St. Louis Public Library

Landmarks - German Street Names
Street names throughout the City of St. Louis reflect a strong German influence. A look at the story behind each street name underscores the role German-Americans played in the history of St. Louis.

Allemania Street (E-W) Platted as part of the Helena Place Addition of 1904, this name is an Anglicized version of the French-language geographical name for Germany. (Morganford)

Angelrodt Street (E-W) Beginning in George Buchanan's subdivision of 1852, it commemorates Eugene C. Angelrodt, one of the three founders of the town of Bremen. (Hyde Park & Bissell- College Hill) Arendes

Arendes Drive (N-S) Appeared in the Holly Hills subdivision of 1923 in tribute to August Arendes, one of the area's developers. (Morganford)

Baden Avenue (E-W) Part of Peter R. Kenrick's 1868 Addition to Baden, it was named for the community of Baden, which was so named by its founder, Frederick Kraft, in 1852 in honor of his home town, the German spa of Baden-Baden. (Baden-Riverview)

Bamberger Avenue (N-S) Philip A. Bamberger named this street when he dedicated his Vineyard Subdivision of 1874, The developer operated a pleasure garden called Bamberger's Grove on the present site of the K-Mart Shopping Center. North of Gravois, this street was named Hunt Avenue until 1882. (Oak Hill)

Beethoven Avenue (E-W) German composer Ludwig von Beethoven (1770-1827) was honored in this street name in McDermott and Hayden's Beethoven Heights Subdivision of 1906. (Oak Hill)

Bischoff Avenue (E-W) A tribute to Ferdinand Bischoff, a city engineer of the time in the 1868 subdivision of Fairmont Heights. (The Hill)

Bischoff Place (E-W) In the 1885 subdivision of Clifton Heights, it is a western extension of Bischoff Avenue. (Clifton)

Bremen Avenue (E-W) For the city of Bremen, Germany, in Clark and Dillon's Addition of 1849. (Hyde Park & Bissell-College Hill)

Cologne Avenue (N-S) Located in the Humboldt Heights Subdivision of 1906, it was named after the city of Cologne, Germany. (Oak Hill)

Dresden Avenue (N-S) A tribute to the city of Dresden, Germany, in the 1906 Humboldt Heights Subdivision. (Morganford) (Oak Hill)

Eichelberger Drive (E-W) Platted in the Villa Nova Subdivision in 1946. Like its predecessor, it honors Doctor George F. Eichelberger. (Southwest)

Eichelberger Street (E-W) Originally named in an early platting of the Carondelet Commons in honor of Doctor George F. Eichelberger, a member of Carondelet's first city council. From Morganford Road to the River des Peres, it was Clark Road until 1881. (Marquette-Cherokee) (Oak Hill) (Southwest)

Espenschied Street (E-W) Named for the Espenschied family, early German settlers in Carondelet who were famous as manufacturers of high quality covered wagons used to carry settlers to California. (Carondelet)

Etzel Avenue (E-W) and Terrace (N-S) In the 1885 subdivision of Gambleton, it was named for Susan R. Etzel, the land owner. Until 1881, it was named Gay Avenue from Page to Hodiamont. (Cabanne)

Germania Street (E-W) Originally platted in the 1904 Helena Subdivision at 7300 Gravois, extending one block to Helvetia Street. Its location now is as an eastward extension along the north side of the River Des Peres Drainage Works from Gravois Avenue to Alabama Street. The name is a classical personality reference to the German nation. (Carondelet) (Morganford)

Geyer Avenue (E-W) Commemorates Henry Sheffie Geyer, a prominent St. Louis attorney, who defeated Thomas Hart Benton for the United States Senate in 1851. Arriving in St. Louis in 1815, he became a strong pro slavery Whig. He gained a national reputation when he argued against the cause of Dred Scott before the Supreme Court in 1854. (Benton Park) (Compton Hill) (Soulard)

Goethe Avenue (E-W) Christened in honor of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832), German poet, dramatist and novelist, in the Goethe Heights Subdivision of 1909. (Oak Hill) (Southwest)

Hamburg Avenue (E-W) Platted in McDermott and Hayden's Hanover Heights Addition of 1906, it is named for Hamburg, Germany. (Morganford)

Hildesheim Avenue (N-S) In McDermott and Hayden's Hannover Heights Addition of 1906, it was christened for the city of Hildesheim in Lower Saxony in Germany. The community was famous for its medieval architecture until destroyed in World War II. (Morganford)

