St. Louis' population swell between 1880 and 1890 (a hefty 29 percent) presented a bonanza for out-of-state capitalists and promoters. Among those attacted to the City was Thomas A. Scott, a young Canadian (born 1854) with experience in Chicago and Kansas City realty markets in partnership with his brother Samuel. Described as "one of the most daring real estate operators St. Louis has every known," Scott opened a St. Louis office for the partnership in 1888 and immediately embarked upon a $25,000 advertising campaign to tout St. Louis real estate in the eastern press. Within the year Scott had raised sufficient eastern capital to incorporate two companies whose purposes included investment in promising "western" real estate, transportation, utilities, and mining. The St. Louis real estate targeted for development comprised unsubdivided lands west of Grand held by Tyler and McRee estates. In 1887, Thomas Scott obtained an option on the McRee tract with a proviso that he was to improve the tract by subdividing the property and creating streets. Scott expended some $35,000 on these improvements. In September of 1888, the Dundee Land and Investment, through shareholder Thomas Scott, purchased acreage equivalent to twenty-two city blocks from a McRee heir for $450,352. Platted as Dundee Place in June 1889, the land sloped west from Grand Avenue to Manchester Road (now Vandeventer Avenue) and was bounded on the north by Park Avenue and the tracks of several railroads, and on the south by McRee Avenue.

The first auction of Dundee Place lots was delayed two years until June 1891, by which time critical transit lines had reached the District from downtown and nearby railroad tracks to the north were bridged across Grand Avenue. Beginning in May 1891, the Scotts invested $10,000 in a massive siege of newspaper promotion which featured views of the property and extensive copy.

Enthusiastic newspaper coverage in advance of the sale noted that the property compared favorable with popular areas developing along Lindell Boulevard, one of the City's most prestigious areas. It was predicted that a tract such as this, the largest one in the City, would never again be offered at public auction.

Capitalizing on Grand Avenue's well-established residential prestige and its importance as a north/south corridor (linking the City by the new suspension bridge), the Dundee Place sale was advertised as the "Grand Avenue Auction." Trolley, cable car lines, and suburban railroad tracks made possible the boast that "no subdivision in the City has so many lines running into the business center." Improvements included the grading of streets and some lots, a few sewer and water lines and granitoid sidewalks at the eastern and western edges of Dundee Place. Akin to present-day subdivision developments, eighteen, for sale, two-story brick model homes were constructed in advance of the auction to demonstrate the possibilities of the sites to those attending.

Although the only deed restriction controlling Dundee Place lots was a setback of 15 feet, restrictions on Tyler and Shaw lands to the south were used as selling points offering protection to the "whole section from the inroads of smoke, furnaces...and unhealthy factory fumes." While marketing Dundee Place, the Scotts were simultaneously initiating promotion of Shaw and Tyler Places, in which tracts the brothers also held interests. The Scotts discreetly neglected to mention that Dundee Place contained no protective restrictions similar to those in Tyler and Shaw Places, nor did theadvertising disclose that Dundee Place's northern sector had been quietly reserved for industrial development.

The promoters were cagily bi-partisan in the naming of the new east/west streets laid out between Park and McRee Avenues. Folsom was the maiden name of President Grover Cleveland's wife; Blaine was named for James G. Blaine, Republican Presidential nominee defeated by Cleveland in 1884. The north/south streets, Vandeventer (now 39th) and Cabanne (now Spring) were extensions of existing streets.

The sales pitch was directed to both real estate speculators and home builders ("mechanics and businessmen")--a broad section of the middle class which in fact eventually settled the District. Spin-off from the Chicago World's Fair (1893), predicted to bring "Millions of people into the Mississippi Valley", thousands of whom might settle in St. Louis, was assurance to speculators of a safe investment. Land was expected to "go cheap" with easy terms of one-third cash and the balance in one and two years at six percent interest. According to the St. Louis Globe Democrat, the promotion and auction were not disappointing for "fully 5,000 people inspected the property." Hundreds attended the auction and nearly half of the lots were sold including virtually all of the area between 39th Street and Grand Avenue. Considered one-half to one-third below expectation, lot prices averaged $21.32 per front foot ranging from high of $81.00 along the choice Grand Avenue frontage and descending with the land grade to the teens.

According to a report of the auction printed int the St. Louis Globe Democrat, the sale had actually been "forced" by a pressing need to pay off the mortgage indebtedness. One that object was accomplished, the remaining portions of the tract were withdrawn and the sale closed. Quite possibly, as suggested by the broad purposes listed in the Dundee Land and Investment Co. corporate charter, the Scotts had plans for the unsold, northern portions of the tract. Whatever dreams there may have been, however, were never realized. In the spring of 1895, shortly after the Liggett and Myer Tobacco Co. announced plans to build the "world's largest" tobacco factory in the undeveloped northern portion, the Dundee Land and Investment Company went into bankruptcy and the company's remaining assets were put up for auction. These events proved to be of major significance in the future of Dundee Place.

The selection of Dundee Place as the site of the Liggett and Myer factory coupled with the sudden and inexpensive availability of the remaining Dundee Place lots prompted renewed interest in the area. The prospect of the convenient factory sites attracted a variety of industries to the northern sector and adjacent areas. In turn, there was great demand for housing for the construction workers and, subsequently, for factory employees:

Work on the tobacco factory... will provide employment for an immense number of people in all lines. The prospect of the building, and of the large number of hands who will be employed regularly, has caused an increase demand for property... A great deal of exceptionally cheap property as desirable and as well located sells at so low a price.

Factory sites, business lots, and residential lots are to be offered at the Receiver's peremptory auction sale of Dundee Place realty next Saturday afternoon. The property is therefore subdivided for more diversified uses than that ordinarily offered at auction sales and as a consequence it will attract all classes of buyers... dealers in all kinds of heavy merchandise who desire to find new quarters will be attracted by the factory site section of the property which has first class switch facilities. Builders and speculators realize the advantage of investing in property that is rapidly growing into prominence as a residence locality, and landlords who cater to the working class will find this is an excellent field for investment as well... Led by the mammoth Liggett & Myer Tobacco Company complex, the northern sector of Dundee Place quickly assumed an exclusively industrial aspect. In addition to Liggett & Myer, the smaller Wellman-Twire Tobacco Company built in Dundee Place in 1897, and close by were the Huttig Sash and Door Co., the Koken Iron Co., the yards and shops of the Missouri Pacific Railroad, and after 1899, the new headquarters of the United Railway Co.

At the turn of the century, stimulated by the rapid increase in population, Grand Avenue, Tower Grove Avenue, and 39th Street began to develop as commercial strips, Thirty-ninth Street, which was served by a branch of the Tiffany Trolley Line, added nine store/flat combinations between 1901 and 1909. Eventually, both Tower Grove Avenue and 39th Street spawned small shops selling shoes, hardware, cigars and groceries, and offered services such as hair-cuts and tailoring. Taverns, a pool room and restaurant provided entertainment.

This, by the turn of the century, less than ten years after the opening of Dundee Place, the major forces that were to shape the District's growth had been set in motion. For the next 30 years, Dundee Place/Tiffany neighborhood continued to grow along the patterns already established.

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