Skinker-Debaliviere Neighborhood
My husband and I moved to the Skinker DeBaliviere neighborhood about 12 years ago. We love it. We are so impressed with delightful community spirit exists in this neighborhood. The neighborhood is busy with people walking to church, school and play. The community gathers at the plaza at the corner of Kingsbury and Des Peres.
We love the walkability factor here. We can, of course, walk to Joe’s Cafe and the events at Gregory Freeman Park. And we also love walking to the Delmar Loop for dinner and since August 15, 2014, we can also walk for groceries at United Provisions. Forest Park, it’s walkable too.
The Skinker-DeBaliviere Neighborhood is located at the western edge of the St. Louis City limits and just north of St Louis’ wonderful Forest Park. The neighborhood was founded in 1908 when spirits were high on St Louis as a result of the 1904 World’s Fair which took place in Forest Park and spurred housing development in the area.
Skinker DeBaliviere is one of the greatest neighborhoods in St. Louis. It abuts Forest Park, an American urban park that is on a par with Central Park in NYNY. The Metrolink blue line stops here with underground stops at Forest Park Parkway and Skinker and Forest Park Parkway and DeBaliviere. The Delmar Loop is the northern boundary and is considered walkable by most who live in the neighborhood. Washington University Danforth Campus is on the western boundary. A January 2014 opening date is anticated for the new World Market in the Loop. It’s an urban area for sure and its residents are proud of it. The Skinky-D is a vibrant neighborhood with scheduled events throughout the year (many of them at the Gregory Freeman Park. It’s a neighborhood that makes you feel like you are in the big city.
The Skinker Debaliviere community is very active and has it’s own Council. The office is at 6008 Kingsbury Avenue sandwiched in between Gregory Freeman Park and Joe’s Cafe. There are events throughout the year for the neighbors and guests. During the summer months there are free concerts held at the Gregory Freeman Park. Halloween is an event celebrated by many residents who wrch. The traditional German Wintermarkt is held on the first Saturday in December. Joe’s Cafe is open most every Thursday with live entertainment and a good time.
A few of the restaurants in the Skinker Debaliviere neighborhood include: Bobo Noodle House; Just Chicken; Tavern of the Fine Arts which describes itself as a perfect place for neighbors to come together and share a bottle of wine in an atmosphere of art and music; the Moonrise Hotel has a rooftop bar and the Eclipse restaurant; Pi Pizzeria, President Obama’s favorite pizza. We have had several family celebrations at Pin Up Bowl, the martini bowling alley. This link to google maps has a list of more restaurants in the area.
SITES AND SCENES IN SKINKER-DEBALIVIERE
Walkscore.com rates the Skinker Debaliviere neighborhood at 63 for an overall score. Some of the streets in the neighborhood score in the 80’s.
Skinker-DeBaliviere Schools
The St Louis Public Elementary School for this neighborhood is Hamilton Elementary School located at 5819 Westminster Place and Ford Elementary School located at 1383 Clara Avenue for the eastern part of the neighborhood. Sumner High School is the SLPS high school which is located at 4268 W Cottage Ave. The Collegiate School of Medicine and Bioscience is located at 450 Des Peres in the Skinker DeBaliviere Neighborhood. It is a SLPS magnet school for 9-1lth graders. St Louis Charter Schools (click here for a complete list of charter schools in StL) are also available for city students.
Private schools in the neighborhood include the St Roch Catholic Elementary School which is for kindergarden through 8th grade. Crossroads College Preparatoryschool for grades 7 through 12 is located at 500 DeBaliviere. New City School offers academics for pre-school through 6th grade. It is located at 5209 Waterman Boulevard. For a more comprehensive list of schools located in the area click here.
Of course, Skinker-DeBaliviere is within walking/biking distance of both Washington University and Fontbonne University. It is also a popular place for students and professors at UMSL (metro link takes you right there) and St Louis University.
Skinker-DeBaliviere Real Estate
The housing stock is diverse and includes single family homes (and some mansions), condominiums, apartments. Skinker DeBaliviere is interspersed with some newer homes and town homes but for the most part it consists of turn of the century architecture.
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