Shaw SWG TGS Directory 2026-27

28 SHAW, SOUTHWEST GARDEN, & TOWER GROVE SOUTH Neighborhood Histories continued In 1849, a cholera epidemic decimated the community, effectively closing the mines. Simultaneously the Parker-Russell Mining Co. realized the coal supply was dwindling and they needed to find another way to sustain their business. Oak Hill Fire Brick and Tile Works near the present day Utah Street made a shift from mining coal to quarrying fire clay. This fire clay was the main component of the bricks being made in the area. The brick manufacturing industry in St. Louis helped attract new residents and businesses to the area. Northward along Morgan Ford (then called Russell Street) were cottages occupied by workers at the plant and at Russell’s coal mines near Arsenal Street. Westward from Morgan Ford to Kingshighway and southward to Gravois Avenue, the land remained rural in character, with scattered farm homes and a few large estates. Two other neighborhood landmarks were the old Parker home at 3405 Oak Hill Ave. and the Russell mansion, formerly near Bent Avenue, which was destroyed by fire in 1888. Artist Charles M. Russell was born in Oak Hill in 1864. He saw how fast St. Louis was changing as well as the continuous flow of people from the East. In his early twenties, he headed out to record the American West before it vanished. He, like Frederic Remington, was a painter and sculptor and left a wonderful artistic record of the old West. His sculptures and paintings are now part of the American heritage, held in the collections of many museums, including the St. Louis Art Museum and the Smithsonian Institution. In 1850, the neighborhood welcomed a significant influx of Germans, who were quickly employed as truck drivers and merchants. Churches, schools and other structures were built, turning the once-agricultural area into a healthy small suburb of the city. In 1876, the city limits of St. Louis were expanded to include Tower Grove South. The electric trolley line was extended westward so residents could travel down Arsenal to Kingshighway. When this trolley began running, the track was nestled in between farmland. As time passed, one- and two-bedroom brick homes were built. Tower Grove South gradually changed from an agricultural area to a more residential area. As the homes were built, the area also was attracting businesses. In the 1920s, South Grand began to have banks, bakeries, drug stores, movie theaters and other businesses. After a serious slump in the 1970s, the South Grand Business District became a destination for new Vietnamese immigrants who moved in and opened new restaurants and shops. The past two decades have seen the addition of coffee houses, specialty shops, boutiques and antique stores to this unique mix. Today, the Tower Grove South Neighborhood and its business districts along South Grand and Morgan Ford are diverse, evolving and thriving. Source: stlouis-mo.gov