More About St. Louis
St. Louis city in eastern Missouri extends along the west bank of the Mississippi River where it makes a great bend to the east. The hub of the largest metropolitan region in Missouri, St. Louis is one of the Midwest's principal industrial, commercial, educational, and cultural centers. It is a city of predominately brick buildings, softened by abundant trees that line streets and shelter homes.
The spectacular Gateway Arch stands at the river's edge on the site where St. Louis was founded more than two centuries ago. The 192-m high city landmark is the focal point of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial and commemorates the city's role as a major gateway to the West during the 19th century. Within the historic site, which has undergone large-scale redevelopment since the 1950s, are two noted 19th-century buildings: the Basilica of Saint Louis-King and the Old Courthouse, where the Dred Scott Case, an early test of the rights of blacks, was argued. Another extensive riverside project, also completed in the 1960s, is the 50,000-seat Busch Memorial Stadium.
Just west of downtown, Market Street forms the main axis of Memorial Plaza, site of the major public buildings in St. Louis. Dominating the plaza are the Civil Courts Building, City Hall, the recently renovated Henry W. Kiel Municipal Auditorium, and the Soldiers Memorial Building. Near Memorial Plaza is Aloe Plaza, the site of a magnificent group of fountains designed by noted Swedish American sculptor Carl Miles. The Wainwright Building, a forerunner of the modern skyscraper, is in the downtown area; designed by Louis Sullivan, it was completed in 1891. The Cervantes Convention Center and the Trans World Dome at America's Center occupy redeveloped land on either side of Seventh Street on the northern fringe of the central business district. Two urban malls, the multi-storied St. Louis Center and the very popular St. Louis Union Station, are also located downtown.
Try not to leave without sampling the outlying districts. To the west lay arty Central West End and Students University City, on either side of prodigious Forest Park with its museums and playing fields. The blue-collar south side features the markets, antique shops and jazz pubs of Soulard and the Italian shops and cafés of the Hill.
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