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This building was erected circa
1900 and was owned by Ben and Amy Laretto. Mr and Mrs Laretto
and their sons, Ben and John Gale, occupied the upper floor using an
entrance facing Front Street. The first floor was leased to Molly
Potter to be used as a barber shop. After a few years the barber
shop moved to another location in Valley Park. The building was
vacant until 1918 when the Meramec Valley Bank opened on the
premises.
William J. Vance was Chairman of
the Board of Directors of this family owned bank. His son Harry took
over the Chairman position after he returned from World War I
service in the U.S. Navy. Harry Vance served as Chairman until 1968,
when the the bank was sold to William Jones Sr. The Jones family
moved the bank to a new location in 1970.
Since 1970 there have been several
tenants in the building: Wyatt's Upholstery Shop, the Orient Express
Restaurant, and several other restaurants.
After a fire, the building was
remodeled. The apartment was changed so the restaurant could make
use of both floors.
Shortly after this remodeling,
Donahue's
moved from a location on Highway 44
and opened up a new
restaurant in this building.
Donahue's
has been on Marshall Road for over 16 years and is currently owned
and operated by Curt and Courtney Cooper.
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Note: Miss Emma O'Brien was the
source for much of this information. She was employed by
the Merramec Valley Bank from 1926 until her retirement
in 1989. She worked 63 years without missing a day. Miss
Emma lived to be 90 and is sadly missed by all... |
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