Pasadena Hills & Pasadena Park









Pasadena Hills



Demographics: Census 2000

Population: 1,147

White 30%

African American/Black: 67.4% Aristocracy?



Median Age: 41.4 higher than national 35.3 and closer to

Kirkwood’s 41.1%, and younger than Bel-Nor’s 43.9%



Owner Occupied: 75.2% much higher than national 66.2%, less than

Bel-Nor’s 96% and closer to Kirkwood’s 77.1%



Renter Occupied: 24.8 far less than National 33.8%



Bachelor’s degree: 46.9 higher than national 24.4, St. Peters 27.2,

O’Fallon 27.2 and closer to Kirkwood’s 51.5 and

nearly the same as Bel-Nor’s 47.1



Money Talks

Median Household Income: $63,348 > National $41,994 and >St. Peter’s $57,898 But greater than and closer to Webster Groves’s $60,524

and Kirkwood’s $55,122

Inference: Aristocracy



Median Family Income: $72,830 > National $50,046, > St. Peter’s $65,123, Equal to Kirkwood’s $72,830 and less than W G’s $73,998



Median Value of Single Family Owner Occupied House $129,700 > National $119,600 > St. Peter’s $115,100 Less than Kirkwood’s $160,500 & Webster Grove’s $159,900



Inference: Real Estate around Natural Bridge near Pasadena Hills make the high life more affordable like University City once was.



Historical Viewpoint: As a demographer and St. Louis historian it is fitting that many families that once made The Ville (education, wealth, Old Money, Doctors /Lawyers /Professors/CEOs 1940-1950s) the black high life of the Midwest or Western America have made Pasadena Hills and Bel-Nor their new retreat while others have integrated into Clayton, University City, and Ladue. Some newer black aristocracy has moved to Town & Country and Chesterfield. These are theories and cannot be proven until thorough research has been conducted.



Pasadena Hills and Pasadena Park, both posted below, are conveniently accessible to Metrolink at UMSL South or UMSL North, Highways, Airport; attractive with deep lots and large valley like parks, and masonry architecture; location with inclusion in the regional core or inside the I-170 Beltway and a short trip to Clayton or Downtown St. Louis. This neighborhood along with Bel-Nor comprise the Gateway to North County and it is ready for a makeover such as the rehab and rebirth of retail along with possible mixed-use developments between Natural Bridge around Florissant Rd and Lucas & Hunt. Parking lots and one-story abandoned strip malls await as you can see in the first picture to the right of the private entrance gateway.



Private Place/village Gateway > larger than those of Central West End

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Who needs a four-car garage?

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This house style is similar to some houses in Ladue?

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signage > ornate too.

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Spanish Colonial (Spanish Renaissance is far more common in St. Louis than Spanish Colonial which is more popular in Los Angeles)

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Fountain and sitting area located in traffic circle situated before the Spanish Colonial mansion above and the Tudor mansion below

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The epitome of 1920s design where brick & stone Tudor meet with the Classical windows and Clay Tile roofs of the Arts & Crafts and Spanish Renaissance movements in St. Louis. This blend is truly unique!

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Notice the Gabled roof has an intrinsic design in the wooden eave which can be found on Victorian Gothic Revival with different designs.

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Pasadena Park



Demographics:

Population: 489

White: 40.1%

African Am. 53.4%

Asian: 1.8% or 9 people

Hispanic: 2.5% or 12 people > both of which are still higher in % comparison but not number to most areas in the region. At least in Pasadena Park you will see the difference and not pass over it. Diverse or small and integrated?



Owner Occupied: 89.4% > Pasadena Hills, St. Peters, Kirkwood, and

Webster Groves; Pasadena > Sunset Hill’s 84.6



This difference of owner-occupied housing being higher than

Pasadena Hills is one advantage over the wealthier neighbor.



Bachelor’s: 38.8% > St. Peters and O’Fallon



Median Household Income: $44,712 > a few thousand above National



Median Family Income: $47,083 < less than National $50,046

Median Value of Single Family Owner-Occupied House is $78,600 < far less than National $119,600



Why is this neighborhood so below National or Pasadena Hills and Bel-Nor?

