The Central West End is a

neighborhood A neighbourhood (British English, Irish English, Australian English and Canadian English) or neighborhood (American English; see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town, suburb or rural area, ...

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

, stretching from Midtown's western edge to Union Boulevard and bordering on

Forest Park A forest park is a park whose main theme is its forest of trees. Forest parks are found both in the mountains and in the urban environment. Examples Chile * Forest Park, Santiago China * Gongqing Forest Park, Shanghai * Mufushan National Forest ...

with its outstanding array of free cultural institutions. It includes the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis (the New Cathedral) on Lindell Boulevard at Newstead Avenue, which houses the largest collection of mosaics in the world. The Central West End is represented by three aldermen as it sits partially in the 17th, 18th, and 28th Wards.

Notable people

Playwright

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the thre ...

grew up in the neighborhood, and the house of the renowned poet

T. S. Eliot Thomas Stearns Eliot (26 September 18884 January 1965) was a poet, essayist, publisher, playwright, literary critic and editor.Bush, Ronald. "T. S. Eliot's Life and Career", in John A Garraty and Mark C. Carnes (eds), ''American National Biogr ...

is located in the Central West End. Beat writer

William S. Burroughs William Seward Burroughs II (; February 5, 1914 – August 2, 1997) was an American writer and visual artist, widely considered a primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodern author who influenced popular cultur ...

's childhood home sits on Pershing Avenue (formerly Berlin Avenue) in the neighborhood. And though often mistaken as the location of

Sally Benson Sally Benson (''née'' Sara Smith; September 3, 1897 – July 19, 1972) was an American writer of short stories and screenwriter. She is best known for her humorous tales of modern youth collected in ''Junior Miss'' and her semi-autobiographical ...

's home, the setting of the stories which were adapted into the movie ''

Meet Me in St. Louis ''Meet Me in St. Louis'' is a 1944 American Christmas musical film made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Divided into a series of seasonal vignettes, starting with Summer 1903, it relates the story of a year in the life of the Smith family in St. Louis l ...

,'' 5135 Kensington Avenue was actually located in the

Academy An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...

neighborhood just across Delmar Boulevard to the north.

George Julian Zolnay George Julian Zolnay (Gyula Zsolnay) (July 4, 1863 – May 1, 1949) was a Romanian, Hungarian, and American sculptor called the "sculptor of the Confederacy". Early years Zolnay was born on July 4, 1863,Enc.Am. p. 723. to Ignác (Ignatius) Z ...

(Gyula Zsolnay) (July 4, 1863 – May 1, 1949) the Hungarian and American sculptor known as the "Sculptor of the Confederacy" lived in the Central West End in the early 1900s at 4384 Maryland Avenue.

Geography

Premiere Page du Saint-Louis Post-Dispatch Montrant Des Gens Discutant

The neighborhood's boundaries are Union Boulevard and the eastern portion of

on the west,

I-64 Interstate 64 (I-64) is an east–west Interstate Highway in the Eastern United States. Its western terminus is at I-70, U.S. Route 40 (US 40), and US 61 in Wentzville, Missouri. Its eastern terminus is at an interchange ...

US 40 U.S. Route 40 or U.S. Highway 40 (US 40), also known as the Main Street of America, is a major east–west United States Highway traveling across the United States from the Mountain States to the Mid-Atlantic States. As with most routes wh ...

on the south,

Delmar Boulevard Delmar Boulevard is a major east-west street in St. Louis, Missouri. Route description Delmar Boulevard starts at North 14th Street in Downtown St. Louis, as a westward extension of Convention Plaza. It passes through the neighborhoods of Down ...

on the north, and Vandeventer Ave on the east. The Central West End's main commercial district runs along Euclid Avenue and stretches from Forest Park Parkway on the south to

on the north. Many new residential and commercial developments have appeared along Euclid Avenue in recent years, and the building boom shows no signs of slowing down. These modern developments mix with elaborate, turn of the 20th century details, such as lamp posts and cobblestone streets, to create a unique atmosphere in the neighborhood - which first grew in popularity during the coming of the

1904 World's Fair The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the St. Louis World's Fair, was an international exposition held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from April 30 to December 1, 1904. Local, state, and federal funds totaling $15 mi ...

