Historic Buildings Impacted by the May 16, 2025 Tornado

St. Louis

In the early afternoon hours of May 16, 2025, a line of storms moving through Missouri produced a tornado that tracked more than 20 miles northeast across the St. Louis area and into Illinois. Its path of destruction started east of Fontbonne College in Clayton before making its way into St. Louis through the Wydown-Forsyth neighborhood, clipping Forest Park, then hitting the Central West End, Academy, Fountain Park, and The Ville neighborhoods. It reached peak intensity over the Greater Ville neighborhood before moving through O’Fallon Park, then shrank as it crossed the river into Illinois. In the 27 minutes it was on the ground, the tornado left an estimated $1.6 billion in damage, four dead, and 38 reported injured. Six months later, the true extent of devastation has yet to be realized.

It is not easy to briefly summarize the history of so many unique neighborhoods, but a general understanding of the past will help solidify the true extent of the tornado’s devastation. The creation of Forest Park in the 1870s and the 1904 World’s Fair established a new hub on the city’s west side for the social and business elite, their private streets and grand homes becoming an anchor in the development of the Central West End. (additional audio commentary: The areas highlighted in orange are considered Certified Local Historic Districts; areas in green are Historic Districts that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places). The upper middle classes settled just beyond, creating communities like the Academy neighborhood (known on the National Register of Historic Places as the Mount Cabanne/Raymond Place Historic District). As the white and wealthiest pushed west, the neighborhoods they left behind were built upon by the middle and working classes. While restrictive covenants in much of St. Louis led to a thriving Black community in The Ville, one of the few neighborhoods where blacks and other minorities were not restricted from purchasing homes, the positive growth would only last a few decades. Racial tensions and suburbanization in the post-World War era, and urban renewal projects such as the demolition of Mill Creek Valley, created a considerable increase in population and led to significant demographic shifts in many of these neighborhoods. Not all were equally affected, and much of the Central West End has remained a hub for the upper middle class, but decades of disinvestment have taken a heavy toll on North St. Louis.

This map of all the National Register Historic Districts, Certified Local Historic Districts, and architectural surveys shows how the effects of disinvestment go beyond population and economy; it impacts the way we document our history. These neighborhoods are home to their own impressive architectural legacy, yet due to a confluence of several factors, there are significantly fewer registered historic districts on the North side. In the aftermath of the tornado, with even more historic fabric destroyed and a large number of buildings still at risk of demolition, we must begin to ask the difficult questions. When does a historic community become unworthy of preservation? What is the purpose of preservation if it cannot offer the possibility of rebuilding and resiliency in the face of a natural disaster? Concordant with the tragic human toll entailing a loss of home, school, community centers, or place of worship, there has been an immense loss to the historic fabric of these neighborhoods. The economic incentives conferred through formal recognition, such as the creation of a National Register or Certified Local Historic District, might be the only thing that can save these places. 

But the grass isn’t necessarily greener on the other side. The aftermath of the May 16th tornado has also brought into question the challenge of trying to enforce strict design guidelines, meant to ensure the integrity of the resources within historic districts, in the face of incredible devastation. How is it fair to enforce these guidelines in such vastly different economic situations? With insurance paying the minimum, the cost of materials skyrocketing, and the number of skilled laborers limited, how do we expect anything to get done? Six months after the storm, several of the impacted historic districts across Clayton and the Central West End are showing signs of recovery – stone awaiting on pallets, freshly installed roofs, and craftsmen working. The situation in North St. Louis is a different story. Despite heroic volunteer efforts and an outpouring of community support, the weight of decades-long systemic neglect, combined with the sheer power of the storm, has led to ongoing, widespread devastation. 

But why should we allow a natural disaster or the errors of our predecessors to punish our historic communities and those that call them home? Missouri Preservation hopes this special edition of Places in Peril will not only point a broader audience to ways they can help with the tornado recovery effort, but also generate much-needed conversation within the preservation community and beyond. Just as we adapt our historic buildings for continued use, for historic preservation to remain viable and transcend the idea that it is only for the elite, for future generations to see the value, we as preservationists must continue to adapt as well.

To find out more about how you can assist with recovery efforts in the aftermath of the May 2025 tornado, visit STL Recovers.

Below is an interactive map of the tornado path and damage from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminisitration, and locations of National Register of Historic Places Districts, listings, and architectural surveys from the Missouri State Historic Preservation Office.