With higher than national educational levels but similar pay to the National average this tiny hamlet of 489 people is unique expecially considering that the owner-occupied rate is greater than most middle to upper class cities like Webster Groves. One can estimate that the unique situation may be due to families that are captivated with the neighborhood and do not want to leave. The other is that homes in Pasadena Park are one story brick with clay tile roof bungalows compared to the massive or large two story slate roof homes of Pasadena Hills. Thus, the comparison comes back to the house and it’s setting which is less park like and more of an urban neighborhood. Regardless, the demographic in Pasadena Park is stable and well-educated; maybe teachers in districts or professors at UMSL?



To the west of Pasadena Park is a dozen blocks of southern Normandy which is very similar to the neighborhood and to the east of Pasadena Hills is Northwoods which again has high owner-occupied rates making the area around the Pasadena’s stable.



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An existing Historic Normandy estate is:



The Wilson Price Hunt House at 7717 Natural Bridge Road in Normandy and facing the road from the northern half. The house was built in 1906 and was the fourth on the site. This house was built by Wilson Price Hunt, grandson of philanthropist Anne Lucas Hunt, and descendent of John Baptiste Lucas. “John Baptiste Lucas came to America from France in 1784 at the suggestion of Benjamin Franklin who extolled to the young man the advantages of this new country—and to escape an unwelcome arranged marriage. In 1805 he moved to St. Louis at the request of Thomas Jefferson to become one of the land commissioners appointed to settle the Spanish land grant claims of the Upper Louisiana territory. The Lucas family acquired enormously vast land holdings in both the City of St. Louis and outlying areas. Normandy, a small part of these possessions, was so named because it was reminiscent of the Lucas homeland. John Baptiste Lucas’s daughter Anne Lucas married Wilson Price Hunt as her second husband (a cousin of her first husband) and a partner of John Astor. He is remembered in U.S. history as the leader of the expedition that crossed the continent in 1810—and the first to accomplish this feat after Lewis & Clark—and pioneered what was to become a part of the Oregon Trail. The fur trading post of Astoria, established by Hunt on this journey, laid the foundation for the U.S. claim to the present states of Oregon and Washington



[Page 126 of Elinor Martineau Coyle’s 1971 book “St. Louis Homes: 1866-1916 The Golden Age” Also, author of “Old St. Louis Homes: The Stories They Tell,” (1964) and “St. Louis: Portrait of A River City]



SET~EscapadingEye!

I remember being stunned the first time I stumbled into this neighborhood. Nobody would ever lead you to believe that this type of housing exists in NoCo. Such a beautiful housing stock...and affordable too!!!

Indeed, this is a stunning neighborhood. That Spanish Renaissance house is amazing. I didn't know there were two styles, Spanish Ren & Spanish Colonial. Interesting.



I found house No. 42 online listed at $149,000. With a new kitchen, stainless steel & all. What a deal, and easy trip to Clayon, U City, CWE, Downtown, including Metrolink stations, near the University & airport. These neighborhoods cannot remain a secret forever.

Beautiful

Truley a couple of the finest inner ring suburbs of St. Louis. As lovely as much of Webster Groves is, Pasadena Hills and Pasadena Park are even better, IMO, because literally the entirety of these villages are top quality housing. The entire village of Pasadena Hills is on the National Register (ehem). And throw property values in... its a no brainer as to where the real bargain is...for now.

Wow. There's so much of St. Louis that I've never seen. Thanks for sharing.

The gem of north county - well done!

The second home pictured, not including the tower entrance to Pasadena Hills, must be my childhood home. Is it 3959 Roland Blvd.? I'm almost positive. But the black trim was white when I was young. Can anyone tell me if that home, the second home pictured, is 3959 Roland Blvd. Thanks

Loy

Pasadena Park Part II

The natural beauty of Pasadena Hills has been retained and the grounds so arranged that ten percent of the total acreage is devoted to open ravines and park areas... shared by all neighbors for recreational purposes and community events.

A couple out on a walk, from Des Moines, IA, told me that the builder of the subdivision/city laid out the city in such a way to allow families to live together. This is done by the variety of housing being apartments, condos, small houses, medium houses, large houses, and mansions. The builder also built a school to maintain a family oriented atmosphere. Most of the parks are ravines making for dramatic landscape and an elevated view out one's front door as if perched high like a castle which many homes resemble. The builder had traveled to Europe and wanted to bring a slice of it back. This city has a community spirit which draws people together and attracts new residents. This is the Clayton or University City of near North County.



Mediterranean















































































































































































Multi-family

It is no wonder people moved to the suburbs. Who could resist these houses?