The following article was originally published in the March 2025 issue of the CWEA Griffin. The quarterly publication is distributed to apartment buildings, businesses, and restaurants in the CWE and in The Grove. You can also find copies at Schlafly Library. In addition, 5,000 copies are mailed to homes and condos in 63108. The digital edition can be found here.
Ann Kittlaus at Midtown Alley’s Catalyst Coffee with barista Ryan Tharp
CWEnder Ann Kittlaus, who was named executive director of the Locust Central Business District in late 2023, mentioned that “before zeroing in on St. Louis I was traveling the world with USAID building understanding through the media of how taxpayer dollars were being spent. “It was exciting, expansive work,” Kittlaus said. “Now, I get a big kick out of securing stop signs and new sidewalks.”
In addition to serving as a Clinton White House appointee at USAID in DC, Kittlaus led communications with two national nonprofit anti-hunger and poverty organizations, and served as a legislative assistant on Capitol Hill. All of that changed one summer when she married a man she’d met at USAID and he took a job in St. Louis. Knowing little about the city, they prioritized an urban environment, diversity, older homes, and walkability. They landed on the 5200 block of Westminster Place and discovered “the greatest block in the Universe.”
Kittlaus grew up in Southern California. Her father was an ordained minister of the United Church of Christ (UCC), and her mother was a public school teacher in East L.A. Her parents were active in the Farm Workers and the anti-Vietnam War movements, so young Ann and her two older brothers were along for the ride. Kittlaus was 12 when the family moved to Maryland when her father became head of the Washington, D.C. office of the UCC. She earned a journalism degree at Boston University and started working in communications and policy jobs in D.C.
While the move to St. Louis was disruptive, it was a kind of homecoming as well, as the Kittlaus family had been in St. Louis for generations. Though Ann had only visited a few times, her father grew up on Oleatha and met Ann’s mother at Mizzou. Her grandfather coached football at Southwest High School and retired as athletics director for the St. Louis Public Schools. Ann’s great grandfather, a former phys ed teacher at Central High School, rented his house on Mardel to Stan and Lil Musial in the summer. When Ann arrived in St. Louis, her 90-year-old grandmother was here.
Kittlaus and her husband surprised themselves by falling in love with their neighbors and the CWE. While raising two children at home until they were both enrolled at New City School, Kittlaus participated in civic life through volunteer leadership with her block association, the neighborhood SBD, her church, and later in the kids’ schools.
Professionally, she landed for nearly eight years as senior vice president of public affairs at FleishmanHillard, as a communications dean at WashU, and for the last decade as an independent communications and public policy consultant. For several years before ward reduction, Kittlaus served as president of the 28th Ward Democratic Club.
Her connection to Locust arose surreptitiously from an expressed interest in getting involved in the transformations on Delmar. “I wanted to serve our community and was recruited to where there was an immediate need,” she said.
The Locust area, which has been relatively dormant since light industry and automotive retail moved out decades ago, is now one of the most active investment areas of the city. “Locust is hopping! It serves as the critical east-west connector between Downtown and Grand Center and, now includes key new transportation linkages between north and South City,” said Kittlaus. “I picture it as the previously missing puzzle piece in the map of St. Louis with big arrows pointing in all four directions.”
Golden Gems just west of Egg on Locust
The Locust Central Business District (LBD), founded as a Special Business District in the early 1980s, is bounded to the east by 18th Street and to the west at N. Compton. Its northern boundary starts on Delmar at 18th St. and drops to Washington in Midtown. The southern border starts at Market to the east, takes in the entire MLS campus including Energizer Park, then follows Olive west to N. Compton. West of Jefferson is Midtown Alley and the area to the east, surrounding the soccer stadium, is becoming known as City Commons.
“Interestingly here, the common neighborhood redevelopment flow is disordered. Usually when you want to develop an area, local government creates a framework then lands a catalytic project which leads to private investment. It’s flipped here,” explained Kittlaus.
“We have two significant catalytic projects: Energizer Park and the relocated National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency a few blocks north. Private developers are actively rehabbing and leasing out existing buildings and major new construction projects are shovel-ready. Private investments exceed a $1 billion. Also planned running north-south are the MetroLink Green Line on Jefferson and the 20th Street Brickline Extension.”
“What we’re missing is a plan,” Kittlaus continued. “What we need is investment in the public realm – improved lighting, better sidewalks, traffic taming, neighborhood flow. I’m focused on encouraging the local government part.”
Kittlaus notes that this area can be the next 15-minute neighborhood. From here you can ride your bike downtown, reach sporting and cultural events in minutes, walk to Grand Center, Union Station, Harris Stowe, and SLU, and reach I-64 a few blocks away.
The Fountain on Locust
Kittlaus, who laughingly calls herself “the mini-Mayor of Midtown,” is determined to improve the area by raising awareness. She meets with business owners regularly, and applies for any grants that will benefit the area. “We unfortunately didn’t get an American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant for lighting and way finding, but through the East-West Gateway, we received a Great Streets Planning Project that will look at connections across Olive from the soccer stadium north into City Commons.”
“I’m all about pulling the city together,” said Kittlaus. To that end, she’s developed relationships with the Downtown CID and Downtown Neighborhood Association, Grand Center, Inc., Greater St. Louis, Inc., CITY SC, Covenant Blu Grand Center, the CWE’s Kate Haher, Samantha Smugula in the East Loop, and Park Central’s Abdul Abdullah, among others. She’s asking what’s going on in other neighborhoods, and what resources the LBD might tap into.
With all the things Kittlaus has done in her career, she says that her current role as executive director of the Locust Central Business District blends all those pieces together beautifully.