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The Delmar Loop (or “the Loop” as it is
affectionately known by locals) is situated
northeast of Downtown St. Louis and
bordered by the University City, West End,
Visitation Park and Skinker/Debaliviere
neighborhoods. This Cool Street primarily
consists of the Delmar Boulevard corridor
between Kingsland Avenue and Clara
Avenue, the end of the line for the old
Delmar Boulevard streetcar that connected
this neighborhood to Downtown St. Louis
in the early half of the last century. Today,
“the Loop” remains well served by public
transit with a MetroLink station and plans
in the works to build a new 2.2-mile trolley
line that will connect the Loop to nearby
Forest Park, home of the St. Louis Zoo and
a number of major museums. The
Washington University Campus is located
in easy walking distance of the Loop
(Washington’s Center of Creative Arts is
situated on the Loop’s western boundary).
While the millennial embrace of urban
living has played a major role in the
resurgence of dozens of downtown
districts, this trend has been more diffused
in St. Louis. Ballpark Village, Soulard,
Historic St. Charles and the Central West
End District are just a few of the
neighborhoods that have been
transformed locally over the past few
years. But while all of these districts have
their own individual charm, the Delmar
Loop has an allure of its own. It’s the home
of the historic Tivoli Theater (a refurbished
1924 movie house), restaurant and music
landmark Blueberry Hill (Chuck Berry used
to perform there on the third Wednesday
of every month) and the quirky lunar-
themed boutique Moonrise Hotel. We also
see it as having the greatest upside of any
local retail district thanks to its central
location and relative proximity to both
Downtown and the bustling Clayton area.
The current rental range for competitive
retail space on the Delmar Loop runs
between $18 and $45 per sf, though some
borderline obsolete space can be had for
as low as $12 per sf. The high end of this
range has risen rapidly, mostly driven by
redevelopment projects. But while vacancy
remains fairly low (we estimate it to be
near 6.0%), the average age of inventory is
70 years. With leasing demand building
and an aging inventory of relatively
cheaply priced buildings, we see prime
redevelopment opportunities galore.
29.8%
Millennial Population
$85,425
Average
Household Income
Delmar Loop:
No Longer End of the Line