Historic Walking Tours:

St. Louis History and Architecture offers several walking tours of 19th century neighborhoods in St. Louis. All tours are available publicly via tickets on eventbrite, and are also available to be scheduled privately. All tickets can be used for a future event if you cannot attend the tour that you bought the ticket for. Public tours are posted with dates and times on Facebook and Eventbrite as they are scheduled, but can be booked privately at any time. Private tours can be scheduled at nathanbjackson@live.com, via call or text at 314-803-0116, or on Facebook Messenger. Private tours are $25 per person, minimum purchase of $50.

Purchase tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/20055355608

Available Tours:

Soulard: Beyond the Beer

This is the signature tour offered by St. Louis History and Architecture. The tour starts at the Soulard Market and covers the area surrounding the Julia Soulard addition, and the northern part of the Thomas Allen addition. The tour covers the influx of German and Eastern European immigrants into St. Louis during the early and mid 19th century, as well as covering the many historic churches and industries that called Soulard home. On this tour, you will get to see one of the oldest parts of the city, with many buildings dating back to the 1840s and 1850s. This is the area of St. Louis that I am most knowledgeable about, and included on the tour is a history of almost every single building in the 1800 block of South 9th Street, along with histories about dozens of other early Soulard buildings. Tickets for this tour are $18 online and $20 in person. The tour will last approximately 3 hours.

Soulard: Beer Barons and Mansions

This historic walking tour will cover the southern half of Soulard, and will discuss the history of the mansions in the hills of the neighborhood, along with the beer barons who lived there after building their fortunes. There will also be a number of flounder houses, stone houses, and other unique architecture that will be seen throughout the tour. We will also discuss the neighborhood of St. George on this tour, and how it has been incorporated into the far southern part of Soulard. The tour will last between 2 and 3 hours, and will cover a large portion of the southern half of the neighborhood. The tour will begin in Pontiac Square Park at 9th and Ann at 5:00 pm on May 7th. Tickets are $18 per person online and $20 in person.

LaSalle Park Historic Walking Tour:

This tour features the LaSalle Park neighborhood, which was historically a part of the Old Frenchtown neighborhood, and also includes part of the original Julia Soulard additions. Some of the city’s oldest buildings are located in the neighborhood, including St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, which was completed in 1845. The tour also goes into the Daniel D. Page subdivision, and features the area’s 19th century townhouses. The tour will start at the Soulard Market due to familiarity of the location, and will head immediately across into LaSalle Park. Tickets are $18 on Eventbrite and $20 if you pay in cash in person.

Lafayette Square: A Tour of Gilded Age St. Louis

Lafayette Square is one of the most historically significant places in St. Louis. Home to the oldest house in the city, the first park West of the Mississippi, along with Civil War generals, influential 19th century politicians, and wealthy business owners, Lafayette Square has an impressive background with equally impressive architecture. Lafayette Square also has an amazing comeback story, narrowly avoiding demolition and eventually being restored to its former glory. On this tour we cover more than just the mansions around the park, and go back into the streets that lead away from the park to discuss the history behind some of the houses tucked away in the neighborhood. The tour also goes into Benton Place, one of the oldest surviving private streets in America. Tickets are $18 online and $20 in person

Benton Park Historic Neighborhood Tour

St. Louis History and Architecture is hosting a historic walking tour of the Benton Park neighborhood. The tour will start in Benton Park at the corner of Arsenal Street and Missouri Ave, and will showcase the historic architecture of the neighborhood, dating from 1848 through the 1920s. The neighborhood is filled with the stories of a variety of people from beer barons to Icarian French settlers to Frontiersmen, and showcases a wide variety of architecture from different periods of history. The tour will cover the area along Cherokee street and near the Lemp Brewery, as well as the area to the north of the park. Ticket purchases include a 2-3 hour tour. Tickets are $18 online and $20 in person.

Old North St. Louis Historic Neighborhood Tour

Old North St. Louis is one of the oldest neighborhoods in St. Louis, with a large number of buildings from before 1860. The neighborhood is also home to two of the oldest businesses in St. Louis, with Marx Hardware dating to 1875 and Crown Candy dating to 1913. Also found in Old North St. Louis is the only remaining bathhouse in the city. With a rich history and some of the oldest architecture in the city, Old North is one of the hidden gems of St. Louis. This tour will cover the history of a number of Row houses, flounder houses, townhouses, churches, and businesses in the neighborhood, as well as discussing the impact that urban renewal had on the area The tour will start at Crown Candy, or across the street if there’s a line, and will go as far south as Monroe Street, and as far north as Hebert Street. The tour will last 2-3 hours, and tickets are $15 per person online and $20 in person.

Hyde Park: A Historic Town Within a City

This tour will cover the history of Bremen, the small German town that was established in 1844, and later annexed into the city of St. Louis

On the Hyde Park tour, we will discuss the history of the neighborhood that started as a small town in 1844, before being annexed into St. Louis in 1855. The neighborhood is filled with historic sites, including a 170 year old mansion, remnants of the brewing history in North St. Louis, historic churches, and a bit of Civil War history. Over 40 historic places will be featured on the tour, including historic churches, schools, opulent Victorian mansions, and a Carnegie Library. The tour will last approximately 2-3 hours, and will meet at the corner of 19th and Bremen. Tickets are $15 online and $20 in person.

St Louis Place: Millionaires Row and More

Join us for a 2-3 hour walking tour of the historic St. Louis Place neighborhood. St. Louis Place is one of the oldest surviving wealthy neighborhoods in St. Louis. While the area is not typically seen as wealthy today, at one time, St. Louis Avenue was referred to as Millionaires Row. The park is the third oldest in St. Louis, and was laid out in 1850, with the mansions being built starting after the Civil War. Not only do we explore the history of the mansions, but also the working class residences in the southern part of the neighborhood. Along with a number of other buildings, St. Liborius Church and the Columbia Brewery will be featured on the tour. The tour will begin at St. Louis Place Park on St. Louis Avenue, and will cover a significant area within the neighborhood. Tickets are $15 per person online and $20 in person.

Compton Heights: Germans in Gilded Age St Louis

This tour will be a 2-3 hour guided walking tour of the Compton Heights neighborhood. This south St. Louis neighborhood was laid out and developed in the late 19th century as a wealthy enclave for German immigrants who had established themselves as captains of industry in the city. The tour will explore the streets surrounding Compton Hill Reservoir, as well as the Julius Pitzman designed curvilinear streets that Compton Heights is famous for. Expect to see a variety of the finest residential architecture the city has to offer from the late 19th and early 20th century, which can only be matched by private streets. Tickets for this event cost $20, and are redeemable at any St. Louis History and Architecture events, in the case that you cannot attend. The tour features around 60 houses, and is one of the most extensive offerings by St. Louis History and Architecture.

Midtown: From Victorian Neighborhood to Theater District

Midtown St. Louis was once a wealthy residential neighborhood at the edge of the city in the late 19th century. However, as the industry and entertainment districts of downtown expanded westward, the area became one of the city’s premier theater districts by the early 20th century. Explore the mixture of historic 19th century homes, early 20th century theaters, and even a building designed by HH Richardson, while exploring the rich history of the Midtown neighborhood. We will also be going into the Cupples House if it is open to the public on the day of the tour. The tour starts right in the heart of Midtown at Strauss Park. Tickets are $18 online and $20 in person.