Located in the Central Corridor, Kirkwood was established in 1853 as the first planned residential commuter suburb west of the Mississippi. The original town was laid out around the the railroad commuter station. Today one of the highlights of the area is the Kirkwood Train Station which was built in 1893 and is still in use. While Kirkwood is comprised of only 9 sq miles, it contains more than 300 acres of park land. City amenities include a wonderful parks and recreation department, an aquatic center, farmers market, ice rink, outdoor amphitheater with fabulous free summer concerts, and much more. The city boasts it’s own, top rated Kirkwood School District, electric and water services, performing arts center and library. The Annual Turkey Day football game between Webster Groves and Kirkwood High Schools is a highlight of the year and has been going on since 1898.
While the City of Kirkwood Historic Preservation and Landmarks Commission has locally designated 85 landmarks within the city and 8 local historic districts – Meramec Highlands (1892), Central Place (1920), Jefferson-Argonne (1805), Savoy (early 1950s), Craig Woods (mid 1950’s) and Barrett Brae (mid 1950’s), while the National Register of Historic Places lists 24 properties and 4 historic districts: Downtown Kirkwood, East Monroe, Jefferson- Argonne, and North Taylor.
