A newly formed nonprofit is working to restore Fairground Park, once called the crown jewel of north St. Louis. Its mission is to repair years of neglect, reconnect the park with its history and build a stronger, more inclusive future.
For a community battered by poverty, crime, disinvestment — and most recently a devastating tornado — the park represents both a painful past and a chance at renewal.
Mary Wheeler-Jones, co-founder of Fairground Park for All and a lifelong resident of the surrounding community, says the organization’s mission is about more than fixing up a park — it’s about unity.
“It’s time for us to stop looking at St. Louis in pieces — northside, southside,” she said. “This is a regional park, and it’s for everyone.”
Wheeler-Jones remembers the park across the street from her church, where she joined Easter egg hunts as a child and walked to Beaumont High School. She hopes Fairground Park will one day receive the same care and recognition as Forest Park or Tower Grove Park. “I want this to be a destination park,” she said.
Dennis Robinson, also a longtime resident of the area, says Fairground Park is more than just green space — it’s a piece of his family’s story. His family has lived in the Fairground neighborhood since 1965, and the same house remains in the family today. “I’ve lived here my whole life,” he said. “This neighborhood raised me.” He remembers fishing at the lake, hanging out with friends, even getting his first kiss on the park bridge. “It was good to live that close to the park,” he said.
The decline of Fairground Park mirrors the broader neglect of north St. Louis, Wheeler-Jones said. The park sits at a major corridor — Grand and Natural Bridge — once a thriving route that connects the neighborhood to downtown and Lambert Airport.
She recalls when both the park and the neighborhood were well cared for — the bridge she crossed to school was pristine, the grounds neatly kept. Today, that sense of pride has faded. Like Wheeler-Jones, Robinson’s fondest memories are rooted in the park. Growing up in the Pruitt-Igoe housing projects, he said Fairground Park felt like paradise. “There were no parks where I came from. When I saw Fairground, it was heaven,” he said. “We’d spend the whole day there — riding bikes, playing baseball, football. We finally got to play on grass. It was a wonderful place, just a good time.”
“There is no love for the park, no consideration for it — or the people that live around here,” the co-founder said.
Wheeler-Jones hopes the new organization will spark residents to get involved, share their ideas and play a role in bringing the park back to life.
A park with deep roots
Fairground Park tells the story of St. Louis. Established in 1856, it was privately owned by the St. Louis Agricultural and Mechanical Association and used in its early years for expositions, horse racing and fairs.
During the Civil War, the site became Benton Barracks, which included a large Union Army hospital. Confederate prisoners also passed through, making the park a landscape layered with conflicting histories.
In 1908, St. Louis purchased the 132 acres for $700,000 and officially dedicated Fairground Park in 1909. By 1912, the city had built one of the nation’s largest municipal swimming pools that, at the time, was for white residents only.
Tension from that exclusion erupted in June 1949, when Black children attempted to integrate the pool. A race riot erupted, with mobs of white residents chasing, beating and harassing swimmers. Order wasn’t restored until police were called in. The city temporarily re-segregated the pools, but lawsuits eventually forced full integration in 1950.
The riot is widely seen by historians as a pivotal moment that fueled white flight from the area, accelerating decades of disinvestment that left the park and its surrounding community struggling.
Decline, disinvestment and disaster
For much of the 20th century, Fairground Park was a centerpiece of neighborhood life. Local churches held Easter egg hunts and picnics. Beaumont High School students practiced baseball and track there. Families strolled the grounds beneath the shade of century-old trees.
But after the 1949 riot and the subsequent wave of white flight, the neighborhood changed dramatically. City funding shrank, and the park slowly deteriorated. Unlike Forest Park, which benefited from Forest Park Forever, Fairground Park lacked a nonprofit partner to champion its upkeep.
Robinson watched the park’s condition decline over the decades. By the mid-1980s, he said, the baseball games were gone, and the energy that once filled the park began to fade. “People lost jobs, lost resources, and couldn’t keep up their property — or the park,” he said. “You’d see trash everywhere, people hanging out all night, and the buildings and bridges just started crumbling.”
Data from the St. Louis Resilience Archive, an online city resource, show that poverty levels remain high, with limited investment and widespread vacancy across north St. Louis. The May 16 tornado deepened the pain. North St. Louis was among the hardest-hit areas: More than 5,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed, causing an estimated $1.6 billion in property losses, according to the archive.
Destruction from the storm was another reminder of how fragile life can be in a community already struggling.
A new push for renewal
Fairground Park for All believes this time can be different. The organization already has launched cleanup and beautification campaigns and is working with neighborhood associations to gather input. Leaders say their model is simple: Pair community passion with the structure and stability of a dedicated nonprofit, much like Forest Park Forever.
The group envisions the park as a destination that draws visitors from across the metro area while remaining rooted in north St. Louis. Residents have asked for new amenities, locally owned businesses nearby and better park maintenance.
Looking forward
For residents, the challenge is not just about restoring a park — it’s about restoring hope. Although the tornado worsened the devastation in north St. Louis, Wheeler-Jones urges the community not to let it stall progress. “Don’t lose interest because of the tornado, don’t let it stop us,” she said. “The park can be the catalyst to bring change to our area. This is a visionary step for our community.”
Robinson still walks the park five days a week. “I’d like to see the park better — a place where people can have family reunions without having to go somewhere else,” he said.
Robinson says he’d welcome stricter maintenance rules or even fines for littering, which he says are rarely enforced. More than anything, he wants to see the park restored for future generations. “I love this park,” he said. “I just want it to be beautiful again.”