In 2005, many properties within Gaslight Square were bought by the development company RJK Inc. įor the 20–30 years the district was almost completely vacant, with many empty lots and the remaining building dilapidated and empty. Most of them are still in use.īy the late 1990s, most of the buildings were long gone those that remained stood open and rapidly deteriorating. Louis in the late 1960s, for use in the park's Missouri section (now 1904 World's Fair). Many of Gaslight Square's gas lamps were sold to Six Flags during the construction of Six Flags St.

It was a predecessor to the community radio music station KDHX. Gaslight Square was the location of the studios of KDNA, an early community radio station with a countercultural ethos which played music, poetry and spoken word, interviewed musicians, poets, and artists, and ran anti-war and leftist political content. īy the late 1960s, Gaslight Square had lost its luster, falling victim to the rapid growth of suburbs, urban decay, and ' white flight' of that era. Rosalie Lovett's Left Bank featured barrelhouse bluesman James Crutchfield. Modern jazz clubs included the Dark Side. Traditional jazz clubs in Gaslight Square included Peacock Alley and Opera House. Under the name Allman Joys, Gregg Allman and his brother, Duane, spent six months there in 1966 playing at Pepe's à Gogo. Leonard gained exposure at the start of their careers in the clubs of Gaslight Square. Many entertainers such as the Smothers Brothers, Lenny Bruce, Miles Davis, Barbra Streisand, Jackie Mason, Mike Nichols and Elaine May, Woody Allen, Jerry Stiller, Dick Gregory, and Jack E. The district attracted many poets and writers, such as Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg who would stop in St. The district was greatly affected by dramatic change in culture and music of the late 1950s and '60s when the bohemian and later hippie generation began questioning traditional majority values in art, literature, and political self-expression. By 1962, property values had tripled in Gaslight Square. Mr.D's, highlighted a piano bar featuring Ceil Clayton where many of the Gaslight musicians would come and sing along. The Natchez Queen was decorated to resemble a riverboat with live ragtime music inside. The Roaring Twenties was a speakeasy themed bar that included a stage show, mock raids, and staged gangster fights. The Opera House had a façade covered in croquet balls and was a venue for Dixieland jazz. These businesses provided an array of unique entertainment that combined elements of the past and present. At its height, Gaslight Square was home to approximately fifty businesses, including taverns, cabarets, restaurants, sidewalk cafes, and antique shops. These resourceful decorations gave Gaslight Square a youthful, eclectic feel that attracted young beatniks and wealthy customers alike. Louis to salvage unique items such as church pews, chandeliers, recycled stained glass, and marble bathtubs.

Early business owners in Gaslight Square raided recently demolished property in downtown St. Another saloon, the Golden Eagle, soon opened, and proprietor Jay Landesman relocated his extremely popular cabaret theatre, the Crystal Palace, to the area as well. īrothers Dick and Paul Mutrux are considered by many to be the pioneers of Gaslight Square, being proprietors of one of the first saloons in the area, the Gaslight. It was the home to many clubs and restaurants, and entertainment venues. The district was popular for music, poetry, comedy, formal and informal dining, and dancing. The square occupies the area surrounding Olive and Boyle streets in the Central West End. Gaslight Square quickly became a thriving entertainment district that could be compared somewhat to the Delmar Loop area of St. The district was known for its gas lit street lamps and ornate Victorian style architecture, reflective of the 1800s and the riverboat era around the turn of the century. Gaslight Square was the name given to the entertainment district built in the mid-1950s. Louis, Missouri, was an entertainment district located in an area close to the intersection of Olive and Boyle streets, near the eastern part of what is now known as the Central West End neighborhood and close to the current Grand Center arts and theater district and the adjoining Midtown neighborhood. Olive East From Boyle, Gaslight Square, 1966 ( March 2011) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) Statements consisting only of original research should be removed. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations. This article possibly contains original research.

Gaslight square st louis mo