Ste. Genevieve Historical District

Ste. Genevieve is the finest example of a French Colonial village in the United States. It was considered so important in representing the French Settlement and Exploration period of American history, the Advisory Board on National Park, Historic Sites, and Buildings and Monuments approved the designation of the city of Ste. Genevieve as a National Historic Landmark in 1959. The eligibility was officially announced by the Secretary of the Interior in 1960 and the boundaries of the National Historic Landmark District (NHLD) were approved in 1970. The boundaries encompass most of the town are roughly: westerly on Market Street to Highway 61, northerly to 9th Street beyond Roberts to the Riverview Drive and extends to the Mississippi River to the east to the north boundary line extends to Riverview Drive (beyond Robert Street) and the southern boundary extends down St. Mary’s Road to the Highway 61 intersection; and includes the entire common (big) field area along the Mississippi River.

In recognition of historic resources, in 1969, the Board of Alderman of the City of Ste. Genevieve created the Ste. Genevieve Landmark Register which contains over 80 structures and sites of such age, unique design, time of construction and historic significance, that preservation was deemed important. The Register was ratified in 1993 and 2015 and contains “Landmarks” dating from 1770 to 1887. It also created a historic preservation commission to assure the preservation of historic structures and sites for future generations.

After the flood of 1993, the City acknowledged the significance of its historic structures and wanted to expand recognition of what was deemed historic. It prepared a nomination for a National Register Historic District (NRHD) which contained buildings, structures and sites representative of the history of the city from its founding in its current location in 1790 to the mid-twentieth century. Included within the district are a total of 824 buildings, including outbuildings. Of these buildings, 646 or 78% contribute to the district’s significance. The district comprises an entity that is significant under the National Register of Historic Places criteria A, C and D. The Ste. Genevieve NRHD was officially entered in the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.

The NRHD, which is considered the "Historic District" and requires property owners to follow design guidelines, includes all those contiguous areas of Ste. Genevieve with a generally high level of architectural integrity and in which substantial development occurred by 1946. The boundaries of the NRHD can be found on our GIS site - make sure to apply the National Historic Boundary layer. The NRHD lies within the confines of the NHLD.

Because Ste. Genevieve recognizes the significance of its historic resources, the City has adopted a historic preservation ordinance and design guidelines to regulate any alterations, additions, construction or demolition on properties within the historic district. The historic preservation ordinance and design guidelines are administered by an appointed board, the Ste. Genevieve Heritage Commission. A link to the the design guidelines is below or may be picked up at City Hall. Prior to demolition, alteration, addition or construction either within the NRHD, on a Landmark structure in the NHLD but outside the NRHD (known as the H-2 Historic District Overlay), or on a property within 185 feet of a Landmark structure, a Certificate of Appropriateness (CoA) must first be obtained from the Ste. Genevieve Heritage Commission. The CoA application can be downloaded from the “Forms” page on the city’s website. Applications for a CoA are accepted and initially reviewed by the Community Development Administrator and must be submitted by the second Monday of each month to be included on that month’s Heritage Commission agenda. The commission meets at 6pm on the third Monday of each month at City Hall.

In some instances, regular maintenance and repair actions to historic properties are exempt from review or may be reviewed administratively. Demolitions throughout the city are initially reviewed administratively and may require Heritage Commission review. Please contact the Community Development Department before you take any action for assistance in navigating the regulations. Here is more information about the Historic District and the CoA application process.