Initially, the idea for ReVitalize St. Louis was born as a vision for incorporating two projects – the St. Louis Rehabbers Club and the Annual Big BIG Tour – into a self-supporting organization. The Rehabbers Club began as a grassroots network of support for folks interested in the revitalization of St. Louis' neighborhoods through renovation. Big BIG Tour is an annual city-wide Open House with Homebuyers Expo, that showcases and promotes city living. Now ReVitalize St. Louis has become an action-oriented group of citizens seeking to affect and enable change and improve St. Louis' built environment.

In 2004, Claralyn Bollinger, Marti Frumhoff, Tim Klass, Gayle Van Dyke, and Missy van Winkle, all active participants in the St. Louis Rehabbers Club, created the steering committee and established the general ideas under which ReVitalize St. Louis would operate. La'Shonda Turner-Brown, Steve Wilke-Shapiro, and Taron Young completed the Founding Board within the year. While writing bylaws and laying out a strategic plan, the Board supported continuation of the St. Louis Rehabbers Club monthly meetings, also organizing the 2004-05 Rehabbers Club Fall Classes, and producing the 2005 Big BIG Tour.

That first year in operation was successful enough to put ReVitalize St. Louis in sound financial condition. The Board looks forward to growing upon that success in years to come.