offers opportunities for redevelopment. Although no major planning efforts are on the short-term horizon for this part of northwest City, it is an area with urgent economic development and crime prevention needs.