ST. LOUIS — The Ville was once home to icons like Tina Turner, Chuck Berry and Arthur Ashe. It still holds historical significance with landmarks like Sumner High School, the first high school for African American students west of the Mississippi.
As the neighborhood struggles to keep its history alive, the '4theVille' organization is doing whatever it can to preserve it.
"Seven football fields worth of vacant, overgrown lots and buildings that are falling down on you," 4theVille Co-Founder Julia Allen said.
That's what Allen sees when she rides around The Ville, a far cry from what it was like when she and Thomasina Clarke were kids.
"You had Annie Malone, Homer G. Phillips, Tandy. You had your neighborhoods where every vacant lot that is there now was a home," Clarke said.
Notable people came from The Ville, like Arthur Ashe, Chuck Berry and prominent education advocate Julia Davis, who used to catch her taxi cab rides outside of Allen's house.
"She would always ask me 'What are you doing? Where are you in school? are you going to school?' And her questions were always the same, about school and stuff," Allen said.
Four years ago, Allen and Clarke started '4TheVille,' working with board chairman Aaron Williams and 10 others to help revitalize the neighborhood.
"We see power in the historic assets of this community and we want to use them for the benefit of the community," Williams said.
They received a $140,000 grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation to honor The Ville's history.
"We were awarded the grant to hire our very first executive director. The grant will cover the salary and benefits of that executive director for two years," Williams said.
The director will help fundraise and strategize ways to preserve the area's historical significance. Clarke said it's a step in the right direction.
"I don't want north St. Louis to get the stigma that the only thing that comes out of north St. Louis is bad stuff because we have wonderful things. Look at the people that you have here, we're from North St. Louis," Clarke said.
They'll receive the money this fall and plan to fill the position by the beginning of next year.
4theVille gives tours of the neighborhood. You can sign up by messaging the 4theVille Facebook page or send an email to info@4theville.org.