Webster Groves, Kirkwood, Ballwin and St. Louis Missouri real estate listings, home buying, selling and relocation information

Kirkwood: A History of Our Community

Kirkwood, Missouri, was established in 1853 and today is a 9 square-mile community with a population of over 28,000 people. Located in West St. Louis County, Kirkwood boasts high property values, quality public and private schools, safe neighborhoods and exceptional city services. Over 300 acres of park land can be found throughout the community, from a large central park that includes an aquatic center, ice rink, outdoor amphitheater, ball fields, tennis courts, picnic sites, and playground areas to smaller neighborhood parks.

It's called "Queen of the St. Louis Suburbs," an honor Kirkwood has proudly accepted since the later 1800s. As the first planned suburb west of the Mississippi River, Kirkwood owes its very existence to the railroad. The city was even named after James Pugh Kirkwood, the engineer in charge of locating, surveying and building the railroad. From the beginning, it's been a love affair between citizens and trains, as evidenced by the beautiful, historic train station located in the heart of the city. Built in 1893, the station, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, is a favorite subject of local and national photographers. Today Kirkwood Station is the only suburban AMTRAK stop in the St. Louis area and visitors can board the train there for a short hop downtown or to nearby Washington, Missouri for a day trip as well as for longer AMTRAK trips.

The City of Kirkwood presently employs approximately 250 people who work in a variety of departments. The annual budget of Kirkwood is approximately $45 million. The city operates under a council/manager form of government with the mayor and six council members elected at large. The city has its own water and electric departments, making it unique from other St. Louis County municipalities. The city also has its own sanitation department. A police department of 55 commissioned officers patrol the streets and have a very active and involved public - residents and businesses participate in annual crime prevention programs as well as a Citizens Police Academy and Neighborhood Crimewatch.

The city's fire department has three separate fire houses located strategically throughout the city. Fire house #2 was built in 1929 and is the oldest operating fire house in St. Louis County. Its unique architecture, including a turret, makes it a visual standout in Kirkwood.

Kirkwood is a city rich in history, with a progressive business attitude. Two of the primary reasons families settle in Kirkwood are the quality and characteristics of the homes and the safety and comfort of the area. Kirkwood has historic homes, churches, quaint shopping districts, and progressive shopping centers. With large, beautiful stately old homes with broad, open lawns framed by mature trees and sidewalks lining its streets, Kirkwood is the picture of small town America. But while its lifestyle follows much of the stereotype of comfortable, small-town life where neighbors know each other, children walk to the business district to buy ice cream and trinkets and life is quiet and laid back, Kirkwood's origins veer from the stereotype. Despits its appearance of a quiet, small Midwestern town, Kirkwood is actually a suburb just 14 miles from downtown St. Louis.

Each year, more and more citizens and visitors flock to Kirkwood's many tourist attractions, including Powder Valley Nature Center, The Magic House Children's Museum, downtown Kirkwood, plus our parks, community center, and community festivals.

Kirkwood schools offer an education experience that is unmatched. The Kirkwood School District has one of the highest graduation rates in the country. This is due not only to the high quality of education, but also to the spirit of cooperation and continued teamwork for the commitment to excellence by parents, teachers, administrators, and residents.

Kirkwood - Economic Development

Kirkwood Landmarks Commission

On March 5, 1981 the Kirkwood City Council established a Landmarks Commission "to make a continuous study of all the buildings and structures in the City, taking into account the age, design, period of construction, aesthetic value, past use and historical significance and to consider such buildings for designation as historical landmarks." The commission has actively pursued its charge from inception to the present. Almost eighty structures and sites have been designated landmarks. While most of the landmarks are residences, others include businesses, schools, churches and a cemetery. In addition, the Commission has advised property owners on exterior renovations in order to preserve the character of the landmarks. In 1988 the Commission declared Kirkwood's first historic district, honoring the Meramec Highlands are, followed by the Central Place Historic District in 1998.

The Commission is very proud of its efforts to preserve the rich heritage of Kirkwood and to insure that its unique character continues.

