Before Target and Trader Joe’s in Brentwood – an African-American neighborhood was there

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 Ed Wright, former alderman of the district that included Evens-Howard Place. Miller, who lives six blocks away from the historic neighborhood, decided to research the community after seeing it featured in a Missouri Historical Society picture book. “It’s difficult to describe, but I had a feeling come over me that said, ‘I need to tell this story,’” Miller said. She focused on the neighborhood after she realized many people had forgotten the area’s history. “It was a real tragedy to me that our