July 2, 2014
A Place Called Florissant Recipes
Make it Better with Bacon
Around Town
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MECS “Adopts a Home”
Mayor Thomas Schneider addresses the crowd at Wednesday Night Out, which was presented in the 600 block of rue St. Francois, the site of Florissant’s first two city halls.
Photo by Shawn Clubb
City celebrates 75 years of being Florissant By Shawn Clubb People strolled along, listened to live music, and perused the wares of various artists, while some stopped to enjoy a glass of wine and some cake along the 600 block of rue St. Francois in Florissant. The art and wine were there for the June edition of Wednesday Night Out. The event, which is held on the third Wednesday of every month, had Art and Wine as its theme in June. The cake, well, it was birthday cake, of a sort. It celebrated 75 years of A Place Called Florissant. The June 25 Wednesday Night Out came on the eve of the anniversary of the day the city’s name was officially changed from St. Ferdinand to Florissant. The city of Florissant joined Old Town Partners for this Wednesday Night Out, which was held on the site of the first two city halls, as part of the celebration of the anniversary. On the following day, the city held two town hall meetings at the Florissant Civic Center Theatre in the James J. Eagan Center for residents to discuss direction for Florissant’s next 75 years. “The name Florissant has been in use, officially or unofficially, virtually since the city was founded by French farmers in 1786 and called Fleurissant, which is French for ‘flourishing,’ because of its rich soil,” Mayor Thomas Schneider said. The original village of Fleurissant had
its name changed under Spanish colonial rule to San Fernando by the Spanish governor. When the United States made the Louisiana Purchase in 1804, San Fernando came under American rule. At that time, the name was anglicized to St. Ferdinand. “It remained St. Ferdinand when the village was incorporated under the laws of the State of Missouri in 1829 as well as at a second incorporation in 1843,” according to city literature. “St. Ferdinand was granted a charter as a city or town by the Missouri General Assembly in 1857. “Even so, people often referred to the city as the anglicized ‘Florissant’ in early letters and military records, with some early plat maps listing both names.” Schneider noted that, saying “When Ordinance No. 129 was passed on June 26, 1939, the city of St. Ferdinand officially became known as Florissant, a name that had remained popular for more than 150 years. It’s fitting to have our celebration at the site of the city’s first two city halls, 600 rue St. Francois.” The first city hall was built there in 1876, constructed as a temporary holding place for prisoners. In 1919, it was expanded with an addition to house a fire truck. A further addition was created in 1953 to accommodate the police department. That building was replaced by a new city hall that was built in front that that building in 1957. It remained
city hall until the current one opened in 1970 at 955 rue St. Francois. At the Wednesday Night Out, the mayor had Ward 7 Councilwoman Jackie Pagano come on stage to recognize the other council members who were present. He then presented her with copies of the 1939 ordinance to give to the other council members and share with the public. The mayor also had Mary Kay Gladbach of the Florissant Valley Historical Society come to the stage. The society, Gladbach said, was founded in 1958, a year after the city’s centennial in 1957. See FLORISSANT page 2
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