In the early 1990s, the southeast quadrant of the Highway 40/Eager Road and Brentwood Boulevard intersection looked considerably different than it does today. The twenty-two-acre piece of land was home to dozens of middle-class African-American families, including some who had lived in the neighborhood for generations. The homes were not large, but they were neat, generally well-kept, and reflected pride in ownership. By 1997, those homes and the lives spent in them were a only a memory, replace

The shopping center known as the Promenade at Brentwood was once a prominent African-American neighborhood. The historic Evens-Howard Place neighborhood in Brentwood was home to generations of middle class African-American families for 90 years.

On Wednesday’s St. Louis on the Air, host Don Marsh discussed the history of Evens-Howard Place with local writer Beth Miller, who’s researched the neighborhood. Also joining the discussion were Olivette Thompson, former resident of the neighborhood and

More than 20 years ago, residents of Brentwood’s historic Howard-Evans Place were displaced to make way for The Promenade at Brentwood, one of mid-St. Louis’ County’s busiest retail centers. Few who shop there regularly remember the neat frame homes that made up the property for nearly 90 years. Soon, however, they may get a new reminder.

The City of Brentwood is working with a group of former residents and the property managers of The Promenade to design a new commemorative monument that would