About The Loop
An energizing and eclectic entertainment and shopping district, The Loop offers six blocks of exhilarating retail, restaurants, live music, café culture, and even a Walk-Of-Fame. A century ago at this location, streetcars from downtown “looped around” to return to the city, which gave the area its name. That movement and momentum continue today, as The Loop expands into the City of St. Louis with the exciting new growth and development that have made it a destination.
The era of revitalization began in the 1970s with legislation that encouraged unique, owner-operated gift shops, clothing boutiques, galleries and restaurants in first-floor storefronts. Outdoor cafés bring excitement to the generously widened streetscape. The addition of the St. Louis Walk of Fame, which honors famous St. Louisans with brass stars and informative plaques embedded in the sidewalk, further enhances pedestrian enjoyment of the area.
The Loop is home to long established businesses such as Blueberry Hill, a nationally renowned restaurant and music club, and the elegantly restored Tivoli Movie Theatre, which offers patrons the chance to view contemporary independent films in a historic cinema house. The new growth — distinguished by its quality, planning and understanding of its community – is a self-perpetuating catalyst. New venues include The Pageant — a 2,000+ capacity concert nightclub, the Pin-Up Bowl a bowling alley and martini lounge, numerous restaurants, shops, the Moonrise Hotel (opening Spring 2009) – an independent boutique hotel, the headquarters for the Regional Arts Commission and the St. Louis African American Cultural Center (opening in 2010).
Travel to The Loop is made easy with the Delmar Loop MetroLink station, which opened in the 1990s. Plans are underway to return the fixed-track, vintage trolley system to the neighborhood, which will both delight visitors and enrich the neighborhood ambience.
A brilliant success, The Loop now serves as a model for communities across the country. The American Planning Association recently named this thriving urban retail, arts and entertainment district “One of the 10 Great Streets in America.”