Delmar Loop
Encyclopedia
The Delmar Loop is an entertainment, cultural and restaurant district in University City, Missouri
and the ajoining western edge of St. Louis, Missouri
. Most of its attractions are located in the streetcar suburb
of University City, but the area is expanding eastward into the Skinker-Debaliviere Neighborhood
of the City of St. Louis proper. In 2007, the American Planning Association named the Delmar Loop "One of the 10 Great Streets in America."
", formerly located in the area. Most of the attractions are on Delmar Boulevard, a major east-west thoroughfare that continues east to downtown St. Louis
. A MetroLink
light rail
transit station is at the east side of the area. There are plans to build a 2.2-mile trolley line from the Loop to the Missouri History Museum
in Forest Park.
Major Loop institutions include: the Community Music School, owned by Washington University in St. Louis
; the Craft Alliance, noted for its pottery studios and classes; the Riverfront Times
; Vintage Vinyl; The Pageant Concert Nightclub
; Tivoli Theater
; Cicero's Italian Restaurant & Entertainment Venue; Fitz's
Restaurant and Bottling Company; Star Clipper, the Eisner Award
-winning comic book store; Brandt's Cafe and Red Carpet Lounge; Headz n Threadz clothing shop; the Melting Pot
fondue
restaurant; and Blueberry Hill
, a pub and restaurant that served as the engine for the revival of the Loop beginning in the 1970s.
The Loop is the home of the St. Louis Walk of Fame
, a series of brass plaques embedded in the sidewalk along Delmar Boulevard commemorating famous St. Louisans, including musicians Chuck Berry
, Miles Davis
and Tina Turner
, John Goodman
, Sheryl Crow
, bridge-builder James Eads and sexologists Masters and Johnson
.
has plans in place for a 2.2-mile heritage fixed-track trolley line to come to the Delmar Loop which will link up to MetroLink and Forest Park
attractions, a project that received a $24.9 million dollar grant from the Federal Transit Administration.
The western demarcation of the Loop is generally considered to be the U. City Lions, sculptures of a male lion and a male tiger on pedestals flanking Delmar immediately west of the University City City Hall. West of the lions, Delmar becomes largely residential. The eastern boundary of the Loop traditionally was the St. Louis City border, punctuated by The Delmar Lounge at the corner of Delmar and Eastgate, but the area began expanding into the city proper around 2000. This expansion has largely been due to the redevelopment efforts of Joe and Linda Edwards
, owners of Blueberry Hill, The Pageant, and Pin-Up Bowl, and the Tivoli Theater, the Moonrise Hotel, and Eclipse Restaurant. The Saint Louis Regional Arts Commission completed its new headquarters on Delmar in 2003, creating performance and office spaces for theater groups. The Pageant, located across Delmar from the Arts Commission, has become one of St. Louis's main venues for mid-size popular musical performances, featuring rap, rock, and country artists, including Saint Louisans Chuck Berry
and Nelly
.
The Loop attracts an eclectic clientele and wide variety of street life, due in part to its proximity to Washington University
and dating back to the late 1960s when Streetside Records and head shops dominated the retail landscape.
Although the Loop is the natural "college town" area for nearby Washington University, few of the retail establishments and restaurants are primarily supported by college students.
Boulevard, making it one of the world's first streets to be renamed for the U.S. President. Delmar thus runs from North Price Road at the tri-city border of Ladue, Olivette, and University City, downhill to the University City/St. Louis City boundary, at which point it becomes Barack Obama Boulevard (with another block of the Delmar Loop now sitting on the renamed portion in the city), which runs to North Tucker Street (a.k.a, 12th Street, briefly interrupted between Vandeventer and Grand at the VA hospital), at which point it becomes Convention Center Plaza.
which was located between the two theaters was always full of teenagers. There were restaurants up and down the Loop area. Enright Avenue, which was part of the streetcar turnaround, had a drug store and three restaurants plus a record store. There was another drug store on the corner of Delmar and Kingsland. Both drugstores had soda fountain
s. Delmar at Skinker wasn't considered part of the Loop but had a Garaveli's Restaurant and a well known nightclub Davy "Nose" Bold's across from it.
University City, Missouri
University City is an inner-ring suburb in St. Louis County, Missouri. The population was 35,371 in 2010 census. The city was shaped by Washington University in St. Louis, whose campus abuts the city to the southeast....
and the ajoining western edge of St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. Most of its attractions are located in the streetcar suburb
Streetcar suburb
A streetcar suburb is a residential community whose growth and development was strongly shaped by the use of streetcar lines as a primary means of transportation. Early suburbs were served by horsecars, but by the late 19th century cable cars and electric streetcars, or trams, were used, allowing...
of University City, but the area is expanding eastward into the Skinker-Debaliviere Neighborhood
Skinker/DeBaliviere, St. Louis
Skinker DeBaliviere is a neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri located directly north of Forest Park. In addition to the park, its boundaries are Delmar Boulevard to the north, DeBaliviere Avenue to the east, and the western city limits...
of the City of St. Louis proper. In 2007, the American Planning Association named the Delmar Loop "One of the 10 Great Streets in America."
