ABOUT ST. LOUIS: "MUST SEE" ATTRACTIONS
5 Area Attractions
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The Ville Neighborhood. Originally called Elleardsville, the Ville neighborhood is known as the historic heart of African-American St. Louis. The city was rigidly segregated, so most African-American professionals concentrated in this area bounded roughly by Martin Luther King Dr., Sarah, St. Louis Ave., and Taylor Ave. African-American owned and operated businesses thrived in this area, and most of the major institutions serving the community eventually located here: Sumner High School, Homer G. Phillips Hospital, and numerous churches and educational institutions. A monument to the history of the Ville is located at Martin Luther King and Sarah.
http://stlouis.missouri.org/greaterville/history.htm
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Annie Malone Children and Family Services Center. This children's home is named for Annie Malone, who made her fortune in cosmetics and established the home as well as the former Poro College. The center sponsors the annual Annie Malone "May Day" Parade, the second-largest African-American parade in the nation.
http://www.anniemalone.com/
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Antioch Baptist Church. Antioch has long been a prominent church in the Ville. Founded in 1878, it has been located at North Market and Annie Malone since 1880.
http://www.stlantiochbaptist.org/
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Federal Center. This massive complex on Goodfellow provides plenty of fodder for conspiracy theorists. Built mostly in the 1940s, it has hosted a number of defense and other federal agencies over the years. It is currently also home to the Thurgood Marshall Academy, a charter school.
http://www.gsa.gov/federalcenterfostl
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Homer G. Phillips Hospital. Affectionately called "Homer G.," this hospital is named for the African-American attorney who campaigned for its construction, but was murdered in 1929. The hospital served the St. Louis African-American community and was a major training facility for black medical professionals throughout the world, from 1937 to 1979. In 2003, after extensive renovations, Homer G. reopened as a senior citizen apartment community.
http://stlcin.missouri.org/devprojects/projinfo.cfm?DevProjectID=107&isRes=1
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Julia Davis Branch Library. Named for prominent local educator Dr. Julia Davis, this branch has a large collection of African-American literature and history works, the Julia Davis Collection.
http://www.slpl.lib.mo.us/using/location.htm#DAVIS
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Mathews-Dickey Boys & Girls Club. Started by Martin L. Mathews and Hubert "Dickey" Ballentine, this club provides many athletic and educational opportunities for North Side youth, and helped start a private school, City Academy, now located next door.
http://www.mathews-dickey.com/
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Penrose Park. The park located at I-70 and N. Kingshighway includes a Velodrome, the only bicycle racing track in St. Louis.
http://stlouis.missouri.org/citygov/parks/parks_div/descript.html#penrose
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Shelley House. This house at 4600 Labadie was the house involved in the Shelley vs. Kraemer Supreme Court decision in 1947 that struck down racial covenants on housing, and made it possible for African-American St. Louisans to live outside the limited areas to which they were once restricted, The Ville and Mill Creek. The house itself was only two blocks outside the Ville, but African-Americans were prohibited until this case was decided.
http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=2035&ResourceType=Building
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Sherman Park and Wohl Recreation Center. This park and recreation center at N. Kingshighway and Martin Luther King Dr. are among the most heavily used in the city, with baseball facilites, a gymnasium and a swimming pool.
http://stlouis.missouri.org/citygov/parks/parks_div/descript.html#sherman
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St. Augustine Catholic Church. This landmark of the Wells-Goodfellow and Hamilton Heights areas remains a significant presence on Hamilton Blvd.
http://www.archstl.org/parishes/134.shtml
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St. Elizabeth, Mother of John the Baptist Catholic Church. This church is an anchor of the Penrose neighborhood, along with its school at St. Engelbert.
http://www.archstl.org/parishes/145.shtml
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St. James AME Church. This is a prominent church in the Ville community, instrumental in founding the James House senior citizen apartments, among other initiatives. (314) 371-0679.
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St. Matthew the Apostle Catholic Church. St. Matt's is famous for its barbecue, and is a beautiful church located in the Ville.
http://www.st-matthew-church.org/
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St. Paul AME Church. St. Paul's in the Hamilton Heights neighborhood is one of the oldest and largest African Methodist Episcopal churches in St. Louis. Among other programs, they sponsor "St. Paul Saturdays", a mentoring program for pre-teen and teen boys. (314) 385-8900.
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St. Peter AME Church. Another anchor of Penrose, St. Peter's has been active in neighborhood revitalization and community service.
http://stlouis.missouri.org/penrose/churches.htm
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Sumner MEGA Magnet High School. Sumner is the first African-American high school west of the Mississippi, and for many years the only African-American high school in segregated St. Louis. Many famous St. Louisans attended Sumner, including musicians Tina Turner and Grace Bumbry.
http://locations.slps.org/location.asp?RecordID=5E575F&LocName=Sumner%20MEGA%20High%20School
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Tandy Park and Tandy Recreation Center. Tandy Park is an historic facility, where Arthur Ashe played tennis in his youth.
http://stlouis.missouri.org/citygov/parks/parks_div/descript.html#tandy
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Turner Open Air School. This school was once the school for students with tuberculosis and various disabilities. The belief was, in the early 20th century, that children could be cured of their ailments by going to classes where all the windows and doors were open year-round. The building featured French doors and ramps instead of stairs. The school was named for a distinguished entomologist with numerous scientific publications to his credit who taught at Sumner High School from 1908 until 1922. No longer open to the public, but located at 4235 W. Kennerly Ave. in The Ville, across the street from Tandy Park.
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W.C. Handy Park. Named for the St. Louis composer who wrote the "St. Louis Blues."
http://stlouis.missouri.org/citygov/parks/parks_div/descript.html#handy