Delmar Loop

Did You Know?

• The Pageant music venue has featured St. Louisans Chuck Berry and Nelly.
• The Loop Trolley operated for several weeks in fall 2018 and for a full season in 2019 but shut down because fare revenue was far less than anticipated; it reopened in August 2022 after the federal government threatened to require repayment of $24.9 million granted to build it.

Origin and overview

The area's name comes from a streetcar turnaround, or loop, that once existed there. Delmar Boulevard was originally Morgan Street; the name Delmar was created when two landowners, one from Delaware and one from Maryland, combined their home states' names. The Delmar Loop station on the MetroLink Red Line is at the eastern end. The western boundary is marked by the U. City Lions sculptures west of University City City Hall; beyond them Delmar becomes residential.

The traditional eastern boundary was the St. Louis city line at The Delmar Lounge, but after about 2000 the district expanded eastward into the city, largely through redevelopment by Joe and Linda Edwards, owners of several Loop businesses. The St. Louis Regional Arts Commission built its headquarters on Delmar in 2003, adding performance and office spaces. The Pageant music venue across the street hosts mid-size popular concerts. The Loop draws a diverse crowd, partly due to nearby Washington University, and has had a varied street life since the late 1960s.

Attractions and institutions

Loop institutions include the Pageant music venue, Riverfront Times newspaper, Tivoli Theater, University City City Hall, University City Public Library, Blueberry Hill pub and restaurant, and Fitz's Restaurant and Bottling Company. Other establishments are the 560 Music Center, COCA Center for Creative Arts, Craft Alliance Center of Art + Design, Moonrise Hotel, Subterranean Books, and Vintage Vinyl record store. Local restaurants include Al-Tarboush deli, Blueprint Coffee, Salt and Smoke, Katsuya STL, Up Late, Fork & Stix, Nudo House, Paris Bahn Mi STL, Corner 17 Chinese Restaurant, Gokul Indian Restaurant, Gyro House, Meshuggah Cafe, Session Taco, Seoul Taco, Ranoush Mediterranean Cuisine, Snarf's Sandwiches, T-N-T Wieners, Vegas Wok, and four Thai restaurants owned by Pat's Thai Restaurants.

Former restaurants include Cicero's Italian (closed 2017), Piccione Pastry (closed 2019), Three Kings Public House (closed after a 2023 fire), and Peacock Loop Diner (closed January 2025). The St. Louis Walk of Fame, with brass plaques on Delmar, honors famous St. Louisans. The Loop Trolley, a 2.2-mile heritage line, reopened in August 2022 and runs free of charge on a seasonal schedule.

History

In the 1950s, the Loop was a meeting place for University City teenagers, with the Varsity Theater and Tivoli showing first-run movies, Ed's Billiards between them, and restaurants along the area. Enright Avenue, part of the streetcar turnaround, had a drug store, three restaurants, and a record store. Another drug store at Delmar and Kingsland had a soda fountain. Delmar at Skinker had Garaveli's Restaurant and Davy 'Nose' Bold's nightclub. The video for Nelly's song 'Air Force Ones' was filmed in the Loop, and his hit 'Country Grammar (Hot Shit)' references the area extensively.