Last Updated on December 28, 2023 by Dave Farquhar
A very old white building stood for decades, and allegedly centuries, near the intersection of Lemay Ferry road and Bayless in the inner ring St Louis suburb of Lemay. The historic building, most recently home to Cusanelli’s, was demolished in 2023 after more than three years of vacancy. But colorful rumors about its history persist.
Fantastic claims
Most of the claims date back to one William F. Alden, who wrote fantastic stories about the site in the late 1950s, stating that Marquis de Lafayette, Washington Irving, William Howard Taft, Ulysses S. Grant, and William Clark all visited there. But although he offered to provide evidence privately, he never printed any of it. Cusanelli’s reprinted one of Alden’s stories, from the July 8, 1959 issue of Naborhood (sic) Link News, on the back of the menu.
The part of the story I always found most interesting was Grant. It’s also the most plausible. Grant’s name is all over the St Louis area because he lived here. According to Alden’s story, when Grant was stationed at nearby Jefferson Barracks, the bar/inn on the Cusanelli’s site was one of his regular hangouts, and he never finished paying off his bar tab.
Over the years, the building underwent extensive renovations and additions. Local lore said at least one wall of the original structure remained standing throughout the building’s history, but it is unclear how much else was still present at the end.
The verifiable Cusanelli’s history
What we do know is that by 1931, a restaurant/bar was operating at 705 Lemay Ferry Road called Risch’s 8 Mile House, because it stood 8 miles south of the courthouse downtown. But the history prior to 1931 is a bit unclear. For at least part of the time, it may have been a bakery, or even just a private residence. And for some of Risch’s history, Risch’s 8 Mile House was operating next door, at 701 Lemay Ferry Road. Risch was German, so Risch’s 8 Mile House served German food.
But in 1954, the Cusanelli family took ownership. They renamed it to Cusanelli’s 8-Mile House, which they later shortened to Cusanelli’s. Nick Cusanelli had operated a restaurant at 4054 Chouteau in St. Louis from 1936 to 1951. But he and his family found greater success in Lemay, which at the time was a growing working class suburb. Lemay Ferry road was a busy commercial district with a mix of national, regional, and locally owned businesses. It’s not like that so much anymore, at least north of Reavis Barracks Road. But in the 1950s, the area drew a crowd, and a mixed crowd at that. Cusanelli’s had something for everyone, so it attracted young couples who were dating, young families, and wealthy clientele seeking a nice sit-down dinner.
Cusanelli’s was one of the pioneers of St Louis style pizza, but they also offered steaks, chicken, and Italian food.
The Cusanelli family retired and sold the restaurant in 1989 to the Yang family, who continued to operate it for 31 more years.
Why Cusanelli’s in St Louis closed
Like many St Louisians, I ate there occasionally when I was a kid, and as an adult I took my kids there occasionally as well. But I do remember someone asking me the last time we went what was so fascinating about the back of the menu. The menu had the story of Ulysses Grant and his unpaid bar tab printed underneath a line drawing of the building and the caption, “It happened in Lemay.” I’d first heard the story in the 80s, and wanted to refresh my memory.
It was a family favorite for birthdays or anniversaries. Both of my kids loved it, and the prices were very reasonable.
Unfortunately, Cusanelli’s closed for business for good on August 30, 2020. The owners cited a combination of the COVID-19 pandemic and unforeseen circumstances as making continued business economically unviable.
Realistically, it had been a long time coming. The National Lead Company was the area’s largest employer, and they closed their plants in the 1980s. The Lemay area still feels the ripple effects 40 years later. Fewer people living and working in the meant less business, and that in turn meant less reason for people who didn’t live in Lemay to come into Lemay to shop or dine. Sometimes other businesses moved in, taking advantage of the inexpensive rent, but some buildings sat vacant for decades.
What happened to the Cusanelli’s building
In February 2023, the former Cusanelli’s site sold for $295,000. The new owners demolished the storied building December 27, 2023, to make way for a strip mall.
It was a sad end to a building with a long and colorful history. Leasing it out as-is was a tough sell, so I understand. The building was very dated, after all. Allegedly, part of the building dated to the 19th or possibly even the 18th century. That was its charm when it was operating. But it precluded many types of businesses from taking up shop within, in 21st century suburbia.
And the empty building wasn’t making Lemay a better place. But I can’t help but feel like Lemay lost part of its history that day. And, to be honest, Lemay doesn’t have any shortage of strip malls.
David Farquhar is a computer security professional, entrepreneur, and author. He started his career as a part-time computer technician in 1994, worked his way up to system administrator by 1997, and has specialized in vulnerability management since 2013. He invests in real estate on the side and his hobbies include O gauge trains, baseball cards, and retro computers and video games. A University of Missouri graduate, he holds CISSP and Security+ certifications. He lives in St. Louis with his family.