Patch Neighborhood

The Patch Neighborhood is located at the farthest southeast limits of the City of St. Louis, just south of the Carondelet Neighborhood. Its boundaries are Robert on the northeast, the Mississippi River on the southeast, the City Limits on the southwest, and Alabama on the northwest. Besides the boundary streets, other important streets for the Patch Neighborhood are Broadway, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Steins, Davis, Marceau and others.

The Patch Neighborhood is one of the 79 official neighborhoods of the City of St. Louis. The area that the Patch Neighborhood now covers was originally part of the much larger Carondelet Village which was founded in 1767. When Carondelet was laid out, the area that is now the Patch Neighborhood was then known as the Carondelet Commons North, an area north of the River des Peres that was set aside for all the villagers to use for cattle grazing. There was a Carondelet Commons South, which was south of the River des Peres and went as far south as to what is now Jefferson Barracks. In 1870, the City of St. Louis annexed the Carondelet Village setting the boundary for the city at the River Des Peres.

In 1843 a German immigrant by the name of Joseph Stein came to Carondelet and acquired a lot located at what is now the corner of Steins and Reilly Streets. He built a large stone house that same year on that lot. The home is still standing and is listed as a St. Louis City Landmark. Joseph Stein was so impressed with the potential of the area, that he convinced many other Germans to come to the area as well. Some of names of those German immigrants can be seen in the street names of the Patch Neighborhood today, such as Steins, Koeln, Espenschied, Schirmer and Polk.

The German influence can be seen in many of the City Landmarks that are located in the Patch Neighborhood. It was the architectural style of the German immigrants to use stone blocks when building their homes. One example of that style is the Anton Schmitt House, built in 1859 and located now located on Broadway in the South St. Louis Park.

Three Historic Districts are located in the Patch Neighborhood. The Carondelet/East of Broadway District, the Steins Street District and the St. Boniface District. Some of the historic landmarks found in those districts are German built such as the Henry Zeiss stone houses on Vulcan Street, built in the 1850s. The Steins Street Row Houses on Steins Street, built in 1851, which are also listed on the National Register of Historic Places. And the Joseph Otzenberger House, built 1858, at the corner of Reilly and Primm Streets. Other historic buildings located in the Patch Neighborhood are the Carondelet School, built 1877, completely restored and now houses the the Grace Hill Head Start. The Carlin Rathgerber-Krauss House, built 1848 and Firehouse No. 34 which is one of the oldest fire houses in St. Louis having been built in 1895. The St. Boniface District features the St. Boniface Catholic Church. This beautiful Romanesque Revival style church was built by German Catholics begun in the early 1860 and completed in 1890 with the addition of the final tower. The parish was closed in 2005 and today the church building has been restored and is the home of the Ivory Theatre. Also located in the District is Ivory Triangle Park. Longtime St. Louis Alderman, Albert "Red" Villa, is honored for his 40 years of service to the city with a bust located in the park that was sculpted by the late Robert "Bob" Cassilly, founder of the City Museum. This triangle of green space was were the horses of those visiting the stores that were found along Ivory or Schirmer were tied up. One of those shops, Doering's Carondelet Bakery, is still there having been in business since 1875. An old horse watering trough can still be found in the park and has been converted into a fountain.

The residents of the Patch Neighborhood are served by the St. Louis Public School District. Two of the district's elementary schools are located close by in the Carondelet Neighborhood, the Lyon Academy at Blow Magnet School on Loughborough Avenue, and Woodward Elementary School on Bellerive Blvd. The private Catholic school, St. Cecilia School and the Nativity Miguel Academy, is also in the nearby Carondelet Neighborhood. Located within the Patch Neighborhood is the Carondelet Leadership Academy Charter School, a tuition-free, independent public school, and serves grades Kindergarten through 8th grade. It is located on Michigan Avenue in the old St. Boniface School.

Several St. Louis City Parks are located in the Patch Neighborhood, St. Louis Square Park, Carondelet Lions Park, Ivory Triangle Park and Fanetti Plaza, which provide playgrounds, multi-purpose fields and green space for the community.

Patch Neighborhood Related Links:

City of St Louis Website

St Louis Missouri Real Estate For Sale