Historic Kirkwood Landmarks Guide

Meramec Highlands Historic District

Central Place Historic District

Kirkwood Parks & Recreation

Kirkwood has more than 300 acres of parkland.

Kirkwood Park -- 72 Acre Site

Kirkwood Park is located at the intersection of Adams & Geyer Road. The most heavily used of all Kirkwood's parks, Kirkwood Park features an outdoor amphitheater, 19 picnic sites, 2 pavilions, 5 softball fields, 10 tennis courts, 2 handball courts, horseshoe pits, shuffleboard courts, a playground, and a spray fountain. Walker Lake provides fishing year-round including participation in the Missouri Department of Conservation trout program over the winter. Over 42,000 people utilize picnic sites and the amphitheater annually through reserved events. Thousands more visit the park each year without reservations. Annual events held in the park include the Freedom Fiesta in July, the Greentree Festival in September, and summer concerts.

The annual July 4th fireworks display at Kirkwood Park promises breath-taking fireworks, preceded by great good and family entertainment. Bring blanket or lawnchairs to Kirkwood Park.

Greentree Festival

In 1961, Kirkwood was recovering from a long period of drought, Dutch Elm blight had taken a great toll on some of the city's beautiful trees. The Festival's creation came about as a way to replace the stricken trees. It was the brainchild of then Mayor Pfitzinger and Council Members Robert Reim, Ninian Edwards, and Robert Staed.

In the weeks leading up to the first Festival, as well as throughout the event, the City offered Pin Oaks, Sweet Gum, Thornless Locust, White Birch, and Tulip trees for sale for just $1 each. Thousands of these trees were purchased and planted and to this day, many still flourish, lining a number of Kirkwood streets.

Some of the events in this three day Festival include a Book Fair, Kids' Dog Show, Canine Frisbee Contest, Green Teen Competition, Kutest Kirkwood Baby Contest, and, of course, the 1.7 mile parade which begins at Kirkwood High School. Visitors and residents also enjoy over 200 arts and craft vendors. This past year the special Folklife area welcomed 32 artisans to display their wares and crafts, share stories, and re-enact various aspects of life from the 1700 and 1800s. Festivalgoers also enjoy the wonderful shaded Wine Garden featuring great wine from Grapevine Wines, appetizers, and free live musical entertainment. The Greentree Festival is held annually in September at Kirkwood Park.

Depot Park -- .5 Acre Site

Depot Park is located at the intersections of Clay & Madison just west of the Kirkwood Police Department. The park offers an excellent vantage point for viewing trains that use the Union Pacific tracks to the north of the park. A recently remodeled playground is a popular attraction for children while the picnic tables, Optimist Club gazebo, and benches offer a place for adults to relax.

Russell E. Emmenegger Nature Park -- 124 Acre Site

The Russell E. Emmenegger Nature Park is a 94 acre nature park located by I-270, I-44 and the Meramec River. Emmenegger became a Kirkwood park on March 6, 1975, when the land was dedicated the Russell E. Emmenegger Nature Park at a city council meeting. Russell E. Emmenegger donated half of the land and the other half was purchased with a grant from the Department of Interior Bureau of Outdoor Recreation Secretary's Contingency Fund. The public dedication and official opening of the park occurred on June 1, 1975. The goal was for the natural beauty of the park to be the primary attraction.

The nature Park is located between the Possum Woods Conservation Area, a 14-acre tract, and the Emmenegger Nature Park Staging Area, also a 14-acre tract located at 11991 Stoneywood. Kirkwood Parks Department and Missouri Department of Conservation worked together to develop the park. Russell E. Emmenegger park includes 1.5 miles of trails frequented by hikers and nature lovers, part of which is a .5-mile accessible, paved trail. Disabled parking and year-round restroom facilities are available at the trailhead, located near the Staging Area, where a bridge connects the Russell E. Emmenegger Staging Area to the park. Emmenegger Nature Park provides visitors with picnicing opportunities, peaceful nature walks, and a sheltered area. A variety of nature programs are led in the park by Powder Valley Nature Center staff.

