ST. LOUIS – Some neighborhoods in the St. Louis region hold a lot of history and pride. ‘The Ville’ was an affluent hub for black business, historic schools, and a thriving culture.
The Ville started as Elleardsville, named after Charles Elleard, a horticulturalist who originally owned the land. It was between Taylor, St. Louis, Sarah, and today’s MLK. St. Louis annexed Elleardsville in 1876.
Before the Civil Rights Movement, many black people were restricted from housing. Between the 1920s and the 1930s, the city became 86% black. A culture developed and the Ville became home to historic black institutions like Sumner High School, the first high school for black students west of the Mississippi River. Several big entertainers, athletes, and Tuskegee airmen walked those halls.
It was also home to the Homer G. Phillips Hospital, known for training more black doctors than any other hospital in the world at its peak. Annie Malone is a prominent name in St. Louis as well. She founded Poro College in the Ville, which enriched the black community with education in cosmetology, sales, and employment for black women.
Home to Dick Gregory, Arthur Ashe, Grace Bumbry, and the list goes on. Born out of segregation and racist laws, the Ville became a testament to the pride, progression, and resilience of the people who lived there.
