If the neighborhood streets of St. Louis tell the official history of the city, then its alleys relate her fascinating back-story.  Talk to anyone who grew up in a St. Louis neighborhood that had alleys, and they will probably tell you it was there that socialization and recreation took place on a daily basis.  Indeed, while the front of the house – facing the street – usually presented the more pristine persona desired by the family living within, it was in the alleys where the families could be themselves.  Barbeques, ballgames, Kick the Can, car repair, flower and vegetable gardening…all of these pursuits took place, first and foremost, in or facing the alley.  Much could also be revealed about one’s neighbors by what they put out for the trash collectors in the alley.  Alleys allowed a peek into the more private – and at the same time revealing – side of one’s neighbors’ personal lives.  They told a tale that the actual street could not tell.   It is a fascinating story and one that has needed to be told, one neighborhood at a time.

Chapter One

One of the best-known St. Louis city neighborhoods is “The Hill.”  Still predominately Italian in heritage, this central area of the city sits at the highest point in St. Louis, thus its name.  Consisting mainly of pristine brick homes of various sizes, Hill streets are – as a rule – clean and charming, full of flowers and flying the flag of Italy alongside the Stars and Stripes.  This is the neighborhood of Yogi Berra, Jack Buck, and Joe Garogiola, not to mention some of the most exquisite Italian food to be found in the country.  It is here, behind casual Italian eateries, that one can find bocce being played by earnest sportsmen who take their games seriously.

  This neighborhood is bounded on the east by Kingshighway, on the west by Hampton, and on the south by Fyler Avenue.  The northern boundary is less distinct:  Interstate 44 is today considered to serve in that capacity, but before the arrival of the highway, the area actually went as far north as the railroad tracks at Manchester Road.  This encompassed a thriving area of businesses and light industrial since access was in such close proximity to the tracks and helped the area to grow and prosper.  It also allowed The Hill to be a more “independent” neighborhood in that it was able to be self-contained.

The Hill also lays claim to having the highest point of land within the city limits.  This area can be found at the intersection of Arsenal and Sublette Avenues.[1]  The Hill was originally a part of Charles Gratiot’s League Square, granted to him by the Spanish territorial government in 1798.  By the middle of the nineteenth century, the League Square had been subdivided into large tracts and sold off by Gratiot’s heirs.  Within the limits of the Hill area, the owners of the large tracts were Peter Lindell, Henry Shaw, J.F. Cooper, David W. Graham, Dr. J.W. Hall, and Mrs. Frances L. Sublette.[2]

[1] Norbury L. Wayman, History of St. Louis Neighborhoods: The Hill (St. Louis Community Development Agency, 1978), 2.
[2] ibid

The Hill neighborhood had originally been populated in the late 1830s, by both Germans and Italians, with the discovery of clay deposits.  Since clay was used industrially on a large scale at this time, a clay works was established along with coal mines, and the St. Louis Smelting and Refining Company attracted many German and Irish immigrants to work in these plants and live in the area.  By the 1890s, the majority of these new workers were immigrants from Italy rather than Germany, although the German presence was still strongly felt on The Hill.

Bounded by two Catholic churches, St. Ambrose (Italian-based) and St. Aloysius Gonzaga (German-based), the Hill is networked between them by a series of connecting alleys.  In this part of town, the alleys are often as clean and welcoming as the streets themselves.  Virtually every house boasts a garden of some sort that faces on the alley, often incorporating a religious shrine.  Patios look out over the garden, and garages also open out onto it.  Dumpsters for trash and yard waste are kept clean and close to the fences so that cars can pass easily.    Fences enclose pet runs and play equipment.  Hung out to dry early in the morning, wash waves in the breeze from stout iron poles.  Grass is usually zoysia, and it is cropped to the height of a lush carpet. 

Those raised on The Hill or its immediate environs, speak nostalgically about the alleys of their youth.  Summer days would find them riding bikes to various parks and shops in the neighborhood, while evenings would provide them with the “cover’ they needed to play night games in the alley.  Parents felt safe allowing this venue for fun and socialization, and were themselves frequently in the alleys chatting or talking over the back fence that faced on the alley.  Tales are told about the alley serving as the central gathering place for cook-outs, especially since grill and charcoal were usually kept nearby in the one-car garage.  In the days when trash was burned and necessitated careful watching while it did so, men would take advantage of the opportunity to gossip with the neighbors, often enjoying a good cigar.

The one-car garage actually served as a status symbol all by itself.  Almost every home on The Hill had been built without one initially, and as the fortunes of the family rose, the new garage became a wordless indication to the rest of the neighborhood that now the family had enough money to erect a “house” which would keep their car pristine.  Virtually every garage was accessed via the alley; it constituted an enormous savings in doing so, since a driveway would not have to be built all the way to the back of the lot.  Fences were also re-aligned with the arrival of the garage; now they started and stopped at the sides of the garage, and a gate – usually between the garage and a brand new fencepost – allowed family members quick access to the alley, as well.  Often these gates were kept locked, but they were still utilized frequently in the comings and goings of the family, whether to burn trash or take a short cut to school.

Next to the garage, the walls of which formed a convenient barrier, many people built their dog kennels.  The dogs were the first line of defense, at least noise-wise, against unwanted trespassers from the alley.  Around the garages, dog pens, and fences of the majority of houses on The Hill, flowers were also grown in profusion, adding a beautiful dimension in spring, summer, and autumn to the often otherwise-plain alleys.  These vegetable and flower gardens, which were usually placed along the alley fence, also included a shine to the Blessed Mother, more often than not.  Somehow, the inhabitants of this neighborhood managed to incorporate flowers, vegetables, pet requirements, and religious obligations into a lovely whole in a small backyard space that could be enjoyed by family members and those who happened to be walking through the alley.  It was not unusual for alleys in this part of town to be as visually appealing as streets.