Chestnut Valley was an African American section of St. Louis centered on Market Street, Targee Street (named for Thomas Targee who was killed fighting the 1849 St. Louis fire ), and Chestnut Street. It existed from the late 19th century serving steamship workers plying their trade on the Mississippi on into the 20th century. These were segregated eras. Chestnut Valley was a font of ragtime music development with Tom Turpin 's Rosbud Café from 1900 to 1906 succeeding venues and later his brother Charles H. Turpin 's Booker T. Washington Theatre . Mill Creek Valley , home to Scott Joplin and Josephine Baker , was adjacent. Union Station was nearby.
5-635: The theater closed in 1930 and the area, also known for gambling, bars, and brothels, was demolished in mayor Joseph Darst slum clearance urban renewal program. Missouri Governor Forrest Smith signed the Municipal Land Clearance for Redevelopment Law in 1951, providing state aid for urban renewal programs in Missouri cities. Expressways replaced the Pine Street Hotel, Peoples Finance Building, and other area buildings. Near
10-621: A train station the area was home to the Calumet Hotel. Trebnor Tichenor wrote the "Chestnut Valley Rag" in 1963 in commemoration of the area. Joseph Darst Joseph M. Darst (March 18, 1889, in St. Louis , Missouri – June 8, 1953, in St. Louis) was the 37th mayor of St. Louis , serving from 1949 to 1953. Darst attended St. Louis University High School , Christian Brothers College , and Saint Louis University . His business career
15-783: The St. Louis Board of Aldermen in 1943, losing to Aloys P. Kaufmann . Darst served as director of the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) during 1947-1948. Darst was elected mayor of St. Louis in April 1949. Darst was a proponent of urban renewal through slum clearance and the construction of large scale affordable public housing . This approach to urban renewal has been criticized by later generations of urban planners and theorists such as Jane Jacobs . During Darst's time as Mayor, approximately 700 public housing units were completed. When he left office, an additional 17,000 units were under construction and 4,000 were in
20-534: The planning stages. Although he was initially opposed to a City earnings tax , Mayor Darst came to believe it was necessary for the City's finances to remain stable. He successfully lobbied the Missouri Legislature to pass legislation enabling the earnings tax. Mayor Darst was in poor health during the last year of his time as Mayor. He died just two months after his term of office expired at age 64, and
25-452: Was in real estate, but he was always interested in politics and worked on several campaigns. In 1933, he worked on behalf of Bernard F. Dickmann in his successful race for Mayor. Mayor Dickmann appointed Darst as Director of Public Welfare. During his eight years in this position, Darst oversaw the construction of three public hospitals in St. Louis. Darst returned to his real estate practice in 1941. He made an unsuccessful bid for President of
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