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Gaslight Square
Former district
Olive East From Boyle, Gaslight Square, 1966
Olive East From Boyle, Gaslight Square, 1966
Map
Coordinates: 38°38′43″N 90°14′55″W / 38.6454°N 90.2486°W / 38.6454; -90.2486
CountryUnited States
StateMissouri
CitySt. Louis
Officially renamed24 March 1961
Officially retiredDecember 1972

Gaslight Square (also known as Greenwich Corners)[1] was an entertainment district in St. Louis, Missouri active in the 1950s and 60s, covering an area of about three blocks at the intersection of Olive and Boyle, near the eastern part of the current Central West End and close to the current Grand Center Arts District. The district was known for its gas streetlamps and ornate Victorian-style architecture, and was home to many popular clubs, restaurants, and entertainment venues. It contained around 50 businesses at its height.[2][3]

History

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Before its heyday, the district was home to several antique shops. Especially in its early days, it was associated with beatnik and other countercultural elements. It was kick-started in the aftermath of the city's 1959 tornado outbreak, which caused severe property damage but also led to an influx of attention and insurance money. Business owners took advantage of this to revitalize the local economy: Jimmy Massuci, Jay Landesman, and brothers Dick and Paul Mutrux in particular were credited with instigating development. Massuci opened several night spots in the district, Landesman chose it as the new home for his Crystal Palace cabaret theater, and the Mutrux brothers owned the Gaslight Bar. The St. Louis Board of Aldermen officially renamed the district on 24 March 1961. By 1962, property values in Gaslight Square had tripled.[1][3][4][5]

A 1962 episode of the American TV drama Route 66 titled "Hey Moth, Come Eat the Flame" was set and filmed inside The Darkside jazz club.

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. It was a predecessor to the community radio music station KDHX.

Decline

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The district's decline in the late 1960s was attributed to several factors, including fear of crime, hostility to racial integration, and excessive commercialization. The 1964 murder of Lilliian Heller in particular was described as foreshadowing the end. Its last remaining pub, O'Connell's, moved from Boyle to Kingshighway in 1972, and the Board of Aldermen officially retired the name in December of that year.[1][6][7]

Many of Gaslight Square's gas lamps were sold to Six Flags during the construction of Six Flags St. Louis in the late 1960s, for use in the park's Missouri section (now 1904 World's Fair). Most of them are still in use.

By the late 1990s, most of the buildings were long gone; those that remained stood open and rapidly deteriorating.[8] For the 20–30 years, the district was almost completely vacant, with many empty lots and the remaining building dilapidated and empty.

In 2005, many properties within Gaslight Square were bought by the development company RJK Inc. 150 units were planned, mostly condominia.[9] The new residential properties were meant to sell in the 280k-600k price-range.[10] As of 2008, the vacant lots and condemned buildings are no more. The district is a mixed density residential community with new single family, row homes, small apartments, and condos.[11]

Architecture and businesses

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Map of the district in May 1964

The district's architecture drew inspiration from the city's steamboat era.[3] Early business owners in Gaslight Square repurposed items salvaged from recently demolished properties in downtown St. Louis such as church pews, chandeliers, stained glass, and marble bathtubs.[12][13]

Traditional jazz clubs in Gaslight Square included Peacock Alley and the Opera House. Modern jazz clubs included the Dark Side.[14] Restaurants included Smokey Joe’s Grecian Terrace and the Golden Eagle Saloon. The Laughing Buddha was a coffeehouse that featured live folk music.

Notable performers and patrons

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The district was known as a hub of music, comedy, dance, and other entertainment, and many of its regulars would go on to achieve popular recognition. Notable musicians included Miles Davis, Bob Dylan, Barbra Streisand, Judy Collins, Peter Yarrow, Singleton Palmer, James Crutchfield, Bob Kuban, the Quartette Trés Bien, and Jeanne Trevor. Comedians and entertainers included Jerry Stiller, Jackie Mason, the Smothers Brothers, Lenny Bruce, Dick Gregory, Nichols and May, Irwin Corey, Woody Allen, Phyllis Diller, and Jack E. Leonard. The district was also visited by poets and writers like Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg.[13][15][16]

Legacy

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There is a small memorial at the intersection of Olive and Boyle, featuring some decorative columns like those that used to be on the street and a wall with a stone plaque with names of people and establishments from Gaslight Square's past, topped with a few sections of modest cornices of former buildings from the district.[citation needed]

Some of the significant architectural elements from Gaslight Square were preserved by the National Building Arts Center in the Metro East area of Greater St. Louis.[citation needed]

The Gaslight Theater is located in and named after the former square.[17]

Two documentaries were produced about Gaslight Square in the early 2000s. Gaslight Square: The Forgotten Landmark (Bruce Marren/2002) explores the history by the people who developed the area. It includes interviews with the Smothers Brothers, Jay Landesman,[18] Bob Kuban, and many others. Gaslight Square: The Legend Lives On (Bruce Marren/2005) looks at the influence it had on the city, uncovers relics, and what has happened to it today. It includes interviews with Phyllis Diller, Billy Peek, Jonnie King, and many others.

In 2024, Jazz St. Louis and St. Louis Dance Theatre produced a version of The Nutcracker set in Gaslight Square, set to Duke Ellington's jazz interpretations of the music.[19][20]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c O'Neil, Tim (February 10, 2024). "Gaslight Square burned brightly in the 1960s. What went wrong?". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  2. ^ "12 St. Louisans take us back to the mid-century heyday of Gaslight Square". STLPR. July 31, 2014. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c "Gaslight Square: The Legend Lives On". HEC-TV. 2005. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
  4. ^ "The City: No Squares on the Square". TIME. May 18, 1962. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  5. ^ Crone, Thomas (2004). Gaslight Square: an oral history (1st ed.). St. Louis: William and Joseph Press. ISBN 978-0-9723990-2-9.
  6. ^ "Dec. 30, 1964: The killing that spelled the beginning of the end for Gaslight Square". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. December 30, 2023. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
  7. ^ Rose, Bob (March 24, 2023). "Look Back: Gaslight Square in St. Louis". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
  8. ^ Powers, Rob. "The North Side: Fountain Park/Gaslight Square". Built St. Louis. Retrieved May 23, 2008.
  9. ^ Terry, John (May 1, 2005). "150 residential units in the works at Gaslight Square". Stlouis.bizjournals.com.
  10. ^ "Gaslight Square East-Rolwes Homes | New Single Family Homes in Saint Louis MO from $280,000". Archived from the original on July 24, 2008. Retrieved May 22, 2008.
  11. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on May 16, 2008. Retrieved May 22, 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. ^ Russell, Stefene (May 26, 2011). "Gaslight Square in 1963". St. Louis Magazine. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
  13. ^ a b Nunes, Bill (June 11, 2008). "Remembering Gaslight Square". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
  14. ^ Owsley, Dennis (2006). City of Gabriels.
  15. ^ "Central West End - Neighborhoods - Gaslight Square". City of St. Louis. Retrieved May 23, 2008.
  16. ^ Stage, Wm. "James' Leg". Riverfront Times. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
  17. ^ "The Gaslight Theater". STL Arts. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  18. ^ "Jay Landesman Papers, 1937-1997". University of Missouri–St. Louis. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved August 26, 2008.
  19. ^ "A fresh take on 'The Nutcracker' centers the holiday classic in 1960s St. Louis' Gaslight Square". STLPR. Retrieved December 24, 2024.
  20. ^ Vaughn, Kenya (December 23, 2024). "A joyous new nutcracker". St. Louis American. Retrieved December 24, 2024.
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