Fillmore Park -- 2.5 Acre Site

Fillmore Park was expanded in 1985 when the city purchased two properties at the intersection of South Fillmore & East Clinton. The park was initially designed as a passive park; there were no ball fields, basketball courts or other such facilities. In 1991 playground equipment was installed. The equipment was replaced in 1995-96 with more modern equipment that met safety and ADA standards.

Fireman's Park -- 4 Acre Site, Undeveloped

Located at 11700 Big Bend.

Fireman's Park, located near fire house #2, was defined as a park in 1983. It is a 3.4 acre undeveloped area.

Greentree Park -- 86 Acre Site

Greentree Park is situated along the Meramec River off of Marshall Road. The park features a picnic shelter, remote controlled car track, boat ramp, and lighted soccer and football fields. The location along the Meramec River offers recreational opportunities unavailable in other parks. However, due to its close proximity to the river, the park is subject to seasonal flooding. The remote controlled car track is currently operated by the Dirt Burners Remote Control Car Track club.

Meacham Park -- 1.25 Acre Site

Located in the 300 block of New York Street.

Pavilion, Restrooms, Basketball Court, Spray Fountain, Playground, Accessible Walking Paths

Meramec Highland Quarry at Dee Koestering Park -- 9.5 Acre Site

Located at 1703 Marshall Road.

This site is a nature park with walking trails; site of the historic Meramec Highlands Quarry. Many large quarry stones on site. Acquisition was partially funded by a grant from the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

Trail, Accessible Parking, Paved Bluff Trail, No Services.

Mitchell Park -- .3 Acre Site

Located in the 100 block of Mitchell.

The playground equipment was replaced in 1995-96 with equipment that met safety and ADA standards.

Recreation Station Aquatic Center -- 4 Acre Site

Located at 111 S. Geyer Road; South of Kirkwood Community Center.

The 4 acre Kirkwood Recreation Station Aquatic Center is a state-of-the-art aquatic facility consisting of a competitive pool, leisure pool, family play pool, lazy river, slides and plunges. The pool is open from Memorial Day until Labor Day, and is open to residents of Kirkwood, Glendale and Oakland.

Walker Park -- .5 Acre Site

Located at 135 E. Washington.

Kirkwood's newest park, acquired through a generous donation from the Myrtle and Earl Walker family, Walker Park is a .5 acre park site located across the street from the Kirkwood YMCA at the corner of Taylor & Washington. Currently the site has park benches, walkways and two decorative bronze turtles also donated by the Walkers. Additional amenities proposed in the park's conceptual plan include a gazebo, child's play equipment, paved walkways, game table area, water feature and additional landscaping.

Ken Connor Park

Located at Argonne & Kirkwood Road.

Ken Connor Park is in the heart of Kirkwood Junction. This vest pocket park was donated by Connor, former resident and Kirkwood business person of the year in 1992.

         Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center

Powder Valley Nature Center is a 112-acre oasis in an urban area. It includes a center with a variety of exhibits on the botany and wildlife of Missouri including a wildlife viewing area and a 3,000 gallon freshwater aquarium. There are three hiking trails of varying difficulty. A library in the center has books on nature and the geology of the area and is open for public use.

Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center is located at 11715 Cragwold Road, Kirkwood, Missouri 63122. Phone: 314-301-1500. Admission is free.

Annual Attendance: 150,000

Highlights:

1.) In the Nature Center, exhibits explain the flora and fauna of the area

2.) Follow the "trackways" around the Nature Center to learn more about the
      animals of Missouri. Pick up a fold-out brochure at the reception desk to
      help follow track clues and find out who was the predator and who was the
      prey.

3.) Also in the Nature Center is a wildlife viewing area that looks out onto a
      wooded corner where visitors can observe songbirds, wild turkeys and
      small mammals in the feeding areas outside.

4.) Three miles of paved trails varying in difficulty from easy to strenuous
      take the visitor into sloping, rocky woods and through towering trees and
      tangled vines.

5.) Sections loaded with colorful wild flowers abound throughout the conserv-
      ation area.

6.) An underwater viewing area allows visitors to view bass, bluegill and catfish
      in their native habitat.

7.) The "St. Louis: Founded With Wildlife" exhibit demonstrates the role of
      wildlife trade in the development of St. Louis.