Origin
The area gets its name from a streetcar turnaround, or "loopBalloon loop
A balloon loop or turning loop allows a rail vehicle or train to reverse direction without having to shunt or even stop. Balloon loops can be useful for passenger trains and unit freight trains, such as coal trains....
", formerly located in the area. Most of the attractions are on Delmar Boulevard, a major east-west thoroughfare that continues east to downtown St. Louis
Downtown St. Louis
Downtown St. Louis is the central business district of St. Louis, Missouri, the hub of tourism and entertainment, and the anchor of the St. Louis metropolitan area. The downtown is bounded by Cole Street to the north, the river front to the east, Chouteau Avenue to the south, and Jefferson Avenue...
. A MetroLink
St. Louis Metrolink
MetroLink is the light rail transit system in the Greater St. Louis area of Missouri and the Metro East area of Illinois. The entire system currently consists of two lines connecting Lambert-St. Louis International Airport and Shrewsbury, MO with Scott Air Force Base near Shiloh, Illinois through...
light rail
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
transit station is at the east side of the area. There are plans to build a 2.2-mile trolley line from the Loop to the Missouri History Museum
Missouri History Museum
The Missouri History Museum is located in St. Louis, Missouri in Forest Park. The museum is operated by the Missouri Historical Society and was founded in 1866...
in Forest Park.
Attractions
Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis is a private research university located in suburban St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1853, and named for George Washington, the university has students and faculty from all fifty U.S. states and more than 110 nations...
; the Craft Alliance, noted for its pottery studios and classes; the Riverfront Times
Riverfront Times
The Riverfront Times is a weekly newspaper in St. Louis, Missouri that consists of local politics, music, arts and dining news in the print edition and daily updates to blogs and photo galleries on its website...
; Vintage Vinyl; The Pageant Concert Nightclub
The Pageant
The Pageant, sometimes called The Pageant Concert NightClub, is a music venue in the Delmar Loop district, located on the western edge of Saint Louis, Missouri, just east of the University City half of the loop area....
; Tivoli Theater
Tivoli Theatre (St. Louis)
The Tivoli Theatre is currently a three screen movie theater located in the Delmar Loop area of University City, Missouri. It opened on May 24, 1924, as a large, single screen theater with streetcar service in the middle of Delmar Boulevard bringing people to the theater from nearby residential...
; Cicero's Italian Restaurant & Entertainment Venue; Fitz's
Fitz's
Fitz's Bottling Company is a regional soda brand in University City, Missouri and the St. Louis area. The flagship brand is its root beer popularized by its microbrewery and restaurant located in University City, on the historic Delmar Loop near both Washington University in Saint Louis and the St...
Restaurant and Bottling Company; Star Clipper, the Eisner Award
Eisner Award
The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, and sometimes referred to as the Oscar Awards of the Comics Industry, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books. The Eisner Awards were first conferred in 1988, created in response to the...
-winning comic book store; Brandt's Cafe and Red Carpet Lounge; Headz n Threadz clothing shop; the Melting Pot
The Melting Pot (restaurant)
The Melting Pot is a chain of franchised fondue restaurants located across the United States. There were 142 locations as of August 2009, with 28 more locations under development...
fondue
Fondue
Fondue is a Swiss dish of melted cheese served in a communal pot over a spirit lamp , and eaten by dipping long-stemmed forks with bread into the cheese...
restaurant; and Blueberry Hill
Blueberry Hill (restaurant)
Blueberry Hill is a restaurant and bar located in the Delmar Loop neighborhood in University City, a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri. Legendary performer Chuck Berry performs there for one hour on a single Wednesday each month, downstairs in the Duck Room....
, a pub and restaurant that served as the engine for the revival of the Loop beginning in the 1970s.
The Loop is the home of the St. Louis Walk of Fame
St. Louis Walk of Fame
The St. Louis Walk of Fame honors well-known people from St. Louis, Missouri, who made contributions to culture of the United States. All inductees were either born in the Greater St. Louis area or spent their formative or creative years there...
, a series of brass plaques embedded in the sidewalk along Delmar Boulevard commemorating famous St. Louisans, including musicians Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
, Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
and Tina Turner
Tina Turner
Tina Turner is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in the rock music genre have led many to call her the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll".Turner started out her music career with husband Ike Turner as a member of the...
