For many years, the southeast corner of Kingshighway and Vandeventer was a gas station. After environmental remediation was completed, the rock-filled lot sat barren for more than two decades. Brightside later acquired the property and began to envision a beautiful garden. The Missouri Department of Conservation’s Mark Grueber and Perry Eckhardt encouraged us to think beyond beauty and consider the garden’s educational potential as well. They provided expertise and MDC funding to secure the award-winning landscape architecture team at SWT Design to create a vision for the Demonstration Garden and Learning Center.
With the goal of establishing a beautiful and inviting demonstration garden, the SWT team developed a design that helped Brightside secure generous donations from the William A. Kerr Foundation, Cornelsen Charitable Foundation, Edward K. Love Conservation Foundation, Employees Community Fund of Boeing St. Louis, Dana Brown Charitable Trust, Maritz, Crawford Taylor Foundation, Philpott Family Foundation and Korte Co.
Thanks to the generous support of our donors and in-kind contributions from the City of St. Louis, the Missouri Department of Conservation, and the U.S. Marine Corps, the Demonstration Garden was built in just one week in June 2011 under the guidance of Alberici Constructors. Today, what was once a blighted street corner is a thriving community asset, featuring Missouri native plants and showcasing urban conservation practices for residents and professionals alike. The garden is open to the public and welcomes visitors to explore and learn.
Visit The GardenTo support the Demonstration Garden’s stormwater management features, a grant was awarded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 7 through the Missouri Department of Natural Resources under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act. Section 319 grants help protect water quality by reducing nonpoint source pollution.