Especially for Kids:

1.) A Discovery Room has puzzles, games and exhibits to explain nature to
      children.

2.) A two-story "tree factory" in the nature center helps visitors understand
      basic tree structure and physiology as well as how trees manufacture food.

3.) Kids enjoy watching real live bees as they bustle about the hive on the
      upper level.

4.) Live and model amphibians and reptiles on the lower level are also a hit
      with most kids.

5.) Parents can pick up activity sheets for their children at the reception desk.

6.) Many special events are planned for children throughout the year.

The Missouri Department of Conservation bought the land the Nature Center is located on in 1986. Construction on the building began in 1989 and took 15 months to complete. Trails, exhibits and programs developed over the next four years. Powder Valley opened in October of 1991.

Local residents tell of a nearby cave on the Meramec River that was used to stash a large amount of blasting powder during the Civil War to be used to demolish a bridge should Confederate troops invade the area. In later years, E.I. Dupont de Nemours manufactured and stored explosives near the site during World War I. The name Powder Valley reflects this history.

Annual Special Events: Powder Valley presents a variety of nature programs which are conducted on a regular basis. "Marking Tracks", the Center's monthly newsletter, available at the nature center, has information and dates on special events.

Gift Shop: The gift shop has a variety of books, videos, stuffed animals, caps, and nature-related items.

The Nature Center is handicapped accessible and the paths on the trails are paved.

              Kirkwood Parks & Recreation Department

               Athletics: Senior Sports          Facilities: Recreation Station Com Ctr
                                   Softball Leagues                         Park System
                                   Tennis Leagues                          Picnic Site
                                   Turkey Day Run                          Aquatic Center
                                   Volleyball Leagues                      Recreation Station Ice Rink
                                   Youth Soccer                              Tennis Center

              Programs: Preschool Programs
                                    Youth Special Events
                                    Summer Camps
                                    Theater Programs
                                    Youth Programs
                                    Park Photo Contest
                                    Program Guide
                                   Senior Programs
                                    2005 Greentree Festival

             Kirkwood Recreation Station Ice Rink Programs:

                                   Public Skating Schedule
                                   Youth Hockey Association
                                   Gateway Speed Skating Club
                                   Stick 'N Puck
                                   Freestyle Session
                                   Party Room
                                   Group Rates
                                   Skating Lessons
                                   Summer Figure Skating Camp
                                   Northern Edge Elite Hockey School

                                          Kirkwood Restaurants

                         Amici's Italian Restaurant               Kirkwood Farmers' Market
                         Blue Water Grill                              Kirkwood Ice & Fuel Company
                         Brew Pub                                        Long John Silver's
                         Cafe Provencal                               Massa's
                         China Country                                McDonald's
                         Citizen Kane's Steak House            Mike Duffy's Pub & Grill
                         Culpepper's                                    Pizza Hut
                         Custard Station, The                      PJ's Tavern in Kirkwood
                         Dewey's Pizza                                 Quizno's Classic Subs
                         Domino's Pizza                               Racanelli's New York Pizzeria
                         Einstein Brothers Bagels                San Sai Japanese Grill
                         First Watch                                     Spencer's Grill
                         Fortel's Pizza Den                           Starbucks
                         Frank 'N Patty's                              Subway
                         Imo's Pizza                                      Sunset 44 Bistro & Banquet Center
                         Johnny Rockets                              Taco Bell
                         Kaldi's Coffee House

Kirkwood Theaters

Stages St. Louis

Founded in 1987 by Michael Hamilton and Jack Lane, Stages St. Louis is a professional not-for-profit theater company dedicated to producing the indigenous American art form of musical theater. Stages is also firmly committed to the employment and development of St. Louis artists and, through numerous education and outreach programs, enriching the cultural milieu of our community.

Stages St. Louis operates year round with a staff of twenty. A full-time seasonal company operates from May to October and presents 120 performances in the 380-seat Robert G. Reim Theater at the Kirkwood Civic Center. Performers are cast from auditions in both St. Louis and New York. Stages is the top employer of local union actors and provides more annual workweeks than any other St. Louis theater company.

