05/27/2026
On this day in 1896, a tornado swept through St. Louis. The tornado, known as the Great Cyclone, cut a ten-mile swath of destruction that completely destroyed 311 buildings, heavily damaged 7,200 more and caused substantial harm to yet another 1,300. In a mere twenty minutes, 255 people were killed, representing the single deadliest incident in St. Louis history.
The Lafayette Square neighborhood took a direct hit and Lafayette Park did not recover for many years. Thanks to significant effort from the City of St. Louis, residents, and others, debris was cleared and repairs were made.
130 years later, remains a gem in the middle of Lafayette Square!
📸 🔗 — tornados.slpl.org