Lafayette Square - St. Louis, MO - Wikipedia Entries on Waymarking.com

County of District: St. Louis Independent City
Location of district: Lafayette Ave., center of Lafayette Park - Lafayette Square - St. Louis
Year built: 1836
Destroyed by tornado 1896, rebuilt
Bounded by: Hickory St., Lafayette Ave., Jefferson Ave., & 18th St.

"Lafayette Square is bounded on the west by the east line of Jefferson Avenue extending.from the north edge of the Interstate 44 right-of-way to the service alley Immediately north of Park Avenue. The south boundary of Lafayette Square is formed by the north border of the Interstate 44 right-of-way from Jefferson Avenue to the west line of South Eighteenth Street. The east boundary is formed by a line along the west side of South Eighteenth Street from the Interstate 44 right-of-way to the service alley immediately north of Kennett Place, thence west along that alley to the intersection of the service alley behind Mississippi Avenue, thence north to Park Avenue. The boundary extends eastward along the north side of Park Avenue to South Eighteenth Street, thence north along the west line of South Eighteenth to the northwest corner of Hickory Street, thence east on the north line of Hickory Street to the east alley behind South Eighteenth Street, thence north on that alley to the inter-section of South Eighteenth Street. The north boundary of Lafayette Square is formed by the north alley of LaSalle Street from South Eighteenth Street to Mississippi' Avenue, thence south along the east line of Mississippi Avenue to the north alley- of Rutger Street. The north boundary continues westward from that point to the east alley of Benton Place, thence north to the south line of Hickory Street, and west to the west line of Armstrong and south to the south lire of Hickory Street. The north boundary thence continues west to the west alley of Arm strong Street and southward to a point corresponding to the eastward extension of the alley immediately north of Park Avenue, thence west ward along the Park Avenue alley to Jefferson Avenue. The boundaries of Lafayette Square have been drawn to include the neighborhood fronting Lafayette Park and to encompass nearby residential streets which exhibit an architectural similarity with the structures adjacent to the Park.

"Two independent neighborhood boundary surveys of Lafayette Square were undertaken in 1969 and 1971, respectively, by the Landmarks Association of St. Louis (in cooperation with the St. Louis Chapter, American Institute of Architects), and the St. Louis City Plan Commission. The proposed'boundary limits were approximately coincidental, however, the survey by the City Plan Commission included certain industrial structures on the eastern periphery of Lafayette Square which the Landmarks Association did not recognize to be of particular historic importance. Specifically, Vail Place and McNulty Street were discounted in the Landmarks Survey. Similarly, the residential neighborhood in the 2200 and 2300 blocks of Hickory and Rutger streets (from Jefferson Avenue to Armstrong) has been included for redevelopment purposes in the City Plan Commission report, but the area was not sited for historic recognition because of a weaker visual continuity with the balance of the district.

"Lafayette Square contains approximately 400 buildings constructed during various decades of the middle-to-late nineteenth century. Residential uses account for 44% of the land use, and Lafayette Park occupies 30% of the total area. (St. Louis City Plan Commission, Lafayette Square Restoration Plan, 1971, 7). Commercial development is not excessive in Lafayette Square, and major non-residential blocks within the historic district are concentrated near the perimeter of the Square. Semi-public uses, primarily churches, account for 5% of the total land occupancy. In the case of Lafayette Square, the presence of well-established churches has contributed to the stability of the neighborhood, since major denominations have continually maintained their buildings, providing an incentive for homeowners to do likewise." ~ NRHP Nomination Form

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