St. Louis & The Roaring 1920′s The Birth Of Art Deco

St. Louis today is a bustling, exciting metropolis, home to hundreds of thousands of people and homes. However, it took a century for St. Louis to become the city that it is today, and a great boom for St. Louis took place in the 1920s, just as the whole nation was booming as well.

It all began with the 1923 Bond Issue in St. Louis. The Citys street patterns were clearly designed in 1917, followed by the City Plan Commission, and all of this was carried-out under the 1923 Bond Issue. Its thanks to this Issue that wide streets like Market, Olive, Natural Bridge, and Gravois exist today.

Once the Worlds Fair was over, St. Louis recognized that it had some work to complete. After taking notice of the changes happening around the world, St. Louis saw it as a sign for its own expansion. Thats when the massive $87,000,000 1923 Bond Issue was passed which was renowned at the time as an astounding accomplishment. Once this landmark decision transpired, all sorts of civic buildings like hospitals, Kiel Auditorium, street lighting and historic buildings rose to their glory. It was also the birthplace for much of the St. Louis commercial real estate you see today.

When the Missouri Motorbus Company came to fruition in 1921, the trolley cars started their quick descent into extinction. This was then usurped by the Peoples Motorbus Company in 1923, operating both single and double deck buses in St. Louis.

Park improvements were another great step in the expansion and reinvention of St. Louis in the 1920s. Forest Park was completely realized after great restoration work following the worlds Fair. Until construction began on the Park, it was a wilderness land following the Worlds Fair, which left many people uneasy about the implications.

The City ordinance called for a park-like area, and thats when the improvements began. Then followed the highlights of the park: the Zoo with its Worlds Fair bird cage, The Art Palace given to the city by the Exposition Company, the Jefferson Memorial constructed on Fair funds, and the Worlds Fair Pavilion.

The St. Louis City ordinance mandated a park-like area which then triggered the Forest Park improvements. This is also when the following highlights were added to the park: the Zoo with its Worlds Fair bird cage, the Jefferson Memorial constructed on Fair funds, The Art Palace which was furnished to the city by the Exposition Company, and of course the Worlds Fair Pavilion.

There are Art Deco buildings that stimulate the imagination, and even old Spanish Mission Deco buildings like the one found in Grand Center, St. Louis, designed by Thomas P Barnett. With its rich Spanish style and unique feel, this building always turns heads.

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