Klemm Street (N-S) Named for Richard Klemm, a civil engineer and surveyor who made the plats for the Tyler Place and Dundee Place subdivisions. Dundee Place was developed in 1889 after Colonel Thomas A. Scott purchased it from William McRee for $448,000. It covered an area of 138 acres. Part of this tract was subdivided by Mrs. Mary McRee as McRee City in 1869. Scott also purchased the 96-acre Gibson Heights tract from William Gibson for $330,000. Gibson Heights, at the southeastern corner of Forest Park, was opened in 1891. (Shaw)

Koeln Street (E W) Called V Street in early Carondelet and christened Vine Street in 1854 by city ordinance. It was renamed in 1882 to honor Christian Koeln, a Carondelet merchant who operated a general store at Main and Taylor streets after 1850. West of Virginia Avenue, it was originally Kirk Street. (Carondelet) (Morganford)

Liermann Avenue (E-W) Henry Liermann, the former owner of the tract on which it was laid out in the Belz Subdivision of 1902, was honored with this street name. (Oak Hill)

Luther Avenue (E-W) Luther M. Kennett, mayor of St. Louis for three one-year terms in the 1850s, was honored in this street name in the 1870 subdivision of the John J. O'Fallon estate. (Baden-Riverview)

Mallinckrodt Street (E-W) Laid out in Farrar's Addition of 1850, it honors Emil Mallinckrodt, one of the founders of the town of Bremen and originator of the Mallinckrodt Chemical Company. (Hyde Park & Bissell-College Hill)

Milentz Avenue (E-W) First appeared in 1905 in the Hermann Heights and Dixie Place subdivisions on either side of Gravois Avenue. Milentz is the name of an old south side family of German descent. The year the developments appeared, there were seven Milentz family listings in the St. Louis city directories. (Morganford) (Oak Hill) (Southwest)

Nagel Avenue (E-W) At first this was S Street, but it was renamed St. Louis Street in 1854. In 1881, it became Nagel Street to recognize Herman Nagel, a Carondelet hat merchant. (Carondelet) (Southwest)

Rauschenbach Avenue (N-S) In the Union Addition of 1850, it was named for an official of the city street department in the 1870s. (Old North St. Louis-Yeatman)

Rauss Street (E-W) Named O Street in old Carondelet and Olive Street in 1854. In 1881, its appellation was changed to honor John Krauss, a business man, tavern owner and director of the Home Mutual Insurance Company. (Carondelet)

Salzburger Avenue (N-S) Originated in 1906 in the Austria Heights subdivision. The family name is derived either from one of the German places called Salzburg or from the capital city of the province of Salzburg in west-central Austria. The latter was the birthplace of the composer Mozart. "Salzburg" means "salt hill." (Morganford)

Schiller Avenue (E-W) Honors Friedrich von Schiller (1759-1805), German poet, dramatist, historian and philosopher in the 1868 Garden Suburb. (Baden-Riverview)

Schirmer Street (E-W) Named for Charles Schirmer, who was elected as a councilman from the Third Ward in the first Carondelet city election on April 9, 1851. This name was applied to that section of street between the wharf and Ivory Avenue. From Ivory west to Grand Avenue, this street bore the name of Menkens Street until 1881, when it was changed to Schirmer. (*Carondelet) (Morganford)

Sigel Avenue (E-W) Honors Franz Sigel (1824-1902), a Union Army general in the Civil War, who fought in Missouri and at the Battle of Bull Run. He was born in Germany and was an idol of the German population of St. Louis. Appeared in the Goethe Heights Subdivision of 1909. (Oak Hill)

Steins Street (E-W) Called Steins Street between the wharf and Michigan Avenue to honor Jacob Steins, an early German settler of Carondelet. He arrived in 1846 and in the ensuing years was influential in causing many Germans to settle in a section that came to be known as Stein's Town. From Michigan to Grand Avenue, Steins Street was known as Heavens Street until 1881. (Carondelet) (Morganford)

Tamm Avenue (N-S) Honors Jacob Tamm, an early farmer and land owner in the Glades Tract, where the name of Tamm Road appeared on the 1856 map. It was changed to Tamm Avenue in 1893. (Clifton) (Oakland) (Southwest)

Toenges Avenue (E-W) Probably a variant spelling of "Tong," "fork of river", the name of five different places in England, or from "Tonge", meaning "tongue of land." Platted in the Toenges Subdivision of 1922 and named for the developer. (Morganford)

Varrelmann Avenue (N-S) Appearing in Newport Heights Second Addition of 1905, it was named for Charles Varrelmann, the street commissioner in the administration of Mayor Rolla Wells. (Oak Hill)

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