The Cotton Belt Freight Depot in St. Louis, Missouri at 1400 North 1st Street. It is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 2004. The five-story freight depot was constructed in 1911. Its most distinctive feature is its long, narrow shape. The concrete building is approximately 750' on its east and west elevations and only 30' on the north and south. The five stories include a series of loading dock doors on both sides that are sheltered by a concrete awning. Widely spaced metal-frame industrial type windows line the upper stories. A slightly taller cornice line marks the section of the building where the company offices were located. Most of the building's detail is reserved for this section where the company's name is displayed in two levels over a bay window.Other details include terra cotta medallions on the corners bearing the name "Cotton Belt Route"; a Classical style frame around the office door; keystones that decorate the windows near the building's north end; and copper lion's heads that join the awning poles to the building. The depot is vacant and graffiti litters its walls but the building retains integrity of design, workmanship, setting, and association.Direct link to National Register nomination document: http://dnr.mo.gov/shpo/nps-nr/04000344.pdfActivities and CultureArticaSince 2002, the Cotton Belt Freight Depot has been the usual location of Artica, an annual grassroots outdoor and multidisciplinary arts festival."Migrate" MuralWork is underway to utilize the depot's distinctive eastern wall for a large scale mural; a renovation that intends to transform the site into a welcoming visage for those traveling entering the state via the upcoming Mississippi River bridge.
The Youth and Family Center serves children and families mostly living in the challenged St. Louis Park Place, Old North, Carr and Columbus Squares neighborhoods in the City of St. Louis' 5th Ward. In recent years, the Youth and Family Center has served nearly 4,400 youth and adults. The largest programs at the center of the Youth and Family Center’s mission are the Afterschool Program (Monday- Friday 2:30-6:30pm) and Teen Outreach Program (Tuesday-Thursday 4-5pm). These involve serving a snack and warm meal, tutoring/homework assistance, computer education, arts & crafts, sports teams, fitness and nutrition classes, and programs focusing on the development of self-esteem and life skills that prevent bullying, drug use, and teen pregnancy. The center offers both a Spring Break and Summer Day Camp experience that involve cultural outings and field trips. For the Afterschool Program contact Viola Oden at [email protected]. For Teen Club information contact Kayla Bryant at [email protected]. The center’s Jazzy Senior Program (Mondays and Thursdays 10-1pm) is designed to combat hunger while providing social interaction, health and wellness activities, and address end of life concerns for adults 55 years and older. Contact Sam Carpenter for information at [email protected]. The center supports a Sickle Cell Disease Awareness, Education, and Support Program as well. Contact Tanjila Bolden at [email protected] for more details. On behalf of the youth and families we serve, our staff, and board members, thank you for all of your support and donations.