Our Neighborhood
The Southwest Garden Neighborhood Association (SWGNA) is a volunteer-run non-profit that connects neighbors and fosters civic involvement across our diverse south St. Louis community.
About 5,245 of us call Southwest Garden home (2020 census), neighbors who look out for one another and take pride in where they live.
Where We Are
Bounded by I-44 to the northeast, the Missouri Botanical Garden and Tower Grove Park to the east, Scanlan and Connecticut to the south, Hampton to the west, and Columbia, Southwest, and South Kingshighway to the northwest.
Our History
Rooted in St. Louis's historic south side, known for tree-lined streets, classic brick homes, and generations of invested neighbors.
Our Character
From friendly front porches to community gatherings, we blend easy city access with genuine neighborhood warmth.
A Brief History
Neighbors formed the Southwest Garden Neighborhood Association in 1977. More than four decades later, the all-volunteer association still works to connect neighbors and strengthen the community.
The land west of Kingshighway was shaped by clay and brick. After St. Louis banned wood-frame construction following the Great Fire of 1849, the area's clay deposits fueled a booming brick industry, drawing German, Irish, and Italian immigrants, alongside free Black railroad workers, to both Southwest Garden and neighboring The Hill. East of Kingshighway, homes rose around Henry Shaw's estate and his famous 'Shaw's Garden,' today the Missouri Botanical Garden. Across its roughly seventy blocks you'll still find turn-of-the-century brick homes, storybook bungalows, and two- and four-family flats.
Want the fuller story? Local author Edna Campos Gravenhorst tells it in Southwest Garden (Arcadia Publishing’s Images of America series), packed with more than 200 vintage photographs. Proceeds from the book benefit the association.
Board of Directors
Elected by the membership, our volunteer board keeps the association running between quarterly meetings. Questions for the board? Reach us any time at info@southwestgardenstl.org.
Michelle Pona — Interim President
Robin Rickerman — 1st Vice President
David Kren — 2nd Vice President
Caitlin McClanahan — 3rd Vice President
Jana Scharnhorst — Treasurer
Jacob Born — Recording Secretary
Sarah Sanchez — Correspondence Secretary
Nick Niehaus — 2nd Member-at-Large
On the National Register of Historic Places
Reber Place Historic District
Designated in 2012, covering the area roughly bounded by Arsenal Street, Kingshighway, Southwest Avenue, and the alley east of Hereford Street.
View the Reber Place designation (PDF)
Shaw's Garden Historic District
Designated in 2012, covering the area around DeTonty, Tower Grove, Shaw, Magnolia, and Kingshighway near the Missouri Botanical Garden.
View the Shaw's Garden designation (PDF)
Parks & Green Spaces
Tower Grove Park
A historic Victorian-era park and the only Missouri municipal park on the National Register of Historic Places.
Missouri Botanical Garden
One of the world's oldest botanical gardens, set on Henry Shaw's former estate and a beloved St. Louis attraction.
Want to help write the next chapter of our neighborhood's story?
Sublette Park
A neighborhood park with ball fields, a playground, and tennis courts, and skyline views from one of the city's highest points.
Schools
CVPA High School, Cleveland NJROTC Academy, Bunche International Studies Middle School, and the Meda P. Washington Educational Resource Center are in the neighborhood, with St. Ambrose, Tower Grove Christian, Shaw VPA, Mason Elementary, and Premier Charter School close by.
Community Partners
We work alongside Tower Grove Neighborhoods CDC, the St. Louis Activity Center, Prime Theatre, Gateway Greening, and Operation Brightside, plus the Hill, Hampton-Chippewa, and South Kingshighway business associations.
Recreation & Faith
The 45,000-square-foot South City YMCA and the Kingshighway branch of the St. Louis Public Library anchor daily life here, alongside neighborhood congregations including The Journey and Southwest Church of the Nazarene.
Josephine Baker’s Birthplace
The world-famous entertainer was born in 1906 at the old Female Hospital here in Southwest Garden, one of the neighborhood’s favorite claims to fame.
An Outlaw’s Farewell
Frank James, brother of Jesse James, was cremated at the Missouri Crematory, built in the neighborhood in 1888.
A Hollywood Heist
The 1953 robbery of Southwest Bank was retold in the 1959 film The Great St. Louis Bank Robbery, featuring a young Steve McQueen.