OLD TOWN EVENT, TOWN HALL MEETINGS TO MARK 75TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION OF CITY'S 1939 OFFICIAL NAME CHANGE TO FLORISSANT

FLORISSANT, MO, June 13, 2014  --  A festive gathering in Old Town Florissant and a pair of Town Hall meetings for residents to discuss direction for Florissant’s next 75 years are part of the official celebration of the 75th anniversary of the City’s name change in 1939 from St. Ferdinand to Florissant.

The City of Florissant will join Old Town Partners at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, June 25 in the 600 block of rue St. Francois, site of the first two City Halls, for the June edition of the  “Wednesday Night Out” festival held monthly in warm months.  On Thursday, June 26, the official 75th anniversary date of the City’s name change to Florissant, a pair of Town Hall meetings will take place at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. at the Florissant Civic Center Theatre in the James J. Eagan Center, Parker Road at Waterford Drive.

The Town Hall meetings will provide Mayor Thomas Schneider and his Department heads an opportunity to report on the goals and objectives of the Administration to advance the progress of the City of Florissant.  City Council members and the municipal judge also will be invited to address those in attendance.

Following the meetings, tables of information will be set up in the gym, with Mayor Schneider, Police Chief Timothy Lowery and other Department heads, City Council members and the municipal judge on hand to talk with residents.  A 75th birthday cake will be sponsored by Florissant bakery Wedding Wonderland.

“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,” said Mayor Schneider.  “When Ordinance #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 original village of Fleurissant had its name changed under Spanish colonial rule to San Fernando.  When President Thomas Jefferson made the Louisiana Purchase in 1804, San Fernando came under American rule and 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.  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.  With the passage of Ordinance #129 on June 26, 1939, St. Ferdinand became officially known as Florissant.

The original City Hall was built in 1876 in the 600 block of rue St. Francois, constructed as a “caboose” or temporary holding place for prisoners.  An addition was built in 1919 to accommodate a fire truck for the City’s fledgling volunteer fire department, and another addition was built in 1953 for use by the Police Department.

This building served as City Hall until the construction of a new City Hall in front of that building in 1957.  That new edifice housed City Hall until 1970, when the current City Hall building opened at 955 rue St. Francois.

Founded in 1786, Florissant is the largest city in St. Louis County, with a population of more than 52,000 residents.  The City of Florissant regularly is listed among the safest cities in America for its population range, and provides abundant services for all sectors of the community, including children, young adults and seniors.  In 2012, Florissant was ranked among the Top 75 Best Places to Live by CNN’s Money Magazine.

Florissant has two community centers, three swimming pools, a renowned theater, a covered skating rink, an abundance of parks and recreational sites, a new championship disk golf course and the only 18-hole municipal golf course in St. Louis County.  For more information please visit www.florissantmo.com or call 314-921-5700.

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