The mission of Stages St. Louis is to become the leading company for musical theater performance and education in the Midwest.

Stages Performing Arts Academy

The Stages Performing Arts Academy opened in March, 2004 and offers a year-round comprehensive musical theater curriculum of dance, voice, drama and theory for students of all ages and skill levels. Classes are taught by a team of professional artists and educators. All classes are held at our beautiful new facility at 444 Chesterfield Center in Chesterfield, Missouri.

Kirkwood Theatre Guild

House lights out! Curtain going up! Those first words echoed backstage for the Kirkwood Theatre Guild on June 9, 1931, with the presentation of Tillie of Bloomsbury, an English comedy.

In the fall of 1967, Kirkwood Theatre Guild found a home -- the newly built Kirkwood Community Center. The Kirkwood Guild presented its first play of the 1967-68 season in the Center's beautifully designed 400-seat theater. The play was Sunday in New York.

As Kirkwood Theatre Guild begins its 75th season, it takes pride in the fact that it is one of the oldest amateur theater organizations in continuous operation in the St. Louis metropolitan area. Our membership has grown from those first "twelve persistent souls" to approximately 1,200 and attracts wonderful talent for each production.

                               The Magic House Children's Museum

The Magic House is a hands-on Children's Museum located in a three-story Victorian Home in suburban Kirkwood. The Museum is a not-for-profit organization, which specializes in providing creative learning experiences for children. That has translated into "fun" for children for over 25 years. More than 400,000 people visit The Magic House each year. It was voted best children's museums in the country by Family Fun Magazine in 2001, and it was on the magazine's list of top 12 family destinations.

Jody Newman and Barbie Freund, two St. Louis women, created the museum in 1975. They devoted several years of their time to raise funds from 60 donors including foundations, corporations and individuals to renovate the building, which had been a private home. The house was built in 1901 for George Lane Edwards, first president of his family brokerage firm, A.G. Edwards and Sons. He was also a director of the 1904 World's Fair.

The Museum was designed to handle 30,000 visitors a year when it opened in 1979 but some 165,000 visitors toured the museum during its first year. The Magic House's popularity made it a favorite with local families and a "must visit" attraction for visitors to St. Louis.

In the years that followed, the museum's popularity led to several expansions. In 1985, the Magic House opened a new 4,000-square-foot addition, which included an exhibit called "A Little Bit of Magic" designed to refine gross motor skills and build self-esteem in children aged 1 to 7.

Four years later, another addition enlarged the Magic House and added a wrap-around porch and an expanded lobby and reception area. An elevator was also added to make the Museum handicap accessible to all visitors.

Another expansion in 1997 more than doubled the size of the Magic House. The addition included a Children's Village, Math Path, a Fitness Center and an area for children under two and their parents.

Highlights:

1. One of the Magic House's oldest and most popular
     exhibits allows visitors to touch an electrostatic ally
     charged ball and see their hair fly wildly on end.
     They can even purchase a button with a photo of
     them in their hair-raising state as a souvenir of
     their visit. Visitors can slide down a three-story
     slide for a quick trip from the top floor of the Magic
     House to the main floor.

2. Face Blender is an exhibit, which allows you to be two-faced. Mirrors create
       the optical illusion of blending half of your face with half of your friends' face.

3. A giant gear wall allows visitors to make a simple machine and see how one
       gear turns them all.

4. Fitness Safari is a fitness adventure for children age 7-14 where they can
       swing on a vine like Tarzan, leap from log to log across a river of balls, cross
       a rope bridge and make their way through a dark diamond mine.

5. At the Children's Village, kids can learn about daily life through a number of
       hands-on activities. They can work in a grocery store, be a teller in a bank,
       make or serve pizza in the pizza parlor or work for a construction company
       among other things. Children can also dress up in costumes from around
       the world and play various musical instruments in the Village's travel agency.
       Children can also put a "fish" into a nearby stream and watch as the stream
       carries it.

6. At Math Generation, children can learn about various math concepts through
       hands-on play.

7. First Impressions, one of the country's largest moveable art sculptures,
       contains more than 75,000 plastic rods and is more than eight feet tall.
       Visitors can make an impression of their hands, head or body in the
       sculpture.

