Shaw SWG TGS Directory 2026-27

24 SHAW, SOUTHWEST GARDEN, & TOWER GROVE SOUTH continued on page 26 A Brief History of… SHAW The Shaw neighborhood began as a clearing the French called Prairie des Noyers. Much of this expansive natural prairie was purchased by Louisville’s Capt. William Chambers in 1816. At about the same time, the prairie captivated Henry Shaw, a young man of 19 seeking his fortune. He bought his piece of land in 1840 to the north and west of Chambers, and there he built his country home, Tower Grove House. He also began planning and installing his magnificent garden, now known as the Missouri Botanical Garden. Henry Shaw began dabbling in residential development, building Shaw Place, a re- creation of a streetscape reminiscent of his childhood in England. The architectural firm of George I. Barnett designed these houses as a model and standard for the homes Shawwanted to see built around his garden. The houses also served as rental property, with the proceeds benefiting the Garden. When Capt. Chambers died, he left his property to his daughter, Mary Tyler, who sold it in the 1890s to a Kansas City developer. Tyler’s 235 acres became “Tyler Place, a bon ton neighborhood.” Flora Place was the showcase of the area, and its lots sold for $55-65 per front foot. The 1897entrance gates to Flora Place were built at a cost of $9,500, which was $5,500 more than the first home’s sale price. Growth spread in all directions, and many styles of architecture flourished over the ensuing 30 years as Shaw became a fully urban neighborhood. Source: shawstlouis.org/all-about-shaw/history SOUTHWEST GARDEN The unique architecture and construction styles of Southwest Garden tell a colorful story. Within the 70 blocks that make up the neighborhood, visitors can find turn-of- the-century frame and brick homes and storybook bungalows. Among the mostly single-family homes are blocks of two- and four-family flats. In the late 1830s, clay deposits were discovered in the area west of Kingshighway. The industry did not flourish until an ordinance banned frame construction in response to St. Louis’ own “Great Fire,” which destroyed 15 city blocks in 1849. That event and the completion of the railroad in 1852 hastened development of clay mining and the brick industry. German, Irish and Italian immigrant factory workers and free blacks working the railroad were all attracted to both The Hill (north of Columbia Avenue) and Southwest Garden as the mines expanded in the 1890s. The settlement patterns of Germans in the area (once known as the “Blue Ridge”) and the Italians on The Hill were, in part, a result of the establishment of the St. Aloysius Gonzaga and St. Ambrose churches. Fondly known as St. Al’s, the historically German parish was founded in 1892. The earliest Catholic parish in the area, St. Al’s was established with the purchase of 10 acres near Magnolia and January avenues. Three blocks were laid out on the property, with the center block reserved for the church. The others were subdivided and sold, and the parish quickly had its first 130 families. In 2006, St. Al’s was razed, and 26 new homes were built in its place. East of Kingshighway, the neighborhood occupies land originally purchased by Henry Shaw in the mid 1850s. Shaw’s Garden (renamed Missouri Botanical Garden) was adjacent to his home. Private developers built homes surrounding the Garden in the early 20th century, with expansive multifamily construction surrounding the extension of streetcar lines. With an eye for beauty and aesthetics, landscape architects designed the streets and plantings. Neighborhood buildings have a consistency of scale and size, along with a wealth of architectural details.