Landmarks Association of St. Louis

Landmarks Association has advocated on behalf of beautiful historic architecture in St. Louis for 62 years. During this time, our organization has been researching and documenting St. Louis' architectural heritage and working to educate civic leaders and members of the public about the value of our architecture as a cultural legacy.

Decades ago, the advocacy of our organization was instrumental in creating St. Louis' first legal framework for historic preservation. The legacy of that accomplishment lives on in the ordinances and incentive programs that protect and encourage the revitalization of the architecture of our community today. Our organization has listed over 13,000 buildings in St. Louis in the National Register of Historic Places. National Register listing provides procedural protection from demolition at both the federal and local levels and also qualifies buildings for financial incentives that support rehabilitation. Landmarks was instrumental in the creation of (and continues to work to defend) the Missouri Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit Program, which has leveraged billions of dollars of private investment for the rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of our architectural heritage. From the magnificent Central Library and Union Station to the Old Post Office and Sun Theater, many of the city's most significant architectural treasures have been rehabilitated with the assistance of this program.

Other long-standing efforts include "What are Buildings Made Of?" (which provides free educational programs for school groups that are studying the history and architecture of St. Louis), and the "Landmarks Letter," which has been documenting St. Louis' architectural history through scholarship since the 1960s. Other initiatives include a revolving loan program which gives 0% interest loans to support important historic rehabilitation projects at the neighborhood level, a fundraising and leadership role in the effort to preserve the Route 66 Bridge over the Meramec River at Eureka, and a collaborative effort to raise funds to restore the two north St. Louis Victorian standpipe water towers.

Currently we are rehabilitating two buildings in Soulard as our new office and community education center, one of which contains a stone cottage that dates back to the days when Soulard was essentially farmland!