The Central West End (St. Louis, Missouri)

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The area now known as the Central West End is a subsection of the area surrounding Forest Park, that was develop at beginning of the 20th century in anticipation of the opening of the 1904 World's Fair.

An area of large elegant homes and gracious apartments, many on private streets, it fell into considerable disrepair in the post war era as St. Louis suffered a dramatic population loss to the suburbs.

In the late 1960's and early 1970's a group of young urban pioneers began the process of revitalizing the area. Herb Balaban Carp, Joel Pesapane, and Pete Rothschild, among others, opened anchor businesses that attracted other young, hip, college educated people back to the city. Property developers such as Bob Wood began the process of buying and rehabbing apartment buildings that were soon filled with the burgeoning 60's generation college graduates.

Today the Central West End, usually referred to as the CWE, has become the richest and best educated part of the Metropolitan St. Louis area and its many restaurants and clubs are destination spots for upscale consumers.