The Delmar Loop is a picturesque street located a few hundred feet from the Danforth Campus. Thanks to the Greenway Walk, the Loop is perfect for a first place for freshmen to break out of the Wash. U. bubble. Later, it’s a staple of upperclassmen’s social lives, with some of them residing here as well. If you’re looking to go out with friends, but lack transportation or just want to stick close to home, consider the Loop. A great place to take any prospective freshmen for its iconic Blueberry Hill, Fitz’s and Walk of Fame.

“The Delmar Loop is a destination in St. Louis that is unlike any other area in that our street has the most international types of cuisine than any other place in St. Louis,” Jessica Bueler, the president of the Loop Special Business District, said. “It’s really an area that is all about embracing individuality and diversity.”

The Delmar Loop was founded in 1891 and started to thrive in the 1930s. When suburban shopping malls hit the nation in the 1950s, the Loop entered a decline.

Some residents of University City, however, refused to give up. Joe Edwards, the ponytailed owner of iconic places like Blueberry Hill, the Pageant and the Moonrise, believed in the area. He built Blueberry Hill in 1972 and in 1980 started to organize the local business owners. They created a special taxing district, the profits of which would go toward rejuvenating the Loop with amenities like more lighting and large flower pots. Developers were incentivized to work on the Loop in 1984, when it was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Edwards started the St. Louis Walk of Fame in 1988. Chuck Berry, the rock and roll star responsible for hits like “Johnny B. Goode” and “Roll Over Beethoven,” received the first star.

“The Walk of Fame is a nice thing for St. Louisians, especially younger children. They can aspire to be good role models,” Edwards said.

The Walk now has 127 stars, indicating famous people from St. Louis. Some stars connected to Washington University include William Danforth and Howard Nemerov.

The Walk of Fame isn’t Edwards’ sole contribution to the Loop. He also helped establish the Planet Walk, a to-scale model of the solar system. This walk accurately indicates the distance between all the planets and provides informational postings about where each of the planets would be located, along with facts like how much you would weigh on that planet and which Roman god it is named after.

Edwards’ efforts paid off, and the Delmar Loop was named one of the 10 Great Streets in America in 2007.

Edwards’ next project is to bring back a vintage trolley as an homage to the trolley that made a loop along Delmar from the 1930s through the1960s. The trolley would run from University City Hall to the History Museum in Skinker–DeBaliviere.