8. At KIDS-TV, the Magic House's television station, kids can forecast the
       weather and experience what it's like to be a news anchor.

9. At the Shadow Wall, another popular exhibit, visitors can jump or move
       their bodies against a wall in a darkened room. After a flash, the visitors'
       movements are frozen in a picture on the wall.

10. Edward's Attic, a third floor exhibit, recreates what life was like for the
       Edwards Family, the home's original occupants who lived in the house
       from 1903 to 1919. Children can dress up in period clothing, have a tea
       party, "study" at an old school desk and play with kitchen items from that
       time period.

11. For Baby and Me is a unique area especially designed for children under
       the age of 2. Parents can interact with their babies in a peek-a-boo house,
       help their child play on a baby gym and watch their toddler drive a toddler-
       size school bus while learning important child development information.

                                            What's New at The Magic House?

The Magic House's newest addition is a patio and outdoor area called Backyard Magic. The outdoor facility includes a Children's Sculpture Garden, a 1,600-square-foot Education Pavilion, the Sunshine Classroom, an open-air exhibit patio and 125 additional spaces of free parking. School groups can picnic before or after field trips in the Education Pavilion or explore the kid-friendly sculptures in the Children's Sculpture Garden.

                                  Annual Special Events at The Magic House!

Visiting artists come to the Magic House the first weekend of the month from September to May and visitors can learn from them as they demonstrate various techniques in workshops that run throughout the day. Children have an opportunity to work with the artists on projects, which include everything from painting to theatrical works.

No registration is required but seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. The Visiting Artist Series is made possible with the support of the Regional Arts Commission and Artmart, a local art supply store.

Each year in September, children can bring toys and other items they no longer want to the Magic House and sell them at the community-wide Kids' Flea Market. During the weekend before Halloween, children under 12 get into the Magic House free of charge if they come in costume. Children can also trick or treat at the various Magic House exhibits that weekend. During the holidays, the Magic House is decorated as a winter wonderland, and children can enjoy story time with Mrs. Claus.

Free Family Night, sponsored by Anheuser-Busch, is held on the third Friday of every month. Families can visit the Magic House free of charge from 5:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

The Magic House also holds adults-only nights occasionally where admission to the museum is limited to adults only.

February is Scout Month at the Magic House. Scouts are admitted for $2.50 and special activities are planned to help them work on their badges.

The Magic House also offers Scout programs, parenting classes, outreach programs which are presented at schools.

Kirkwood Junction

Kirkwood Junction, another name for historic Downtown Kirkwood, Missouri, is located in the suburban heart of the St. Louis metropolitan area. Kirkwood Junction has been a regional destination for area residents since trains began boarding passengers at the Kirkwood Train Station in 1853.

Today, Kirkwood Junction retains the charm and character of the past combined with abundant shopping, dining, and entertainment in a rare pedestrian friendly outdoor ambiance. Spanning sixteen square blocks, Kirkwood Junction is home to 100 specialty shops and restaurants whose owners and staff often welcome customers by name as they enter.

You'll find Kirkwood Junction is visitor and customer friendly. Free two-hour parking is available on public lots and most streets. You'll be out of your car and into your destination in no time.

Located within Kirkwood Junction, the Kirkwood Public Library, Kirkwood Farmers' Market, Post Office, City Hall, YMCA, Chamber of Commerce, along with many shops, restaurants, and churches are within easy walking distance. Customers and employees of over 150 professional offices and service providers may never have reason to get back into their cars during the day.

In Kirkwood Junction local artists have transformed building walls into huge murals celebrating landscapes from near and afar. Along our main streets flags wave in the breeze and flowers adorn the street corners.

Kirkwood Historic Walks

Built on land that was part of the Louisiana Purchase, Kirkwood owes its existence to the twin tragedies of epidemic and fire that struck St. Louis in 1849 and to the development of the Pacific railroad route. It was a stop on the early Pacific Railroad.

After a major fire and a cholera epidemic destroyed part of downtown St. Louis, the climate was ripe for development of an area outside of the city that offered relief from the congestion and dangers of city life. Two real estate developers, Hiram Leffingwell and Richard Elliott, promoted the idea of a suburb, a community environment removed from the city.

