Welcome to the home page of the 17th Ward of the City of St. Louis. On these pages you can explore the neighborhoods that make up the 17th Ward and keep up with what’s going on in our communities. The 17th Ward is home to several unique neighborhoods that offer the best in urban living: the Central West End, Midtown, Forest Park Southeast, Botanical Heights, Tiffany, Kings Oak, Cheltenham and Shaw. Click here to read more. 17th Ward News
Holiday Party: Please join us as we bring in the holiday season at the 17th Ward Holiday Party! This year's free celebration will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 3 at The Gramophone, 4243 Manchester in the Grove. Don't miss the lighting of Manchester at 6:30 p.m. For more information or a ride to the party, call Jackie at 533-6704. Click here for a map to the Gramophone.
Town Hall Meeting: About 100 17th Ward residents came out to the Town Hall Meeting Monday, Nov. 17, 2008 at the Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Club in Forest Park Southeast. Representatives from local community development corporations and Alderman Joe Roddy led discussions about what's going on in the various neighborhoods of the 17th Ward.
Halloween Extravaganza: About 450 kids and adults enjoyed a safe but spooky evening of fun at Forest Park South's Halloween Extravaganza Friday, Oct. 31 at the James S. McDonnell Planetarium at the Saint Louis Science Center. The event was sponsored by the Saint Louis Science Center and Forest Park Southeast Development Corp., with proceeds benefitting the Education is Key Scholarship.
 Business After Hours: Merchants met and mingled at the Business After Hours event Oct. 29 at the newly opened Mia Rosa in the Grove. Local winners of the RFT Best of St. Louis awards were recognized. The quarterly event is sponsored by the Business Association of Forest Park Southeast.
Forest Park Southeast in the news: KMOV-TV's Laurie Waters recently reported on the revitalization of the Forest Park Southeast neighborhood. To see the report, click here.
 City Talk: About 80 17th Warders ventured over to Café Ventana in the Central West End for the latest 17th Ward City Talk Wednesday, Oct. 1. Residents heard Father Lawrence Biondi of Saint Louis University talk about SLU's plans in the neighborhood and chatted with neighbors and community leaders, including 17th Ward Alderman Joe Roddy, CWE Midtown Development Executive Director Dan Krasnoff and Forest Park Southeast Development Corp. Executive Director Irving Blue.
 CWE Neighborhood Security Initiative Director named: The Central West End Neighborhood Security Initiative, made up of the CWE Special Business Districts and Washington University Medical Center, has hired James Partee as the new NSI Director. Partee has been Chief of Police for the Moscow Mills Police Department since 2005 and has served with the Lincoln County Sheriff's Department, the St. Peters Police Department and the St. Louis County Police Department. Partee will begin his position Oct. 6 and will be temporarily working out of the Central West End Association office, 4902A Laclede. You can meet Partee at the next NSI/Security Forum at 5:45 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 29 at Schlafly Library, or you can contact him at jpartee@thecwe.com or 636-219-1372 .
Mia Rosa opens: Philip Noe's new restaurant, Mia Rosa, is now open at 4501 Manchester. The restaurant, named after his mother, features coastal Italian cuisine as well as cicchetti (Italian tapas). Other new FPSE businesses include The Nurturing Spirit at 4301 Arco and Kolors Salon by Kevin Idoux at 4188 Manchester.
