Updates & Progress
TINA TURNER MURAL
Working with a MLK corridor business owner, 4theVille, St. Louis Shakespeare Festival, and Kranzberg Arts Foundation commissioned a mural of Tina Turner. We celebrated the completion with performances by the Sumner High School arts pathways!
BLVD DREAM INFO CENTER
Our new drop-in info center offers space for community members to stop by and receive updates on the Cultural Blvd Planning process. Come by and share your thoughts, dreams, and memories of MLK Drive. Get progress udpates and grab some merch to celebrate our Blvd Dream!
ARTHUR ASHE PLAZA
We are developing conceptual designs to begin a capital campaign for public amenities and interpretative installations that will honor Sumner tennis history and the legacies of Arthur Ashe and Richard Hudlin. Conceptual Design in progress!
COMMUNITY
FOUNDATION
CULTIVATE
GROWTH
CULTURE
The Final Report
The Final Report
What if...we created a pedestrian focus cultural heritage trail connecting historic landmarks, local businesses, and public art installations together?
This design brings walkers and bikers together into one wide, 12' trail that runs alongside a planted buffer adjacent to the road. It’s unified, generous, and great for storytelling moments, art, and generous to adjacent retail.
Turn MLK Drive from an underused corridor into a backbone of mobility — with modern BRT stops that are safe, shaded, and welcoming, creating hubs for housing, small businesses, and community life.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive has the potential to become a true backbone of mobility and community in St. Louis. Right now, it’s a long, underused east–west corridor that intersects key transit lines but lacks reliable service and safe, welcoming stops — even though nearly half of nearby households don’t own a car. A modern Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line could change that.
PAST REPORTS
ULI Technical Assistance Panel Report
Real estate, public finance and infrastructure recommendations to catalyze transformation of the Dr. Martin Luther King Drive corridor.
Trailnet Mobility Infrastructure Report
Study of infrastructure challenges in The Ville community, and recommended improvements
to improve pedestrian safety.
The MLK Market Analysis
Market analysis of MLK Drive conducted by St. Louis Development Corporation in 2022.
The North Central Plan 2021
Neighborhood plan for the Covenant Blu and Vandeventer Neighborhoods on the south side of MLK Drive. Completed by community leaders and Deaconess Foundation.
The Monarch Reuse Proposal
After purchasing the Killark Eelctric site, St. Louis Development Corporation created a reuse proposal for the site, now called The Monarch campus.
The Marshall School Reuse Proposal
Reuse proposal completed by St. Louis Development Corporation for the historic Marshall School building on MLK.
AFNA Public Park Design Concepts
Summary of pop-up park engagement and design concepts for public spaces along the MLK corridor by Washington University architecture students.
MLK Drive Design Charette 2006
Corridor and marketplace design charette for MLK Drive. Completed by American Institute of Architects and Washington University School of Architecture.
We Want Community Input
The Cultural Boulevard Project is committed to building a transformation experience rooted in community voice and imagination. Through every step of the project, we’re looking for community input and support of iterative improvements. The result will be a vibrant network of public spaces connecting our neighborhoods across the MLK corridor.