A windmill in the heart of south St. Louis. The Bevo Mill restaurant began serving Dutch and German food at the corner of Gravois and Morganford in 1917. It was built by August A. Busch, Sr., two generations back from his descendants who sold Anheuser-Busch to the Belgian-Brazilian InBev last year. The story was that this location was half way between the A-B brewery and Grant's Farm, his country home, where President Ulysses S. Grant once lived briefly.This was a city institution. Everybody dined there. Then the neighborhood changed, it went out of business and the building deteriorated. Last year, a high-end catering company took it over and spent a half-million dollars restoring it. It's now mostly used for wedding receptions and private functions. For most St. Louisans, the important thing is that it has been preserved.
That is a bit surprising. Sure looks a bit Dutch. Good to see that it is being used again.
ReplyDeleteIt sure had me fooled on the portal. I thought it was in the Netherlands for sure. I am happy it was not torn down and replaced with something "modern."
ReplyDeleteThis image has a tint to it that evokes the 50s...perfect for the subject. This is the sort of restaurant my family would have visited as a treat.
ReplyDeleteI could have sworn that you and C. had jetted off to Europe again!
ReplyDeleteI had dinner there once when I was working in St. Louis back in the mid 90's. I'm glad the building was saved.
ReplyDeleteIt's a beautiful mill. I think they're rare in the United States. What a luck that you've such a showpiece.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, it is good to read that it has been preserved. «Louis» saw the Bevo Mill when he was last in St. Louis - but that has been some 20 years ago...
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