Mill Creek Valley: The Rise and Erasure of a St. Louis Community
By Amy Blankenship, Show Me History Podcast
Between Union Station and Grand Avenue once lay a vibrant, self-sufficient African American neighborhood called Mill Creek Valley. For decades, it was a thriving hub of homes, businesses, churches, and culture — until it became one of the largest urban renewal clearance projects in the nation, displacing nearly 20,000 residents.
From Creek to Community
The story begins in the 1700s, when Joseph Taillon built a grist mill along a small creek running from present-day Vandeventer Avenue to the Mississippi River. Known first as Le Petit Rivière, it later became Mill Creek. In 1766, Pierre Laclede bought the land and mill, expanded production, and built a dam that formed Chouteau’s Pond.
By the mid-1800s, the pond was drained due to health concerns after a cholera epidemic, and the area transitioned into a mix of industry, rail yards, and housing. Early residents were largely German immigrants, but after the Civil War, African Americans began moving to St. Louis in significant numbers, finding Mill Creek Valley to be a place of opportunity.
A Hub During the Great Migration
From 1910 to 1940, the Great Migration brought millions of African Americans from the rural South to northern and Midwestern cities. In St. Louis, Mill Creek Valley became a key settlement area.
By the 1920s:
32 railroad lines ran nearby, most along the neighborhood’s southern edge.
The community boasted businesses, barber shops, beauty salons, churches, doctors, lawyers, and schools.
The St. Louis Stars, a Negro League baseball team, played in the first Black-owned ballpark in the city.
The Pine Street YMCA hosted leaders like W.E.B. Du Bois.
Despite the thriving culture, city neglect meant most homes lacked modern plumbing, electricity, or fire safety measures.
Segregation and Redlining
Housing discrimination shaped Mill Creek Valley’s population. In 1916, St. Louis passed an ordinance restricting neighborhood residency by race. Although overturned in 1948, racial covenants in property deeds kept segregation in place for decades. As recently as 2021, nearly 30,000 Missouri properties still carried these outdated restrictions, formally banned only in 2022.
Mill Creek was one of the few places in the city where African Americans could buy property — and that isolation would make it vulnerable to future “redevelopment.”
Urban Renewal: Promise and Threat
By the mid-20th century, city planners labeled Mill Creek Valley “blighted”:
80% of homes lacked private baths or toilets.
One-third had no running water.
Crime rates were reported as four times the city average.
Under the Federal Housing Acts of 1949 and 1954, St. Louis received millions in funding for “slum clearance.” City leaders chose demolition over rehabilitation.
In 1954, Mayor Raymond Tucker announced plans to clear 465 acres of Mill Creek Valley. It was promoted as the city’s largest and most progressive renewal project, but the plan included no provisions for affordable housing for displaced residents.
Erasure on a Massive Scale
In 1959, demolition began. The toll was staggering:
19,700 residents displaced
4,212 families scattered
5,700 housing units destroyed
839 businesses closed
Over 40 churches lost
Only four original buildings survived, including the old Vashon High School (now part of Harris-Stowe State University) and the ornate Dinks Parish Laundry building.
Displaced residents — 98% of them African American — were often relocated to public housing like Pruitt-Igoe or pushed to St. Louis’s northern suburbs. The city offered just $100 in moving expenses per family.
Aftermath and Unfulfilled Promises
Despite city leaders’ dreams of new housing, industry, and a vibrant downtown gateway, much of the cleared land sat vacant for years, earning the nickname “Hiroshima Flats.”
Some projects did emerge:
Laclede Town (1964), an intentionally integrated housing experiment, lasted until the mid-1980s before being demolished.
St. Louis University and Harris-Stowe acquired large tracts for campus expansion.
Interstate 64/40 was routed through the southern portion of the neighborhood.
But the thriving, tight-knit community of Mill Creek Valley was gone forever.
Remembering Mill Creek Valley
In 2023, artist Damon Davis unveiled Pillars of the Valley, a public memorial outside St. Louis City SC’s stadium. The eight granite and limestone pillars honor the residents who once lived in Mill Creek Valley, with etched names, quotes, and outlines marking where homes once stood.
This section of the Brickline Greenway — a planned 20-mile path linking 17 neighborhoods — tells the story of a community erased in the name of “progress.”
Legacy
Urban renewal in St. Louis, as in many U.S. cities, disproportionately targeted Black neighborhoods. In Mill Creek Valley’s case, the official narrative focused on “slum clearance,” while largely ignoring the reality — a self-sustaining, culturally rich community was destroyed, its residents scattered, and its history nearly forgotten.
The land may have been cleared, but through memorials, archives, and oral histories, Mill Creek Valley’s story continues to be told.
You can find more at:
Twitter: @showme_history
Facebook: ShowMeHistorySTL
Until next time, I’ll see you in the Lou.