The Kassebaum Conundrum

Which will triumph in the struggle for a busy corner in South County, the modern or the historic? Will it be, a 21st century filling station with all of the modern bells and whistles, or will the historic red brick commercial building and a stately house remain standing near the intersection of Lemay Ferry and Butler Hill Roads as they have for over a century?

The filling station will be named “Quick Trip,” and the brick building reads “Kassebaum” in a prominent inlaid plaster plaque high above the door. The first is a well-known corporate name, the second, the surname of the original owner of the buildings and land, August Kassebaum.

The Kassebaum building, originally a general store, served its community well and was later repurposed as the Sessions furniture store. Over the years, the sturdy edifice became a landmark in the community.

Both the Kassebaum commercial building and the nearby brick, Georgian Revival style
Kassebaum House have been declared St. Louis County landmarks, listed as #26 of Historical Landmarks, South Saint Louis County.

The fate of the vacant building and the now commercially occupied house, and that of a new Quick Trip filling station desiring that location is contingent upon on whether the current “commercial and residential” zoning of the land is changed to “commercial only.” That pivotal decision will be up to the St. Louis County Planning Commission.

Which trade name will prevail and mark that busy corner near Interstate 55 in the future? The historic or the modern? Can history prevail over the convenience and glitz of a shiny new “landmark”? Stay tuned for the upcoming decision.