WYDOWN-SKINKER (45)
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LOCATION
The Wydown-Skinker neighborhood is located in the far west end of the City of St. Louis. It is bounded by the City limits on the West, Forsyth Boulevard on the North, Forest Park (Skinker Blvd.) on the East, and Clayton Road on the South.

HISTORY
All of Wydown-Skinker was part of the grounds of the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition (the World’s Fair). Within this area were a large Ferris Wheel, part of which was recently excavated in an archaeological exploration, and the complex that housed the Filipino Igorot tribes members brought for “display” as representatives of a new American colony. Washington University located at its current site in 1905, immediately after the closing of the World’s Fair. Several buildings on the campus, including Brookings Hall and Bixby Hall, were used as part of the Fair. Most of the homes and institutions in the neighborhood were built in the 1920s, as the City of Clayton developed. The first homes in Hillcrest were built before World War I, followed by post-World War I construction in Hi-Pointe and Ellenwood. Most of the three-story apartments in DeMun Park were built in the twenties, followed by the first high-rise buildings on Skinker about 1929. The most recent of the latter type date from the early 1960s, such as 665 South Skinker.

CHARACTERISTICS
The Wydown-Skinker neighborhood is one of the most upscale and expensive neighborhoods in the City. Large homes, many built in the 1920s, grace tree-lined private streets. Large houses on Skinker Boulevard are directly across the street from Forest Park and all its amenities. Washington University is nearby, as is the upscale suburban municipality of Clayton, Missouri, seat of the St. Louis County government. Skinker also has several high-rise apartment and condominium buildings; smaller apartment buildings are located on several side streets. The neighborhood benefits tremendously from the proximity of the DeMun Avenue business district in the City of Clayton. (Wydown-Skinker is often identified as part of the DeMun area.) Washington University anchors the northern end, and the Hi-Pointe business area is located just outside the southern end. Several churches are clustered near the Wydown at Skinker intersection, but otherwise, Wydown-Skinker is an entirely residential area with no significant commercial or industrial development.

INSTITUTIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS
The Missouri Historical Society Library and Collections Center is located at 225 South Skinker Blvd. in Wydown-Skinker. This Graeco-Byzantine style building, dedicated in 1927, was formerly the United Hebrew Temple, the oldest Jewish congregation west of the Mississippi, and was the site of a speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Several churches and religious organizations are clustered near Skinker at Wydown., including the St. Germain Foundation, the Vedanta Society, Memorial Presbyterian Church, St. Michael and St. George Episcopal Church, the Eighth Church of Christ Scientist, Unity Christ Church, and Central Church of Christ. Washington University anchors the north end of the neighborhood, although only Bixby Hall and several large parking lots are actually located within City limits. Other prominent institutions located near but not within the neighborhood are Fontbonne College, Concordia Seminary, the St. Louis Artists’ Guild in Oak Knoll Park, and St. Mary’s Health Center. Although no Roman Catholic parishes or schools are located within the neighborhood boundaries, most of the area is served by St. Roch’s Catholic Church and School in Skinker-DeBaliviere, as well as by several elite private academies located nearby in Clayton, such as St. Michael School, Forsyth School, The Wilson School, and Captain School. Christian Brothers College (CBC) High School is located nearby in Clayton, but will soon be relocating to far west St. Louis County.

PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT
Wydown-Skinker is an extremely stable and expensive neighborhood. Most of its properties are maintained to high standards, in keeping with those in the adjacent City of Clayton. There are some community concerns that the police presence, alleyway maintenance, and city services in general are inadequate in the neighborhood, because it is on the periphery of the City of St. Louis. These concerns need to be addressed so that the area can maintain its stability. No new development is necessary, but stability needs to be ensured. The progress of the Forest Park Master Plan and the development of MetroLink along Forest Park Parkway/Millbrook Boulevard may benefit the residents of the area, at least indirectly. Issues such as the redevelopment of the Parkmoor Restaurant for a Walgreens pharmacy and the plans for a Dierbergs shopping center at the CBC High School site may have indirect impact on the area, but those sites are located in the City of Clayton. Wydown-Skinker is likely to remain stable and probably will not see major new development occur within its boundaries.