Central West End, St. Louis
Saint Louis
The Central West End is an affluent neighborhood in St. Louis, Missouri, stretching from Midtown's western edge to Union Boulevard and bordering on Forest Park with its outstanding array of free cultural institutions. It includes the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis (the New Cathedral) on Lindell Boulevard at Newstead Avenue, which houses the largest collection of mosaics in the world. The Central West End is represented by three aldermen as it sits partially in the 17th, 18th, and 28th Wards.
The CWE's commercial district is mainly along Euclid Avenue and stretches from Forest Park Parkway on the south to Delmar Boulevard on the north. Restaurants are primarily clustered in the Euclid/McPherson area, the Euclid/Laclede area and in Maryland Plaza. Unusual, elaborate turn of the 20th century lamp posts and cobblestone streets add to the atmosphere of this neighborhood, which first grew in popularity with the coming of the 1904 World's Fair which was held in adjacent Forest Park. Some residential areas of the Central West End are included in the National Register of Historic Places. One example is Fullerton's Westminster Place, whose large, architect-designed homes, most of which were built in the period 1890–1910, were described in the NRHP nomination as one of the finest turn of the 20th century streetscapes in the United States. Another is the private place called Washington Terrace, laid out in 1892.
Playwright Tennessee Williams grew up in the neighborhood, and the house of the renowned poet T. S. Eliot is located in the Central West End. Beat writer William S. Burroughs's childhood home sits on Pershing Avenue (formerly Berlin Avenue) in the neighborhood. And though, often mistaken as the location of Sally Benson's home, the setting of the stories which were adapted into the movie Meet Me in St. Louis, 5135 Kensington Avenue was actually located in the Academy neighborhood just across Delmar Boulevard to the north.
Boundaries
The neighborhood's boundaries are Union Boulevard and the eastern portion of Forest Park on the west, I-64/US-40 on the south, Delmar Boulevard on the north, and Boyle Avenue on the east. Public facilities
Saint Louis Public Library Schlafly Branch, on Lindell Blvd. at Euclid Ave.
Washington University School of Medicine
U. S. Postal Service branch on Laclede Ave. between Boyle Ave. and Sarah Street.
Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis
Central West End MetroLink Station & MetroBus Center