Best of St. Louis: Congrats to 17th Ward establishments named in the Riverfront Times' 2008 Best of St. Louis awards:
Best Restaurant Neighborhood: The Grove
Best Soul Food Restaurant: Sweetie Pie's
Best Sunday Brunch: La Dolce Via
Best Burger: Newstead Tower Public House
Best Guacamole: Agave Mexican Table & Tequilaria
Best New Bar: The Gramophone
Best Gay Bar: Novak's Bar & Grill
Best Place For Cocktails: Atomic Cowboy
Best Lesbian Bar: Attitudes
Best Art Gallery: White Flag Projects
Best Comfort Food: Revival
Best Middle-Eastern Restaurant: St. Louis Coffee Oasis & Mediterranean Café
Best Roast Beef Sandwich: Pickles Deli
Best Place to Eat Out Alone: Chez Leon
Best Barista: Eric Schaefer (Northwest Coffee)
Best Lunch Counter: Shapiro's Market
Best Kids' Thrill: Bob Kramer's Marionnettes
Sauce Magazine Readers' Choice: Several 17th Ward eateries earned top votes in the 2008 Sauce Magazine Readers' Choice awards:
Favorite French (1st): Chez Leon
Favorite English/Irish/Scottish (1st): The Scottish Arms
Favorite vegetarian-friendly (1st): Terrene
Favorite Indian (2nd): India's Rasoi
Favorite coffee roaster (3rd): Northwest Coffee Roasting
Favorite soul food (1st): Sweetie Pie's
Best-kept secret (2nd): La Dolce Via
Favorite Korean (3rd): Everest Café and Bar
Favorite vegetarian-friendly: (Honorable mention): Everest Café and Bar
Favorite Indian (Honorable mention): Everest Café and Bar
 Hotel Proposal: Representatives from Drury Inns presented a proposal to build a $100 million hotel project on Kingshighway south of the Interstate 64/Highway 40 interchange to more than 100 residents at the last Gibson Heights Neighborhood Association meeting. The Drury Development Corp. outlined a plan for two 16-story hotels on about four acres of land. Each hotel would house 345 rooms, with most parking underground. Part of the project site would be purchased from the Missouri Department of Transportation. Click here to read the article in the St. Louis Beacon.
 Back to School at Compton Drew: Students and their families picked up school supplies, registered for school, received medical screenings and learned useful information at Compton Drew Middle School's Back to School event Saturday, Aug. 9. The Saint Louis Science Center provided science activities and the Citizens Emergency Response Team showcased their “Teen” version of safety precautions for natural and man-made disasters. The event was sponsored by the Saint Louis Science Center and Pepsi with the participation of Forest Park Southeast Development Corp. and several educational and medical organizations. Compton Drew students served as ambassadors for the event.
 National Night Out: Neighbors gathered on several blocks in Botanical Heights, Forest Park Southeast and Tiffany to celebrate National Night Out Tuesday, Aug. 5.
Yes, Chef!: Christina Machamer, a St. Louis native and line cook for Revival at Chouteau and 39th Street, has won top honors in the reality show "Hell's Kitchen," starring the notorious chef Gordon Ramsay. Machamer's prize for enduring Chef Ramsay's tantrums is the senior chef position at Ramsay's The London West Hollywood restaurant in Los Angeles. Click here to read the St. Louis Post-Dispatch article.
Grove CID: The Board of Aldermen has passed a bill to create a Community Improvement District for Manchester's Grove district to provide funding for streetscape improvements, lighting, beautification and security. Click here to read more. Click here to read an article about the district from the South Side Journal.
 In Stitches: Twenty budding stitchers recently tried their hand at quilting at Parkview Apartments, 4451 Forest Park Ave. In the eight-week class, instructor Jean Ameduri taught residents basic quilting techniques, guiding participants as they created their own quilting projects. Click here to read more.
Oakland Improvements: The next phase of the Oakland Avenue improvements has begun. Traffic on Oakland has been moved to the outside lanes, with the inside lanes and center turn lane closed for construction of the new median. One outside land is open on westbound Oakland, with two outside lanes generally open on eastbound Oakland. Parking is prohibited along eastbound Oakland in the construction zone in front of the Science Center and SLUH. When the project is completed by the end of the summer, Oakland will sport a landscaped median, sculptures, new signs, street resurfacing and safer access to the Science Center and Saint Louis University High School. Click here to read more. City Talk: Nearly 150 folks came out for 17th Ward City Talk Tuesday, June 24 at Newstead Tower Public House in the Grove. Guest speaker John O'Shaughnessy from Shriners Hospital for Children presented plans for the new hospital on the Washington University Medical Center campus. The event was sponsored by Forest Park Southeast Development Corp. and Central West End Midtown Development and hosted by Alderman Joe Roddy. More photos
Board Moves Forward on Euclid Streetscape, Taylor Lights: The Central West End Midtown Development Board of Directors in June approved a contract to begin implementing the Euclid Streetscape, gave the nod to a lighting fixture to be installed on Taylor Avenue, deferred a decision on hiring a planner for the Sustainable Development Plan and approved tax abatement for a housing renovation. Click here to read more.
No Smoke: The South Side Journal recently published an article about smoke-free establishments in the Grove. Click here to read the article.
