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Gaslight Square in St. Louis flourished from the early nineteen fifties into the mid-sixties. This entertainment district was located in an area close to the intersection of Olive and Boyle Streets, near the eastern part of what is now known as the Central West End neighborhood and close to the current Grand Center arts and theater district and the adjoining Midtown neighborhood. ==History== Gaslight Square was the name given to the entertainment district built in the mid-1950s. The district was known for its gas lit street lamps and ornate Victorian style architecture, reflective of the 1800s and the riverboat era around the turn of the century. Gaslight Square quickly became a thriving entertainment district that could be compared somewhat to the Delmar Loop area of St. Louis today. The Square occupies the area surrounding Olive and Boyle Streets in the Central West End. The district was popular for music, poetry, comedy, formal and informal dining, and dancing. It was the home to many clubs and restaurants, and entertainment venues.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Central West End - Neighborhoods - Gaslight Square )〕 Brothers Dick and Paul Mutrux are considered by many to be the pioneers of Gaslight Square, being proprietors of one of the first saloons in the area, ''the Gaslight''. Another saloon, the ''Golden Eagle'', soon opened, and proprietor Jay Landesman relocated his extremely popular cabaret theatre, the ''Crystal Palace'', to the area as well. Early business owners in Gaslight Square raided recently demolished property in downtown St. Louis to salvage unique items such as church pews, chandeliers, recycled stained glass, and marble bathtubs. These resourceful decorations gave Gaslight Square a youthful, eclectic feel that attracted young beatniks and wealthy customers alike. At its height, Gaslight Square was home to approximately fifty businesses, including taverns, cabarets, restaurants, sidewalk cafes, and antique shops. These businesses provided an array of unique entertainment that combined elements of the past and present. ''The Opera House'' had a façade covered in croquet balls and was a venue for Dixieland jazz. The ''Roaring Twenties'' was a speakeasy themed bar that included a stage show, mock raids, and staged gangster fights. The ''Natchez Queen'' was decorated to resemble a riverboat with live ragtime music inside. By 1962, property values had tripled in Gaslight Square. The district was greatly affected by dramatic change in culture and music of the late 1950s and 60s when the bohemian and later hippie generation began questioning traditional majority values in art, literature, and political self-expression.〔(Intro2 )〕 the district attracted many poets and writers, such as Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg who would stop in St. Louis to experience Gaslight Square.〔 Many entertainers such as The Smothers Brothers, Lenny Bruce, Miles Davis, Barbra Streisand, Jackie Mason, Mike Nichols and Elaine May, Woody Allen, Jerry Stiller, Dick Gregory and Jack E. Leonard gained exposure at the start of their careers in the clubs of Gaslight Square.〔 Traditional jazz clubs in Gaslight Square included Peacock Alley, Opera House (jazz club).〔''City of Gabriels'', Dennis Owsley. ().〕 Modern jazz clubs included The Dark Side (jazz club).〔 Rosalie Lovett's ''Left Bank'' featured barrelhouse bluesman James Crutchfield.〔Stage, Wm.; James' Leg; "The Riverfront Times" April 3, 2002〕 By the late 1960s Gaslight Square had lost its luster, falling victim to the rapid growth of suburbs, urban decay,〔(Vanishing STL: Gaslight Square - Part One )〕 and "white flight" of that era. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Gaslight Square, St. Louis」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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