In 1850, the two, as part of a group of 40 investors, bought several hundred acres along the proposed railroad route for the line that would link the eastern part of the country with the Pacific coast. The selection of a Missouri River route for the trans-continental railroad put St. Louis at the terminus of the railroad.

The city was formally established in 1853 and was named for James Pugh Kirkwood, the engineer who platted the city and surveyed the Pacific railroad route which passed through the area.

The streets of the original town were platted into a rectangular grid with blocks divided into quarter sections of more than one acre each. Families could purchase an entire block creating a five-acre estate.

Dead restrictions limited commercial endeavors in Kirkwood keeping the city free of things such as slaughter houses, soap factories or dram shops which were prohibited.

Kirkwood's streets leading from the train depot are named for presidents--Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Taylor, Harrison, Van Buren and Fillmore. But Kirkwood veered from the plan when it came to Andrew Jackson opting instead for Geyer Road. Main Street was renamed Argonne in 1919 to honor U.S. servicemen in World War I. The main north-south thoroughfare had several names before it became Kirkwood Road. It is known as Lindbergh Boulevard outside of Kirkwood.

When trains first rolled into Kirkwood in 1853, they stopped at a building at the site of the present station. A stagecoach would then take passengers from the train station to Manchester, Missouri. A larger station replaced the original station 10 years later, and the current station, an outstanding example of Richardsonian architecture, was built in 1893.

From the beginning, the train was an integral part of life in Kirkwood. Early promoters hawked the city as a healthy place to live. With the cholera epidemic that killed a fifth of St. Louis' population a recent memory, they pitched the new community's fresh air and open spaces. Many early Kirkwood residents were wealthy businessmen eager to safeguard their families from the dangers of life in the city by moving them from the crowded urban area to the new suburb. Some kept town homes in the city where they stayed during the workweek returning to their homes in suburbia on the weekends. Others commuted daily to the city via train and, in fact, commuter trains brought workers to their jobs downtown until they were discontinued in the 1960s.

The Civil War came closest to Kirkwood in 1864 when Confederate troops moving up from Arkansas came within 10 miles of St. Louis on the St. Louis and Iron Mountain Railroad. This made Union commanders nervous since local sympathizers could reach the Confederate Army relatively easily. That led the Union commander in St. Louis to issue an order that "traitors and four spies caught in the act of passing the Federal lines to the rebel forces now invading the state will be shot on the spot."

Later that year the Confederates raided a post office at Cheltenham near Manchester Avenue on the Pacific Railroad. The raid was between Kirkwood and St. Louis and brought a detachment of the Missouri Militia that camped at Laclede Station on the Pacific Railroad holding back a Confederate invasion of the town.

Kirkwood has always been a hub for transportation. In addition to its link with the railroads, it was a stagecoach stop during its early days, and by 1898 streetcars were offering service from Kirkwood to other points in the St. Louis area.

A section of Kirkwood became a resort area catering to wealthy St. Louisians when the Meramec Highlands opened in 1895. Located on the Meramec Bluffs with a nearby spring gushing 60,000 gallons of water a day, the resort offered a large, luxury 125-room hotel and 15 rental cottages. Its rustic beauty and location made it a popular excursion point. Vacationers could dance in the large dance pavilion, bowl in the bowling alley, play billiards in the billiard hall or take a boat onto the river.

With the development of electric streetcar lines, visitors could take the St. Louis Meramec Highlands Railroad to the Highlands for a nickel. The Frisco Railroad also offered service to the Highlands. In 1895 nine trains a day and four on Sunday took visitors to the resort.

1904 World's Fair

During the 1904 World's Fair, visitors could travel from downtown to the Highlands by streetcar for a nickel, but by 1905 the popularity of the Highlands waned, and it closed in 1911. The hotel burned down around 1927 but 13 of the cottages remain today. Most are private residences. Today the area is known as the Greenbriar District and much of the old resort is the site of a 400-acre subdivision.

