U City Directory 2026

University City Community Directory | 2026-27 35 has been the early realization by Lewis and his successors that housing development would be more interesting, attractive and stable if the bulldozer were restrained, the contours of the land respected, and the residential areas made into viable neighborhoods rather that mere housing tracts … there were some remarkable men and women who gave enormously of themselves to build and sustain a community that they and their children could live in proudly and happily. U. City has been, above all, a community of devoted citizens … .” SOURCES: Nini Harris, Legacy of Lions, The Historical Society of University City, 1981 Sue Rehkopf, U. City historian Tim Fox, Where We Live: A Guide to St. Louis Communities, Missouri Historical Society Press, 1995 THE STORY OF THE LIONS LIONS GATE PHOTO BY ED NICKELS.JPG • The original Lion Gates (called the “Gates of Opportunity” by University City founder Edward G. Lewis) were erected in 1909. • The figures were sculpted by George Julian Zolnay, who directed the Art Department of the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. A native of Hungary, he remained in St. Louis after the fair to teach at Washington University and later at the Art Academy founded by E.G. Lewis. • Although widely known as the “Lion Gates,” the “lioness” figure is actually a tiger. • The pylons supporting the monumental figures were designed by noted architects William S. Eames and Thomas Crane Young. • The sculptures, constructed of reinforced concrete, weathered and deteriorated over the years. In 1989, new figures were cast by Washington University Technology Associates using molds taken from the original sculptures. The weathered sculptures were removed, and the new models erected in 1991. Three years later, a bond issue paid for the restoration of the supporting pillars as well.