A History of the Street Names of Holly Hills
Adkins Avenue
Named after Henry Adkins, a steamboat captain.
Alexander Street
Named after Alexander Lacey Lyle who owned the estate that later became Carondelet Park.
Alma Avenue
First appeared in the Arcadia Heights subdivision of 1913. The name began to be popular after British troops fought at the Battle of Alma, a river in the Crimea, in 1854.
Arendes Drive
Gus Arendes was one of the three developers of the neighborhood.
Bates Street
Named after Frederick Bates, the second governor of Missouri.
Bellerive Boulevard
Named for Louis St. Ange de Bellerive, a commandant from Illinois. He governed the village of St. Louis before the arrival of the first Spanish governor.
Bowen Street
Named for Confederate General John Bowen, a former St. Louis neighbor of Ulysses S. Grant.
Burgen Avenue
In 1909 the Burgen Place subdivision was named from the Burgenland province in eastern Austria.
Carondelet Park
The park was named after the village of Carondelet. The village was named in 1794 by Clement DeLore in honor of Baron Francois Louis Hector de Carondelet, Governor General of the Spanish-Louisiana Province.
Concordia Avenue
The private Concordia Heights subdivision of 1910 which was named for the nearby Concordia Cemetery. Concordia was the ancient Roman goddess of harmony or peace.
Coronado Avenue
The three developers of Holly Hills, Federer, Livingston and Arendes, made plans at the Coronado hotel, and named one of the streets in its honor.
Dewey Avenue
Named for Admiral George Dewey, a hero of the Spanish American war.
Dover Place
One of the developers was originally from Delaware, and named two streets after Delaware cities: Dover and Wilmington.
Federer Place
William Federer was one of the three developers of the neighborhood.
Fillmore Street
Named after United States President Millard Fillmore.
Grand Boulevard
Hiriam Leffingwell, one of the original Forest Park founders, envisioned a broad boulevard stretching from the Mississippi River north of the city to the river south of the city. When he couldn’t get buy-in on his desire to name it Lindell Boulevard, due to its proximity to Peter and Jesse Lindell’s property, he settled on calling it “grand boulevard.”
Haven Street
Originally named after Edward Haren, a landowner and banker, a street sign was printed wrong and never fixed. The street has ever since been known as Haven.
Holly Hills Boulevard
Named after the neighborhood, which in turn was named after Hollywood.
Iron Street
Named after the Iron Mountain Railroad.
Leona Street
First appeared in the Leona Place subdivision of 1923.
Livingston Drive
Donald Livingston was one of the three developers of the neighborhood.
Loughborough Avenue
Named for surveyor John M. Loughborough.
Marwinette Avenue
Marwinette is a composite name of the wives of the three developers of Holly Hills: MARie Federer, WINifred Livingston and JeanETTE Arendes.
Morganford Road
Morganford Road originally led to a ford on the River Des Peres owned by James Morgan. “Morgan’s Ford” was eventually shortened to Morganford.
Newport Avenue
Named after an original subdivision from 1908.
Ray Avenue
Named for Frederick Ray, an area developer.
Rosa Avenue
Possibly named after an original subdivision named Rosa Park, or it may be named after Rosa Weil.
Toenges Avenue
Named for a subdivision developer in 1922.
Tyrolean Avenue
Named after a region in Austria because it was originally in a subdivision called Austria Heights.
Wilmington Avenue
One of the developers was originally from Delaware, and named two streets after Delaware cities: Dover and Wilmington.
Sources for the history of the streets of Holly Hills:
- “The Streets of St. Louis” by William B. and Marcella C. Magnam, 1996
- “History of St. Louis Neighborhoods – Oak Hill & Morganford” by Norbury L. Wayman, 1981
- The St. Louis Public Library’s online street index.