Brentwood Promenade

In the early 1900s, African American families began moving into central St. Louis County, settling in Clayton (the county seat), Brentwood, and Richmond Heights, to work in brickyards and serve affluent households. Smaller communities also took root in Pagedale and Breckenridge Hills. As these populations grew, they built their own homes, businesses, churches, and schools, forming largely self‑contained neighborhoods.

Over time, however, many of these communities were lost or transformed. In Clayton and Brentwood, the original African American enclaves have completely vanished. Richmond Heights has seen much of its historic community disappear, displaced by highway expansions and redevelopment. Pagedale and Breckenridge Hills have also undergone total change, though the broader Black community continues to grow in the region.

Today, only a memorial rock and plaque remain as reminders of the once‑vibrant African American neighborhood known as Evans and Howard Place in Brentwood. That area is now occupied by the Promenade Shopping Mall, located at the southeast corner of Brentwood Boulevard and Highway 40.

Founded in 1907, Howard Place, once part of the larger Evans Place, is all but forgotten. Despite its small size, it supported its own school, churches, marketplace, and a semi‑professional baseball team, fostering a sense of community and pride that endured for over ninety years.