, held in the adjacent

. Some residential areas of the Central West End are included in the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

. One example is Fullerton's Westminster Place, whose large, architect-designed homes, most of which were built in the period 1890–1910, were described in the NRHP nomination as one of the finest turn of the 20th century streetscapes in the United States. Another is the

private place A private place is a self-governing enclave whose common areas (e.g. streets) are owned by the residents, and whose services are provided by the private sector. The history of St. Louis, Missouri, and its near suburbs is significant in the devel ...

called Washington Terrace, laid out in 1892. There are also more modern residential buildings that can be found in Central West End, including Park East Tower and One Hundred, which will be the tallest building in Central West End once it is completed in summer of 2020.

Public facilities

* Central West End MetroLink Station & MetroBus Center * Cortex MetroLink Station *

Washington University Medical Center The Washington University Medical Center (WUMC), located in St. Louis, Missouri, is a large scale health-care focused commercial development located in St. Louis' Central West End neighborhood. The Washington University Medical Center Redevelopme ...

** Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center **

Barnes-Jewish Hospital Barnes-Jewish Hospital is the largest hospital in the U.S. state of Missouri. Located in the Central West End neighborhood of St. Louis, it is the adult teaching hospital for the Washington University School of Medicine and a major component of ...

Central Institute for the Deaf Central Institute for the Deaf (CID) is a school for the deaf that teaches students using listening and spoken language, also known as the auditory-oral approach. The school is located in St. Louis, Missouri. CID is affiliated with Washington Univ ...

** St. Louis Children's Hospital * Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College *

Shriners Hospitals for Children Shriners Children's is a network of non-profit medical facilities across North America. Children with orthopaedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate are eligible for care and receive all services in a family-center ...

* University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis *

Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis, also known as the Saint Louis Cathedral, is a cathedral of the Roman Catholic Church located in the Central West End neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri. Completed in 1914, it is the mother church of the Arch ...

** Catholic Charities of St. Louis *

Saint Louis Chess Club The Saint Louis Chess Club (previously named the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis) is a chess venue located in the Central West End in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Opened on July 17, 2008, it contained a tournament hall and ...

World Chess Hall of Fame The World Chess Hall of Fame (WCHOF) is a nonprofit, collecting institution situated in the Central West End neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri, United States. It features chess exhibits, engages in educational outreach, and maintains a list of ...

Engineers' Club of Saint Louis The Engineers' Club of St. Louis is a professional association based in St. Louis, Missouri and is the third oldest engineering society in America. Mission statement The mission of the club is: To promote the educational, social and professiona ...

* Regional Justice Information Service * Saint Louis Public Library - Schlafly Branch * U. S. Postal Service - Marian Oldham Branch

Neighborhood organizations

CWE Business Community Improvement District (CWEScene.com) * Cathedral Square * Fullerton's Westminster Place * Washington Terrace * 4200 Washington POA * Maryland-Boyle * Laclede Place Neighborhood Association * Veiled Prophet Parade

Demographics

In 2020 the neighborhood's population was 56.9% White, 21.0% Black, 0.1% Native American, 13.7% Asian, 6.4% Two or More Races, and 1.9% Some Other Race. 4.7% of the population was of Hispanic or Latino origin.

References

External links

Central West End Scene

Central West End Website

Dining and Entertainment Guide for the CWE

Central West End Business Association

Explore St. Louis

CWEresidence

West End Word newspaper
{{coord, 38.6403, -90.2548, dim:2000_region:US-MO, display=title Neighborhoods in St. Louis