In more recent years, Kirkwood has settled into its role as a desirable bedroom community conveniently located an easy drive from downtown, but a community with strong historic traditions and a quiet lifestyle reminiscent of life in a small town.

One of the most intriguing things about Kirkwood is its diverse architecture. Take a drive down its streets and you will see examples of Victorian, Italian Villa, Italianate, Gothic Revival, Greek Revival, Tudor Revival, Vernacular, Eclectic, Victorian Country Classic, Victorian Italianate, Victorian Vernacular, Richardson Romanesque and Carpenter Gothic in the homes and churches of Kirkwood. The city even has a dog-trot log cabin.

The Kirkwood City Council established a Landmarks Commission in 1981 to study the city's buildings and designate structures that qualify as historical landmarks. Kirkwood has 83 structures and sites that have been designated as landmarks. Most are private homes but some are commercial buildings, churches and schools. A cemetery has also been designated as a landmark.

Five structures in Kirkwood are on the National Register of Historic Places. They are:

Kirkwood Station which is an outstanding example of Richardsonian architecture.

Kirkwood Historical Homes

Brownhurst, 1201 S. Kirkwood Road, built about 1880 by St. Louis manufacturer Daniel S. Brown, an amateur horticulturist, as his country home. The shingle and limestone building is in the Richardson Romanesque style with 40 acres of the estate dedicated to gardens, conservatories and greenhouses. Brown donated many specimens from his collections of rare palms, ferns and orchids to the Missouri Botanical Gardens. The orchids became the basis of the Garden's orchid collection.

Wisconsin House, 415 Scott Avenue, built as the Wisconsin hospitality house at the 1904 World's Fair. The building won a grand prize because it "nearest fulfilled the ideal state home." After the Fair, the building was moved to Kirkwood, presumably by rail, and reconstructed as a private home.

Hazard House,401 Clark Avenue, built in 1875. The house belonged to Rebecca Naylor Hazard, a 19th century social reformer. During the Civil War as a member of the Ladies Union Aid Society and the Freedmen's Relief Society, she cared for soldiers and newly freed slaves. She went on to organize the Woman Suffrage Society of Missouri and was elected president of the national American Woman's Suffrage Association in 1878.

Seven Gables,503 E. Monroe Avenue, a Tudor Revival House built in 1913. The house actually has 10 gables, and the grounds covered a full block. A vast formal garden had beds of roses, peonies, and zinnias planted in different patterns. It is rumored that George Bernard Shaw had a dalliance with a young woman at the house.

McLagan House, 549 E. Argonne Drive, an Italianate house built in the 1860's of wood siding cut and beveled to look like stone. The home was once owned by Charles Block, publisher of the Clayton Argus, and later by Ethan Allen Taussig and his wife, Edith, renowned opera singers with the San Carlo Opera Company in London, and later still Phil Rau, a merchant and amateur entomologist who published studies of the mining bees he kept on the grounds.

Pemberton-Monroe House, 345 E. Argonne Drive, a Victorian-style house with adaptations in the Italianate style, built in 1876. This is another house built from wood siding cut to look like stone.

Cragwold House, a rustic stone and stucco house built into a bluff overlooking the Meramec River in 1911 for Edwin A. Lemp, a member of the legendary Lemp Family. The house is of the Prairie School with Tudor influence. The family which owned the Lemp Brewery in the city, built several palatial houses in the area before Prohibition. The family, though fabulously rich, was plagued by tragedy including the suicides of several family members. Today the historic Lemp Mansion in the Cherokee Antique District is a bed and breakfast and restaurant featuring murder mystery dinners.

With its historic train station and vintage buildings, downtown Kirkwood has retained the charm and warmth of a town of an earlier era although it is a modern suburb. O.K. Hatchery, Feed and Garden Store at 109 E. Argonne was built as part of Holekamp Lumber Company in 1920. The structure is typical of lumberyard buildings of that period.

The Old Post Office and Old Fire House No. 1 at 123-125 W. Argonne are now the site of the Messenger Printing Company. The firehouse was built in 1919 for $7,900. The Old Post Office, in the Colonial Revival style, was built in the 1930s.

Most of the other buildings in the central business district were built in the 1800's or early 1900's.