St. Louis Shoe Industry

Peters Shoe Company

The Evolution of the St. Louis Shoe Industry

During the early twentieth century, St. Louis was one of the nation’s largest shoe manufacturing cities. Within the St. Louis Place neighborhood, were several shoe factories constructed c. 1900. Three of these factories were within the NGA parcel – Buster Brown Blue Ribbon Shoe Factory at 1526 North Jefferson Avenue, International Shoe Company (ISC) at 2654 Madison Street, and Samuels Shoe Company at 2500 Madison Street. ISC, the world's largest shoe manufacturer for many decades, was headquartered in St. Louis. In addition to the company's factory on Madison Street, ISC also operated a factory just north of the NGA parcel at 2553 St. Louis Avenue (no longer extant). The factory on St. Louis Avenue had been constructed for Peters Shoe Company, established in 1892 by Henry William Peters. Mr. Peters, who served as ISC’s first vice-president, had a dwelling constructed on St. Louis Avenue, not far from his factory. The Peters House remains a private residence and is within the St. Louis Place Historic District.

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