GAZELLE MAGAZINE WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH EDITION | Page 76

MEET ME ALONG …
Washington Avenue
B y T r i s h M u y c o - To b i n
H
ailed as one of the best streets in America, Washington
Avenue in downtown St. Louis has been described as
an “urban canyon” that withstood decades of decline to
become one of the city’s most visited corridors.
When the American Planning Association singled
out Washington Avenue in 2011, it cited the district’s impressive
architecture and scale that reflects the rich history of St. Louis - which
it most certainly does.
Once the center of a thriving garment district - second only to New
York City between the late 19th century and the end of World War II
- Washington Avenue has reincarnated itself as the pulse of the city’s
nightlife. For 15 blocks between the Eads Bridge and 18th Street, you’ll
find grandiose structures such as the former Peters Shoe Company,
Statler Hotel and Fashion Square buildings residing among the
district’s tour de force, earning two stretches of Washington Avenue
on the National Register of Historic Places. Nowadays, trendy eateries,
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swanky boutique stores and ultra-modern lofts co-mingle with law
offices, museums and galleries, and even a movie theater.
A relative newcomer to the scene is the National Blues Museum,
which set up shop at the old Stix, Baer & Fuller department store
building at 6th Street and Washington in 2016. Establishing the museum
in St. Louis honors the city’s place in the heart of the “blues belt” and
its central role in blues history. After all, it’s been said that in 1914, W.C.
Handy wrote “St. Louis Blues,” arguably the best-known song in the
genre’s history, along the cobblestones of the St. Louis riverfront.
The museum covers a lot of ground throughout its 23,000 square
feet of exhibit space, covering the genre’s beginnings in the South in
the late 1800s to present time. As musicians headed north in the early
20th century, St. Louis became a hub and a springboard for widening
the music’s reach to other parts of the country. Among the artifacts,
photographs and other memorabilia, there are interactive exhibits that
allow visitors to compose their own blues music and album - and a
National
COMMUNITY & CULTURE