We read Aaron Brezel’s Sept. 8 column about the St. Louis Garlic Festival in Carondelet with interest. As residents active in Carondelet’s community development efforts and not so far removed from college life ourselves, we thank Mr. Brezel for making the journey down Highway 55. However, we believe Mr. Brezel did not capture a complete picture of a community on the cusp of a renaissance in urban revitalization during his visit. We would like to offer him and any student interested in such a picture a personal tour.

Our tour would begin with a stroll through Carondelet Park, a 280-acre jewel of the City’s parks department. We would also enjoy the majestic bluff-top view of the Mississippi River from Bellerive Park. We would be sure to experience the many historic landmarks, including the Susan Blow School, site of the first public kindergarten in the U.S. Then we would stop by the new River City Business Park, a sustainable industrial complex on a remediated brownfield site that proves our community is perhaps not so post-industrial after all. For lunch we would suggest designing your own gourmet sandwich at Stacked Burger Bar, which like Iron Barley has been featured on the Food Network. We would also invite students over 21 to enjoy Perennial Artisan Ales, a nationally recognized craft brewery, and take a turn at the jukebox at Kicker’s Corner, an example of the classic South Broadway tavern par excellence. And for students considering remaining in St. Louis after graduation, we could offer innumerable affordable and architecturally astounding homes a 10-minute drive or short bus ride from downtown and eight miles from the Central West End. 

We believe students seeking to break out of the bubble around the central corridor will find Carondelet a close-knit community working to make our neighborhood and St. Louis a vibrant place to live, study, work and play. Many of us even wear shoes. We look forward to your visit.

Your friends in South, South City,

Sophie Zavaglia

Economic Development Committee, Carondelet Community Betterment Federation