, John Goodman
John Goodman
John Stephen Goodman is an American film, television, and stage actor. He is best known for his role as Dan Conner on the television series Roseanne for which he won a Best Actor Golden Globe Award in 1993, and for appearances in the films of the Coen brothers, with prominent roles in Raising...
, Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Suzanne Crow is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, folk, hip hop, country and pop...
, bridge-builder James Eads and sexologists Masters and Johnson
Masters and Johnson
The Masters and Johnson research team, composed of William H. Masters and Virginia E. Johnson, pioneered research into the nature of human sexual response and the diagnosis and treatment of sexual disorders and dysfunctions from 1957 until the 1990s....
.
Trolley
The Delmar Loop TrolleyDelmar Loop Trolley
The Delmar Loop Trolley is a planned heritage trolley line that will serve the Delmar Loop district in St. Louis, Missouri and University City, Missouri. The line will have about 9 stations and serve the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park, Washington University in St...
has plans in place for a 2.2-mile heritage fixed-track trolley line to come to the Delmar Loop which will link up to MetroLink and Forest Park
Forest Park (St. Louis)
Forest Park is a public park located in western part of the city of St. Louis, Missouri. It is a prominent civic center and covers . The park, which opened in 1876 more than a decade after its proposal, has hosted several significant events, including the Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904 and...
attractions, a project that received a $24.9 million dollar grant from the Federal Transit Administration.
The western demarcation of the Loop is generally considered to be the U. City Lions, sculptures of a male lion and a male tiger on pedestals flanking Delmar immediately west of the University City City Hall. West of the lions, Delmar becomes largely residential. The eastern boundary of the Loop traditionally was the St. Louis City border, punctuated by The Delmar Lounge at the corner of Delmar and Eastgate, but the area began expanding into the city proper around 2000. This expansion has largely been due to the redevelopment efforts of Joe and Linda Edwards
Joe Edwards (St. Louis)
Joe Edwards is a St. Louis, Missouri and University City, Missouri, businessman, community figure, and civic leader notable for his contributions to the Delmar Loop area of both cities...
, owners of Blueberry Hill, The Pageant, and Pin-Up Bowl, and the Tivoli Theater, the Moonrise Hotel, and Eclipse Restaurant. The Saint Louis Regional Arts Commission completed its new headquarters on Delmar in 2003, creating performance and office spaces for theater groups. The Pageant, located across Delmar from the Arts Commission, has become one of St. Louis's main venues for mid-size popular musical performances, featuring rap, rock, and country artists, including Saint Louisans Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
and Nelly
Nelly
Cornell Iral Haynes, Jr. , better known by his stage name Nelly, is an Grammy Award winning American rapper and actor. He has performed with the rap group St. Lunatics since 1993 and signed to Universal Records in 1999. Under Universal, Nelly began his solo career in 2000 with his debut album...
.
The Loop attracts an eclectic clientele and wide variety of street life, due in part to its proximity to Washington University
Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis is a private research university located in suburban St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1853, and named for George Washington, the university has students and faculty from all fifty U.S. states and more than 110 nations...
and dating back to the late 1960s when Streetside Records and head shops dominated the retail landscape.
Although the Loop is the natural "college town" area for nearby Washington University, few of the retail establishments and restaurants are primarily supported by college students.
Streets
The portion of Delmar Boulevard within the city of St. Louis has been designated Barack ObamaBarack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
Boulevard, making it one of the world's first streets to be renamed for the U.S. President. Delmar thus runs from North Price Road at the tri-city border of Ladue, Olivette, and University City, downhill to the University City/St. Louis City boundary, at which point it becomes Barack Obama Boulevard (with another block of the Delmar Loop now sitting on the renamed portion in the city), which runs to North Tucker Street (a.k.a, 12th Street, briefly interrupted between Vandeventer and Grand at the VA hospital), at which point it becomes Convention Center Plaza.
History
During the 1950s, the Loop was the meeting place for U. City's teenagers. The Varsity Theater and the Tivoli showed first-run movies. Joe's BilliardsBilliards
Cue sports , also known as billiard sports, are a wide variety of games of skill generally played with a cue stick which is used to strike billiard balls, moving them around a cloth-covered billiards table bounded by rubber .Historically, the umbrella term was billiards...
which was located between the two theaters was always full of teenagers. There were restaurants up and down the Loop area. Enright Avenue, which was part of the streetcar turnaround, had a drug store and three restaurants plus a record store. There was another drug store on the corner of Delmar and Kingsland. Both drugstores had soda fountain
Soda fountain
A soda fountain is a device that dispenses carbonated drinks. They can be found in restaurants, concession stands and other locations such as convenience stores...
s. Delmar at Skinker wasn't considered part of the Loop but had a Garaveli's Restaurant and a well known nightclub Davy "Nose" Bold's across from it.