COMMUNITY & CULTURE
MEET ME IN…
Maplewood
A
pproximately 8,000 people call the city of Maplewood
home. Bordered by St. Louis city to the east, Webster
Groves to the south, Brentwood to the west and
Richmond Heights to the north, Maplewood’s ideal
mid-county location is getting the attention of more and
more young professionals, restaurateurs, other small business owners -
and even hipsters - who are leading a community revival of sorts for this
erstwhile bedroom community.
It’s been said that Maplewood, established at the turn of the 20th
century, was named for the maple trees that lined the streets. Much of
its 1.56 square miles belonged to landowner Charles Gratiot, who came
to America from Switzerland in 1752. Gratiot bequeathed the land to his
children upon his death in 1817.
Two years later, a New Jersey man named James Sutton moved to St.
Louis to work with his brother, John, who was a locksmith. Sutton, who
also dabbled in real estate, purchased 334 acres from the Gratiot family
in 1826. He later added 51 acres to the purchase. Sutton’s property, along
with land from a Frenchman named Jean Baptiste Bruno and acreage
owned by the Rannells family, combined to make up the area that would
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become Maplewood.
Maplewood emerged as one of St. Louis’ top suburbs in the 1920s,
thriving commercially with more than 250 established retail stores.
The town benefited from post-war prosperity in the 1950s, pushing
its population to 14,000 residents. But the overall economic boon also
saw the rise of the suburban mall - unfortunately, not in Maplewood -
and put a severe strain on the small businesses that set up shop in the
community. The ensuing decades would see Maplewood’s population
(and property values) steadily drop as an increasing number of families
moved westward.
But in recent years, there are signs that Maplewood is on the upswing.
While a few big-box stores have taken over along Hanley Road, there’s
also a burgeoning hip art scene, coupled with new restaurant and
specialty shop openings that are drawing people back. Downtown
Maplewood has become a year-round destination for its offbeat
calendar offerings such as Let Them Eat Art, held in the summer, and
the Prost! beer and food festival in the fall. Later this month, the city’s
popular Sweet Tooth Tour will take place, offering self-guided tours of
some of Maplewood’s most sugary shops.
Justin
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