ABOUT ST. LOUIS: "MUST SEE" ATTRACTIONS
4 Area Attractions
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Bob Kramer's Marionettes. Discover the world of puppetry through demonstrations
and five seasonal shows.
http://www.kramersmarionnettes.com/
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Cabanne Branch Library. Just a few blocks north of Delmar Blvd. on Union Blvd. is the Cabanne Library, a Carnegie library branch with cozy reading rooms.
http://www.slpl.lib.mo.us/using/location.htm#CABANNE
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Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis. Usually called the "New" Cathedral, this massive 1912 Romanesque-Byzantine edifice houses the world's largest collection of mosaic art. Tours are available, but must be scheduled around the frequent Masses, weddings, and other services at the popular cathedral.
http://www.cathedralstl.org/
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Central Institute for the Deaf. One of the major institutions in the region serving the educational and research needs of the Deaf community, part of the Washington University Medical Center complex.
http://www.cid.wustl.edu/
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Central Reform Congregation. The only synagogue in the City is located in a fantastic facility located at Waterman and Kingshighway.
http://www.centralreform.org/
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Chase Park Plaza. "The Chase is the Place" was once the slogan, and indeed it is again.
After about a decade of dormancy, the Chase Hotel has reopened and been rejoined
with the Park Plaza as luxurious apartments and a limited number of hotel rooms, with
restaurants and recreational facilities as well as an art film theatre. The Chase Park Plaza
is one of the most luxurious places in St. Louis.
http://www.chaseparkplaza.com/
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Delmar Wabash Station. The former west end railroad stop now sits atop the MetroLink light rail line, and marks the eastern gateway to the Loop shopping and dining district.
http://www.transit-rider.com/viewer.cfm?FrameID=2020
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Delmonico's Diner. A popular soul food restaurant on Delmar.
http://www.restaurantrow.com/MoreInfo.cfm?Code=118447&state=MO
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Enright School building. Although vacant since 1994, this building on Enright has a storied history. It was once the Smith Academy, a private school for young men affiliated with Washington University. Then it served as the Harris Teachers College. Later incarnations included Blewitt High School, Blewitt Junior High, Enright Ninth Grade Center, and Enright Classical Junior Academy. It was purchased by the Roberts brothers in 2004 for conversion to condominiums.
http://stlcin.missouri.org/devprojects/projinfo.cfm?DevProjectID=394
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Euclid Avenue and Maryland Plaza. These business districts dominated by unique
restaurants, art galleries, and other small shops, are the very heart of the Central West
End. Anchored by the Barnes-Jewish/Washington University Medical Center on the
south, by Left Bank Books on the north, and with the Chase Park Plaza at the center,
every day it is a busy, exciting district.
http://www.thecwe.com
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Forest Park. Home to the 1904 World's Fair, Forest Park is 1,370 acres of greenspace
in the western end of the city. It is larger than Central Park in New York, and offers opportunities for cultural activities, physical activity, and contemplation. Forest Park is home to the Great Forest Park Balloon Race in September, and the Kite Festival in spring.
http://stlouis.missouri.org/citygov/parks/forestpark/
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The St. Louis Zoo. The Zoo is one of only two zoos in the nation where admission is free. It includes a new Children's Zoo, the Living World interactive education center, and Raja, St. Louis's baby elephant. A special feature is the 1904 walk-through aviary (a giant bird cage).
http://www.stlzoo.org/
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St. Louis Art Museum. The Art Museum, built in 1903 for the 1904 World's Fair, is a classic Cass Gilbert design. It houses a variety of art collections, with no charge for most exhibits.
http://www.slam.org/
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World's Fair Pavilion. This large pavilion was recently renovated and is available for a variety of events. It was not actually built for the 1904 World's Fair, but built after the fair by the Exposition Company.
http://stlouis.missouri.org/citygov/parks/forestpark/pavilion.html
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"The Apotheosis of St. Louis". The statue of St. Louis, King of France is mounted triumphantly atop Art Hill, in front of the Art Museum.
