Amberg Park is 1 of 108 St. Louis parks. This 2.76 acre park was placed into ordinance in 1963. The park is bordered by Gustine Avenue to the west, Dunnica Avenue to the north, Bamberger Avenue to the east and Keokuk Street to the south. The park is in the Dutchtown Neighborhood.
Per the city website, the park was named in honor of Richard H. Amberg (1912 1967) for his personal distinction and his contributions to the parks and playgrounds of the city. Mr. Amberg also served as publisher of the Globe Democrat for a number of years. (source)
The park land was acquired by the city after a fire at the Dunnica School:
In 1937, the Dunnica Avenue School was established in some wooden portable buildings at Dunnica and Gustine Avenues. These buildings were damaged by fire in 1961, and were razed in the following year. The school site and playground became Richard H. Amberg Park in 1963. (source)
Today the park has a couple ball fields, a playground and a nice gazebo.
The park is in really nice condition, better than when I lived here in the mid-1990s.
A couple things you may notice at Amberg Park is yet another "little library" in honor of Paul Reiter, longtime circulation manager of the St. Louis American:
On May 9, 2011, Reiter, 58, was shot and killed in the backyard of his Dutchtown home while trying to call the police to prevent the burglary occurring at his neighborhood’s house next door.
The idea for the bookhouses came just after the fate of Rico Paul, Reiter’s murderer, was finally decided on Sept. 17, 2013. Reiter’s family clung together in the courtroom as Paul was sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole.
After they exited the courtroom, Reiter’s sisters and brothers immediately got to work. They talked with Ursula Rudolf, a longtime Dutchtown resident and neighborhood advocate, about doing something for children to keep them out of the path to crime.
The family was saddened that Rico Paul, 20, would spend his life in prison and wanted to reach out to youth. (source)
Another interesting observation are the "painted trees" in the Gustine median just west of the park.
