Manufacturer: Syracuse China
User: Sunset Inn – St. Louis, Missouri
Date of service plates: 1910
Notes: From Sunset Country Club website: "In 1910, Adolphus Busch decided St. Louis needed a social and dining club in South County. He wanted a hilly, undeveloped, wooded site that would permit privacy and an opportunity to share in nature's beauty, and one that would serve Anheuser-Busch products exclusively. In November of 1910, he settled on [an] initial 26 acres and constructed the Sunset Inn which served an impressive 1,800 Members."
The Sunset Inn opened on Thursday, June 29, 1911, with an inaugural dinner held by various alumni associations from major U.S. colleges and universities in the St. Louis area. According to an article about the dinner, the inn could accommodate approximately 600 people for such an event. The inn opened to the public officially the following Saturday, July 1, 1911. When the Sunset Inn opened, it was described as being near the U.S. Grant farm on Gravois Road; today the current address is 9555 South Geyer Road, St. Louis, Missouri. According to an article in the St. Louis Globe-Democrat on May 28, 1911, the Sunset Hill Country Club, originally named the Sunset Hunting Fishing and Riding Club, would be in charge of the Sunset Inn.
The inn was built at a cost of $250,000, and according to an article in the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, had a capacity for several hundred guests. In addition, according to the St. Louis Post Dispatch, the Busch family built "elaborate stables and a coliseum costing $150,000. The stables will accommodate 75 horses. The arena will be oval in shape, 180 feet by 85 feet. The coliseum will have a large seating capacity for guests."
Again, according to the Sunset Country Club website: … "at the time [the inn was built] it was so far out in the country, it had to be virtually self-contained. Buildings for club management, chefs, and service staff were located next to the inn, so help would always be available."
The Busch family continued to acquire more property until they had accumulated 170 acres, and in 1917 a golf course was added that at the time was hailed as one of the most beautiful and best designs in the country.
Again, from the website: "Following construction of the golf course, Sunset built a grand swimming pool in 1918, which quickly became a family favorite and was also to be the first pool in the St. Louis area to permit men to swim 'topless.'
"Like most private clubs, Sunset Hill suffered through the years of the Great Depression and temporarily closed its doors in 1937. A few months later, a group of former Sunset Hill members approached Anheuser-Busch to reorganize the club, which they did in 1938, renaming the club Sunset Country Club. In 1944, Anheuser-Busch was approached by the membership with a proposal to buy the club outright. After consulting with Alice Busch, the widow of August A. Busch Sr., who held deed, the sale was completed in 1945.
"The stables that used to hold the horses and carriages for members and guests dining at the Inn, was later converted into the Men's locker room. The original Sunset Hill clubhouse, with the large Hohenzollern Eagle as the centerpiece, was later updated for use as the Ladies locker room.
"In 1955, the original clubhouse began to show signs of wear. By 1957, it was determined that the clubhouse needed to be replaced and the present building was constructed on the original foundation and still sits the same today."
White body plate with a drawing around the outer rim that depicts a green landscape with an orange clouded sky at sunset. In the center of the well is a colored drawing of the Sunset Inn showing the green countryside around the Inn and a setting orange sun in the background. This center-of-the-well design is found on all three service plates shown above. It is assumed that each plate was ordered for a dining venue at the inn, including – per postcards shown above – the Main Dining Room, the Rustic Dining Veranda, and the Hunting Room.
Sources:
Sunset Country Club website – history of the inn
St. Louis Post Dispatch – March 2, 1911 – cost of inn and hunt club
St. Louis Globe-Democrat March 3, 1911 – capacity of the inn
St. Louis Globe Democrat May 28, 1911 – location of the inn
The St. Louis Star and Times June 27, 1911 – story about the inaugural dinner and opening
Contributors:
Susan Phillips, plate photos, research
Larry Paul, ID
Ed Phillips, author