Rural until the 1950s, Creve Coeur is still growing—and finding its center
By Traci Angel
If legend holds true, the St. Louis suburb of Creve Coeur, French for “broken heart,” got its name after a Native American princess jumped from a nearby cliff to her death when her love for a French fur trapper went unrequited.
Creve Coeur’s pioneer history is still evident in the Hackmann and Clester cabins near Conway Park, the one-room Lake School House and the Tappmeyer farm-house, all built in the late 1800s.
Many St. Louisans remember Creve Coeur as “the country” because it was only incor-porated in 1949, with just 1,900 residents. It was a time when World War II veterans and their young families wanted bigger houses and more yard space. The expanding Highway 40 and I-270 allowed them to remain close to St. Louis’ downtown.
Creve Coeur resident Marty Epstein grew up in Clayton and remembers how the Creve Coeur “farm kids” were sent to school in Clayton before the Ladue and Parkway school districts came into being.
Today, 17,000 residents live within more than 11 square miles crisscrossed by 80 miles of public streets and 16 miles of private ones. The city has 15 churches and synagogues. Eight parks totaling 154 acres provide ample green space, and sport is found at the Creve Coeur Golf Club (11400 Olde Cabin, 314-432-1806, public nine-hole) and the Creve Coeur Ice Arena (11400 Olde Cabin, 314-432-3960).
Many Creve Coeur residents treasure the St. Louis Holocaust Museum and Learning Center (12 Millstone Campus, 314-442-3711, www.hmlc.org), which hosts workshops, survivor and witness lectures and a Sunday-afternoon film series. Scientifically speaking, the area is home to Monsanto (800 N. Lindbergh, 314-694-1000, www.monsanto.com) and the cutting-edge research of the Danforth Plant and Science Center (975 N. Warson, 314-587-1000, www.danforthcenter.org).
More commercial development is on the horizon; plans include a Cold Stone Creamery ice-cream shop on Olive west of I-270, as well as an upscale Italian grill called Carrabba’s and Pei Wei Asian Diner, a P.F. Chang’s bistro, both on Olive.
Despite all the commerce, Creve Coeur’s residents are adamant about maintaining quaintness, rejecting any commercial proposals that might cause traffic or pollution problems.
Although visitors are drawn to eateries such as Provisions (11615 Olive, 314-989-0020), Candicci’s (12513 Olive, 314-878-5858), the new Watercolors Café (611 N. Lindbergh, 314-569-0900) and the patisserie and café La Bonne Bouchée (12344 Olive, 314-576-6606, www.labonnebouchee.com), it’s been difficult to identify Creve Coeur’s “heart” because it lacks a central community destination. That may be changing. There is talk of creating a central business district and focusing on a “town center” with commercial and retail symbiotically built around the Olive and Ballas area, says Matt Brandmeyer, manager of the Creve Coeur planning division. Creve Coeur may also see a shift in demographics from its older, settled community. “Creve Coeur is facing an aging population, but we are having families move in,” says Brandmeyer. Condos and apartments are inviting both retirees and younger couples into the area. Those who can afford it are tearing down homes and rebuilding, hoping the investment is worthwhile, Brandmeyer adds.
Faith Berger, director of the Barucci Gallery, grew up in Creve Coeur and moved back last July to a stone house in a secluded, wooded area. “We’re on a lane with just three homes, and it feels like you are out of town,” she says, “yet everything is close—the high school, the grocery store.”
Epstein and his family have lived in Creve Coeur for 34 years. The town “is large enough to provide necessary services,” he says, “yet small enough to have your voice be heard. I know the councilmen and the mayor.” The best trail around, he confides, is in Malcolm Terrace Park; the wooded area and marked trail provides perfect shade for a stroll. “I’m amazed we rarely see anyone there,” he says, glad that the bustle of growth hasn’t invaded the peace.
