Busch's Inn or Gretchen's Inn
was built in 1914 by August A. Busch, Sr. of Anheuser Busch, Inc.
In that era there was a strong prohibition movement, so Busch wanted to show that beer
could be served in a respectable family establishment instead of the typical sawdust floor
saloon full of rifraff. Its timber and stucco construction, steeply pitched roof and
corner turret have made it a historic St. Louis landmark.
Anheuser Busch operated both this restaurant
and the Bevo Mill throughout the difficult years of prohibition. With the repel of
prohibition, anti-trust laws would not allow a brewery to operate a drinking
establishment. Al Smith leased and successfully operated Al Smith's Restaurant from
the 1930's through 1961, when Fred and Evelyn Krumm took over operations after managing
the business since 1945. The restaurant suffered a fire on May 5, 1968 and was
completely refurbished and continued to serve Dutchtown for many more years. The
restaurant sat vacant from 1986 until 1993 and suffered from neglect.
Anheuser Busch was preparing to sell off the
property to a franchise that planned to replace the historic building with a fast food
restaurant. Local activists convinced the brewery to continue looking for a buyer
who would use the existing building. The Dutchtown South Neighborhood Association
took the lead in the battle to save the landmark and convinced the state to give the
brewery a tax credit upon the donation of the property to the Association.
| Susan
and Martin Luepker, longtime residents of the neighborhood, took on the challenge
of rehabbing the abandoned restaurant in 1993. Sue and Marty restored wood,
plaster, brick and tile work to its original state. Once finished with the building,
they took on the next phase -- furnishing it. After much consideration, they devised
a plan that would preserve even more St. Louis restaurant history. The benches are
from the old Dohack's Restaurant on Lemay Ferry Road. The booths, bar chairs, and
some marble tables are from the Nantucket Cove of the Central West End. Some tables
and chairs are from the dining room at Famous-Barr in Clayton; others are from the
Missouri Athletic Club. There is also crown moulding from the Top of the 230 in
Clayton, as well as the elegant chandeliers that adorn the banquet room. Brewery
paraphernalia, such as paintings, beer trays and steins, antlers, old lanterns and other
memorabilia add to the character of this revitalized Dutchtown establishment. Today,
with a nod to its former incarnation, this historic St. Louis Landmark is known as
the Feasting Fox, and is once again a popular spot to eat -- and drink the
beverage of your choice. The name
of the restaurant comes from the combination of the name known to St. Louis, Al Smith's,
and the Feasting Fox, the symbol of hospitality which graces the side of the Anheuser
Busch Brewery. |
Recreating the Feasting
Fox (Busch's Inn) for a 2002 Membership Stein was a perfect fit
for the talents of stein artist Jim Wainwright.  His remarkable illustration helps tell the story of
the restaurant, taking a fond look back nearly 90 years. In addition to
painstakingly recreating all of the building's architectural details and embellishments,
the Membership Stein also shows other neighborhood sights of the early 1900s: homes,
church steeples, a livery and blacksmith's shop, as well as residents and tradesmen (like
the Budweiser delivery man and Innkeeper) going about their daily business. In honor
of the restaurant and its clientele, the stein also prominently features two typical
Busch's Inn patrons of the time, exquisitely rendered in deep ceramic relief alongside the
stein's handle. And inset in the stein's pewter lid is a close-up view of the Inn
itself. |
