Dutchtown was recently invited to feature in “Experience the Best of St. Louis: A Bucket List for Every Explorer,” an article for national real estate website Redfin. We were, of course, more than happy to share what makes Dutchtown special with new and future St. Louis residents!
As a Dutchtown aficionado yourself, you certainly already know what’s beautiful and unique about our corner of South St. Louis—and maybe that’s different for every Dutchtownie. Here are a few of the distinctions we shared with Redfin:
Diversity in Dutchtown
Dutchtown is one of the city’s most diverse and dense neighborhoods. Through the grassroots efforts of dedicated neighbors and local business owners, Dutchtown is reawakening as a vibrant, community-focused, welcoming neighborhood with much to offer to everyone. Regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, economic status, educational background, or any of the other characteristics that make each of the 26,000-plus neighbors in Greater Dutchtown unique, everyone can find their place in our neighborhood.
The people certainly make the place! But it’s certainly worth highlighting another source of diversity: Dutchtown’s historic architecture. Here in “The Brick City,” there’s no shortage of notable buildings that draw scholars of the building arts’ history from all over the world. Dutchtown is an essential destination for architecture fans with our rich, varied, and largely intact collection of vernacular working-class brick flats and bungalows that were built by and housed the waves of German immigrants who arrived in Dutchtown in the late 1800s and early 1900s. German architectural heritage crossed with St. Louis’ status as the world’s brewing capital with iconic landmarks like The Stork Inn on Virginia Avenue and The Gretchen Inn (a.k.a. Constantino’s and formerly the Feasting Fox) at Grand and Meramec. The soaring steeples of St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church still guide parishioners from across St. Louis to Downtown Dutchtown every Sunday. There’s something special to see on every block in our neighborhood.
Marquette Park
At the center of the neighborhood, the 17-acre Marquette Park is a shining example of Dutchtown’s determination to build a community for everyone. Led by Allies of Marquette Park (AMP), a volunteer committee of Dutchtown Main Streets, the park has seen a renaissance in recent years. AMP has worked tirelessly to attract investments in infrastructure and programming to breathe new life into Marquette Park, and the work is paying dividends!
Marquette Park is home to the city’s first outdoor futsal court, introducing the urban-geared soccer spinoff to St. Louis. Marquette Recreation Center features an outdoor pool that is free for all city residents throughout the summer. Thomas Dunn Learning Center provides lifetime learning and enrichment opportunities for people of all interests and backgrounds. New basketball and pickleball courts, a state-of-the-art playground, and frequent family-friendly community events welcome neighbors and visitors alike.
South St. Louis’ Sweet Tooth
Dutchtown is home to a triumvirate of St. Louis’ most legendary purveyors of sweet treats. Merb’s Candies, famous for their Bionic Apples, has operated their confectionery on South Grand Boulevard for over 100 years. St. Louisans still line up around the block every Valentine’s Day to get their chocolate-covered strawberries—always a hit with your sweetheart.
Dad’s Cookie Company has baked their Scotch Oatmeal cookies in Dutchtown for eight decades and counting. With a new generation recently taking over the ovens, the mainstay is staying put at Louisiana Avenue and Keokuk Street.
And the world-famous Ted Drewes Frozen Custard has operated their South Grand custard stand in the neighborhood since 1931, serving concretes, sundaes, and other frozen delights. You can double-dip into Dutchtown treats by ordering your concrete or sundae with Dad’s Cookies. A secret for St. Louis visitors and residents not in the know: the lines are much quicker and parking is much easier at the lesser-known Dutchtown shop in the summer. Come on down from May to August—”It really is good, guys! And gals!”
