4theVille

THE VILLE is a historic African-American neighborhood located in St. Louis, Missouri with a rich history of African-American education, business, entertainment and culture. The neighborhood is bounded by St. Louis Avenue on the North, Martin Luther King drive on the South, Sarah on the East and Taylor on the West. Prior to the United States Civil Rights movement, the use of restrictive covenants and other legal restrictions prevented African-Americans from finding housing in many areas of the city. As a result, the African American population of St. Louis became heavily concentrated in and around the Ville. Between 1920 and 1930, The Ville went from being 8% to 86% African American. The neighborhood quickly became the cradle of African-American culture and home to many black professionals, businessmen and entertainers. Through the subsequent 50 years, the Ville nurtured a rich heritage for the black population of the City of St. Louis and was home to a number of important black institutions, including Simmons Elementary, Sumner High School, the first high school for black students west of the Mississippi River, Poro College, Lincoln University Law School, Stowe Teachers College, Tandy Recreation Center, Annie Malone Children’s Home and Homer G. Phillips Hospital, which, at the time, was responsible for training more black doctors than any other hospital in the world. The Ville is a testament of the resilience of African Americans in the United States and St. Louis.