St. Louis Hills House Tour 2023

4 • St. Louis Hills House Tour • 2023 On Sunday, July 20, 1930, the very first home built in St. Louis Hills was opened to the public. Those present included Cyrus Crane Willmore, the visionary developer of St. Louis Hills, and Harry S Truman, who would soon become first a U.S. Senator, and then President of the United States. More than 10,000 people visited that first home. St. Louis Hills is rich in architecture, strategic location, and history. “Country living in the City” was the phrase used to market St. Louis Hills in the 1930s, since the neighborhood was so far west of any other residential or commercial buildings located within the city limits. Cyrus Crane Willmore began developing St. Louis Hills’ 700 acres in the late 1920s. Willmore came to St. Louis in 1912 after graduating from the University of Illinois law school, and worked for a realty firm until 1922 when he formed his own company. Willmore’s intentions for the area were clear from the beginning: tree-lined residential streets for families, churches and schools throughout, bordered on three sides by developing businesses, and parks with open green spaces. St. Louis Hills was originally bound by Chippewa on the north, Hampton Avenue on the east, Eichelberger on the south, and Jamieson on the west. An aerial picture taken on October 9, 1936, identifies St. Louis Hills #2 as the area between Jamieson and River des Peres, although there were no homes there at that time. In 1950, Willmore expanded St. Louis Hills south of Eichelberger with ranch homes. That expansion was named St. Louis Hills Estates, and is bound by Eichelberger, Hampton, River des Peres and Chippewa. On April 15, 1929, Cyrus Crane Willmore established written deed indentures, which created restrictions for each and every lot in St. Louis Hills. The indentures were administered by Willmore and two other trustees. No building could be built without prior approval of the trustees. The indentures had numerous restrictions, including all homes had to be brick with solid roofs (slate or clay tile). Also, fences of any kind were not permitted. St. Louis Hills has been home to many well-known people. Past residents include St. Louis Cardinal’s legends Stan Musial, Red Schoendienst, and Joe Garagiola. See page 27 for St. Louis Hills historical pictures. St. Louis Hills History