Delmar Garden Amusement Park
 In Delmar Garden, just outside World's Fair Grounds, c. 1904 | |
| Location | Delmar Boulevard, University City, Missouri |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 38°39′25″N 90°18′22″W / 38.657°N 90.306°W |
| Status | Defunct |
| Opened | c. 1900–1905 |
| Closed | c. 1918–1919 |
| Area | ~42 acres[1] |
Delmar Garden Amusement Park was an early 20th‑century amusement park located along Delmar Boulevard in what is now University City, Missouri, at the western edge of St. Louis.[2] It opened before the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair and closed in the late 1910s.[3]
History
Origins and development
Delmar Garden was established between Kingsland and Skinker boulevards along Delmar Boulevard.[4] It opened circa 1900–1905, featuring a carousel, roller coasters, theaters, dance pavilions, beer gardens, picnic areas, baseball diamond, football field, and a lake.[4][5][6][7]
The park was adjacent to the Delmar Race Track and connected directly to the streetcar network.[2][8] The streetcar line looped through the southwest corner of the park before returning downtown St. Louis —hence the name “Delmar Loop”.[2]
Peak years
During its heyday, Delmar Garden was described by the St. Louis Globe‑Democrat as “the most gigantic undertaking” in the city's history.[9] It hosted baseball and football games, live theater, carnival-style attractions (including a “mystic chamber” with harmless electric shocks), and various dining and entertainment venues.[6][9]
Decline and closure
The park's attendance eventually declined and it was determined the land would be more valuable as a residential area.[6][7] The park closed and was dismantled around 1919.[7][10]
Legacy
Delmar Garden's primary legacy is cultural: the amusement park's streetcar loop shape inspired the name for the "Delmar Loop", now a thriving entertainment district featuring restaurants, music venues, art galleries, and historic preservation.[11] The street names Westgate (and Eastgate) referred to the entrances to the adjacent race track.[6] The Delmar Loop–Parkview Gardens Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[12] In 2007, the American Planning Association named the Loop one of “10 Great Streets in America.”[13][14]
See also
References
- ^ "Delmar Gardens Pop Bottles, St. Louis | Collectors Weekly". www.collectorsweekly.com. Retrieved 2025-07-22.
- ^ a b c "History | University City, MO - Official Website". www.ucitymo.org. Retrieved 2025-07-22.
- ^ Union Electric Quarterly. 1918.
- ^ a b Longo, Jim (1981). A University City Album: Remembrances and Reflections of Seventy-five Years. Citizen's Committee for the Seventy Fifth Anniversary.
- ^ "Delmar Garden (University City, Missouri, United States)".
- ^ a b c d Society, Missouri Historical. "The Delmar Garden Amusement Park | Missouri Historical Society". The Missouri Historical Society is ... Missouri Historical Society and was founded in 1866. Retrieved 2025-07-22.
- ^ a b c "Throwback Thursday: Delmar Garden, Dieckmeyer's, The Southern Hotel & More". ST LOUIS STYLE. 2018-12-27. Retrieved 2025-07-22.
- ^ Wright, John A. (2002). University City, Missouri. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7385-2006-3.
- ^ a b History of Note - Delmar Gardens, retrieved 2025-07-22
- ^ "Delmar Garden Gone". St. Louis Post‑Dispatch. April 7, 1919.
- ^ Costantin, M. M. (2013-05-27). St. Louis's Delmar Loop. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4396-4338-9.
- ^ Birnbaum, Charles A.; Fix, Julie K. (1995). Pioneers of American Landscape Design II: An Annotated Bibliography. U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Cultural Resources, Heritage Preservation Services, Historic Landscape Initiative. ISBN 978-0-16-048060-7.
- ^ "APA's Great Streets 2007". Archived from the original on October 13, 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-28.
- ^ Staff (2007-10-11). "Delmar Loop one of 10 'Great Streets' in U.S." St. Louis American. Retrieved 2025-07-22.