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St. Louis Science Center. The Science Center has grown from its origins as the McDonnell Planetarium to include an OMNIMAX theater and various galleries on Oakland Avenue, just outside the park boundaries. The Planetarium is connected to the larger building by a tunnel complete with rats (in cages), and an enclosed bridge over I-64 with a hole in the bottom (covered by glass), and radar guns for tracking the speed of cars passing beneath. All exhibits are free; shows require an admission fee.
http://www.slsc.org/
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Missouri History Museum. The newly expanded History Museum features exhibits ranging from the Charles Lindbergh Collection to the new Russian Czarist touring show. Most exhibits are free.
http://www.mohistory.org/
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The MUNY. The Municipal Opera Theatre is a large amphitheatre producing off-Broadway shows since 1919. Even the MUNY offers free seats, but they are first-come, first-served and accessible only from the top of the amphitheater.
http://www.muny.com/
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The Jewel Box. Officially called the Municipal Floral Conservatory, the Jewel Box is a lovely art deco facility for showing plants. A small admission fee is charged.
http://stlouis.missouri.org/citygov/parks/jewelbox/
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Steinberg Skating Rink. Steinberg offers ice skating in winter and sand volleyball in summer, in an open-air facility.
http://stlouis.missouri.org/citygov/parks/forestpark/steinberg.html
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Dwight Davis Tennis Center. The tennis center has been the home court of many prominent tennis players over the years, and is the home of the St. Louis Aces tennis team.
http://stlouis.missouri.org/citygov/parks/forestpark/ddtennis.html
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St. Louis Aces. Dwight Davis Tennis Center. The tennis center has been the home court of
many prominent tennis players over the years, and is the home of the St. Louis
Aces tennis team.
http://www.stlouisaces.com/
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Norman K. Probstein Golf Course and Triple A Club. These are the only two golf courses located in the city, both in Forest Park.
http://stlouis.missouri.org/citygov/parks/forestpark/golf.html
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Grand Basin and Art Hill. This majestic area is a popular snow sledding area in winter.
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John F. Kennedy Forest. The Kennedy Forest is one of the few wooded areas remaining in the city.
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Turtle Playground. Conceived from the whimsical imagination of Bob Cassilly, giant turtle sculptures overlook Forest Park and Interstate 64. They also provide a buffer from the highway for children playing at the nearby playground.
http://stlouis.missouri.org/citygov/parks/forestpark/turtle.html
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Fountain Park. This historic park features a statue of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a
marvelous fountain, and many historic homes facing the park and on nearby streets.
http://stlouis.missouri.org/fountainpark/
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Gaslight Square. From the late 1950s to the late 1960s, Gaslight Square was the hotbed
of entertainment in St. Louis. Many musicians and comedians started their careers there in
the various nightclubs and restaurants. Today, the district's buildings are largely gone, but
the memory remains thanks to a preservation society's monument placed at the heart of
Gaslight, Olive and Boyle.
http://www.ketc.org/productions/productions_rebuildSTL_construction.asp
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Hi-Pointe. Reputedly the highest point in the city limits, this area at Skinker and Clayton
near Forest Park features the world's largest AMOCO sign, the Hi-Pointe club, the Cheshire Inn, and the Hi-Pointe art film theater.
http://stlouis.missouri.org/hipointe/
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Holy Corners. This historic district consists of several marvelous churches and other
institutional buildings from the early 20th Century, all clustered within sight of
Kingshighway & Washington. All three types of Roman columns -- Doric, Ionic, and
Corinthian -- can be viewed at one location
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Angelic Temple of Deliverance. The Angelic Temple is the former Temple Israel, with massive Corinthian columns fronting Washington Ave. at Kingshighway.
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SLPS Recruitment Office. Next door to the Angelic Temple, this building is the
former Temple Israel House, and was later Lincoln High School, and still later,
Metro High School. It was until recently St. Louis Public Schools offices, and has been sold to a developer for conversion to condominiums.
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St. John's United Church of Christ. One of the few Holy Corners churches to
stay in the City, St. John's has partnered with the community to establish
specialized schools and home ownership programs, as well as hosting the Metropolitan Community Church and a black-box theater space in its former 3rd floor gymnasium.
http://www.stjohnsumcstl.org/
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First Church of Christ, Scientist. This is a beautiful Christian Science church
located on Kingshighway next to St. John's Methodist.
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Racquet Club. The Racquet Club is where plans for Charles Lindbergh's
trans-Atlantic flight were forged. It remains an elite club.
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Washington Apartments. This solid edifice completes the Kingshighway and
Washington intersection anchored by the Angelic Temple, Life Cathedral and St.
John's. It is also noteworthy as the first rehabilitation project completed by
McCormack Baron and Associates, the firm that has since built Murphy Park and
thousands of other affordable housing units in St. Louis.
