U City Directory 2026

34 2026-27 | University City Community Directory Courtesy Missouri Historical Society THE HISTORY OF UNIVERSITY CITY THE EARLY YEARS In the late 1800s, the area that is now University City was primarily farms and small farming communities, including Mount Olive and Sutter Valley. Olive Street Road was a main route from the Missouri River to downtown St. Louis. Delmar Boulevard, originally called Bonhomme, was a dirt road east of Hanley Road that turned southwest and then turned northwest to join Olive. Just after 1900, All Saints Church opened north of Olive, and new homes were constructed in the surrounding area. On Delmar Boulevard, just west of the St. Louis city limit, the Delmar Race Track and the Delmar Garden Amusement Park were major attractions. Located on the south side of Delmar were taverns, roadhouses and the occasional home. MAN WITH A VISION In 1902, Edward Gardner Lewis purchased 85 acres just northwest of the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair construction site in Forest Park. Lewis was the publisher of the Woman’s Magazine and the Woman’s Farm Journal , which had outgrown two locations in downtown St. Louis. The 85-acre area would be the headquarters for the Lewis Publishing Company, as well as the site for a “high-class residential district.” Lewis decided to develop the area as a model city, a real “City Beautiful.” Lewis broke ground for the publishing company’s headquarters in 1903. The Magazine Building (now City Hall), an ornate octagonal tower standing 135 feet tall, dominated the view of the area. An eight-ton beacon beamed from atop the building. Soon, other architecturally significant structures and developments were erected — an austere Egyptian temple, the Lion Gates and the Art Academy. Lewis’ idea for a residential community with comfortable homes for people of an upper middle-class background was realized with the development of University Heights One. University Heights One was carefully designed around the landscape park and private place movement. Varying lot sizes, a great mix of architectural styles, sizes and prices of houses were represented. Before the subdivision was fully developed, it was important to the 1904 World’s Fair. Instead of letting the acres stand idle, Lewis built a tent city to house families visiting the fair. The popular “Camp Lewis” offered comfortable and convenient accommodations and catered meals. A CITY REALIZED The City of University City was formally incorporated in September 1906, and Lewis became the first mayor. The city’s name reflected the community’s proximity to Washington University and Lewis’ hope that it would become a center of learning and culture. Over the next few years, with Lewis’ guidance, subdivisions developed, banks opened, and commercial activity prospered. The University City School District formed, and in 1915, University City was one of the first cities in the country to develop a junior high school system. On February 4, 1947, University City voters adopted a home rule charter and firmly established a new Council-Manager form of municipal government. The city expanded to its current boundaries, encompassing 5.8 square miles, by the 1960s. During the decades following final annexation, the City has seen much population change, development and redevelopment, as well as political controversy and stability. Robert H. Salisbury, in an introduction to Legacy of the Lions wrote the following: “How has University City (or U. City, as the locals say) maintained this distinctiveness? One factor