Commerce Bank Site: Commerce Bank is seeking a developer for its 5.6-acre property at the intersection of Manchester, Chouteau and Vandeventer. In its Request for Qualifications, Commerce expressed a preference for a mixed-use project that will be a focus for the community, although single-use projects may be considered. Commerce has not yet decided whether to include branch bank on the site.
Cobblestones on Lawn Avenue: Traffic-calming cobblestones have been installed in the block of Lawn between Berthold and Oakland in the Kings Oak neighborhood. The area has long been troubled by speeding traffic from the I-64/Highway 40 construction and Saint Louis University High School. The project was paid for through the Ward 17 Half-Cent Capital Improvements Sale Tax and SLUH.
New Medical Building: Barnes-Jewish Hospital is planning a new 100,000-300,000 square foot building at the northwest corner of Euclid and Forest Park Avenue. The building will provide space for medical offices in which doctors in training can see private patients. The new building, which will replace two existing buildings on the site, will extend to the alley on the south side of the Majestic diner. The building will be four to six stories high, with vertical expansion possible later and first floor retail. Parking will be in the Laclede Avenue garage.
Grove SUD: An ordinance recently passed by the Board of Aldermen prohibits or restricts many potentially troublesome new businesses in the Grove commercial area. Click here to read more.
Good Neighbor Guide: The 17th Ward Good Neighbor Guide is chock full of important information on city and government services. Click here to download the guide.
Top Teams: Saint Louis University High School's volleyball and water polo teams recently took home state titles. To read more about the Jr. Bills' victories, go to www.sluh.org.
 FPSE's First Green Building: Developers plan to renovate 4512 Manchester as the first "green" building in the community. Other projects recently reviewed by the Development Committee include a new retail/office building at 4542-44 Manchester, the renovation of apartments on Oakland and several residential and retail renovations. Click here to read more.
 Real Change: The Central West End Association and the City of St. Louis have announced the launch of the "Real Change" campaign. The goal of the campaign is to discourage the random giving of money to panhandlers while encouraging contributions to local social service providers. Click here to read more.
 Return of Shriners: Shriners Hospital’s Board of Directors has endorsed moving back to the WUMC campus. The $170 million hospital will be built at 4400 Clayton between Taylor and Newstead. The move will allow the hospital, which provides free orthopedic care to children, better access to the School of Medicine and Children’s Hospital. Click here to read more.
Oakland Improvements: Oakland Avenue will sport a new look by the end of the summer, with a landscaped median, sculptures, new signs, street resurfacing and safer access to the Science Center and Saint Louis University High School. The work begins Tuesday, May 27. Click here to read more.
 New McDonald's: The CWEMD Development Committee has recommended approval of a new McDonald's, subject to improvements in pedestrian and bicycle access. Click here to read more.
 CWE South Streetlights: The CWE Midtown Development Infrastructure Committee has chosen Architectural Area Lighting’s Providence light fixture for future pedestrian lighting projects in the CWE Midtown area. Click here to learn more.
Anti-panhandling ordinance: The St. Louis Board of Aldermen has passed a bill to restrict panhandling in the city. The ordinance bans aggressive panhandling as well as panhandling at night, near ATMs, business entrances, sidewalk cafés and in parks. Click here to read more.
FPSEDC Restructuring: The Forest Park Southeast Development Corp. board has approved significant changes to its by-laws to make it easier for community residents to participate in decisions. Changes include reduction in the size of the Board of Directors and the creation of two standing independent neighborhood committees. Click here to read more.
 Citywalk on Euclid: Mills Properties is moving forward with plans for Citywalk on Euclid, a seven-story residential development with 188 units and first-floor retail. The project, located at Euclid and West Pine, will replace the Doctors Building. Click here to read more.
 Chouteau Apartments: Three projects, including a 200-unit apartment building, have been proposed for the former site of the Laclede Gas storage tank at Chouteau and Taylor. Click here to read more.
 Park East Lofts: Opus Northwest has begun construction on the Park East Lofts, a six-story condominum building next door to its sister development, the Park East Tower. The project includes a public parking garage with 179 spaces. Click here to read more.
Manchester Streetscape: A plan is in the works for a new streetscape along Manchester Avenue from Taylor to Sarah. Click here to read more.
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