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Tuscan Temple. The Tuscan Temple is a Doric masterpiece at Westminster and
Kingshighway.
http://www.mofreemason.com/tuscan360/
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Ivory Perry Park. Formerly Visitation Park, it was renamed in honor of the late
St. Louis area civil rights activist. The site was once home to the Academy of the
Visitation, a private school for girls.
http://stlouis.missouri.org/citygov/parks/parks_div/descript.html#ivory
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Joseph Erlanger House. This private home located on Waterman Blvd. was the home
of 1944 Nobel Prize winner Joseph Erlanger. It is a national historic landmark.
http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1705&ResourceType=Building
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Left Bank Books. The only full-service independent bookstore in St. Louis, Left Bank
Books is an attraction for book lovers from far and wide.
http://www.left-bank.com
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Lewis Place. This private street of bungalows was settled by many African-American professionals after the Shelley vs. Kraemer decision outlawed racially restrictive
covenants in 1947.
http://stlouis.missouri.org/lewisplace/
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Missouri Historical Society Library and Collections Center. Many rare books, maps and news clippings may be accessed in this facility, which is a former synagogue where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once spoke.
http://www.mohistory.org/content/LibraryAndResearch/lRCGeneralInfo.aspx
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Other Major Churches. The Central West End has a phenomenal number of beautiful important churches spread throughout the neighborhood
churches. In addition to the Cathedral Basilica and the Holy Corners district, there are a
number of other important churches spread throughout the neighborhood:
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Porter Park. Named in honor of fair housing activist Ruth Porter, this plaza extends
across much of the West End neighborhood.
http://stlouis.missouri.org/citygov/parks/parks_div/descript.html#porter
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Private Places. The private place was created in St. Louis. Private places are streets of large homes where the property owners, rather than the City, own the street and sidewalk and are responsible for its maintenance. Private places are home to some of the most magnificent houses in St. Louis, and most of them are concentrated in the Central West End.
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Washington Terrace. Washington Terrace, west off Union Blvd., is noteworthy for its large clocktower gate house, which was used as the guard's residence until the early 1970s.
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Parkview. Parkview is not just a private street, it is an entire private subdivision, straddling the border with University City, immediately west of Skinker between Millbrook and Delmar. It includes many lovely turn-of-the-century houses, and is popular with faculty at the adjacent Washington University.
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Catlin Tract. Not a private street per se, the Catlin Tract consists of gargantuan mansions, including some fine contemporary homes, lining Lindell Blvd. facing Forest Park.
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Kingsbury Place. Kingsbury Place has a large, marble gateway complete with a fountain.
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Ranken Technical College. For almost 100 years, Ranken has provided training to students entering the trades.
http://www.ranken.edu/
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Rosati-Kain High School. The Roman Catholic high school in the shadow of the Cathedral has educated generations of young women.
http://www.rosati-kain.org/
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Soldan International Studies High School. Tennessee Williams once attended Soldan, which now is home to students from Bosnia, Sierra Leone, Iran, Mexico, Vietnam, and many other nations, as well as native St. Louisans interested in studying international languages and cultures.
http://isc.addr.com/
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St. James the Greater Catholic Church. This church is at the heart of the Dogtown area just south of Forest Park.
http://www.stjamesthegreater.org/
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St. Louis University High School. Located on Oakland Avenue, this landmark school run by the Jesuits has educated generations of young men.
http://www.sluh.org/
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Visitation Park Historic District. This tiny pocket of a neighborhood just north of
Delmar Boulevard includes two impressive private streets, Windermere
Place and Beverly Place. Also in the district is Ivory Perry Park, now the site of a summer jazz/blues concert series.
http://stlouis.missouri.org/visitationpark/
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Visitation-St. Ann's Shrine. This very attractive and historic sanctuary is located on Taylor Ave. near Page.
http://www.vizstann.greatnow.com/
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Washington University. Although only the Medical Campus and the Art School are
located within the city limits, Washington University is nevertheless a very attractive
neo-Gothic campus. Its architecture is distingished and it has a strong national academic
reputation as well.
http://www.wustl.edu/
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Washington University Medical Complex.
http://www.barnesjewish.org/
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West Cabanne Place. Another private place north of Delmar, West Cabanne
Place is secluded just west of Hamilton Blvd.
http://stlouis.missouri.org/landmarks/cabanne.html
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West End Community Center. Recently renovated, the West End Community Center has an interesting history. It was built in 1897 as the Young Men's Hebrew Association (YMHA), now the JCCA.
http://stlouis.missouri.org/citygov/parks/recreation_div/westend.html