Inside The Fountain becomes a breathtaking overt tribute to the Art Deco style with just a hint of fauvism making it feel that this is a place time forgot. Carefully collected vintage-style light fixtures hang from the lofty heights of the ceiling as others grace the soda fountain, centerpiece of the dining room, as well as the tucked-in-an-alcove bar. Antique inspired lighting is also at most of the booths. These booths are reminiscent of places such as the old Rex Café at Olive St. and Newstead Aves. or the Blue Moon Café which was on Delmar Blvd. just east of Hamilton Ave. Grab a comfy spot at a table with heavy dark wooden chairs, slip into a dark wood booth or hoist yourself up on a black and chrome stool at the soda fountain where the Fountainettes can mix as many as a half dozen milkshakes or malts at a time. Black and chrome ceiling fans pick up the theme of the stools. Before you review the menu gaze around the two story high room and take in the art and creativity of Joy’s fresco style murals highlighted by figures that seem to have been inspired by both Russell Markert’s Missouri Rocket Girls, from the Missouri Theatre on Grand Blvd. (they would become the Radio City Rockettes) and Busby Berkeley choreographed movies. The room’s color scheme is principally a strong cerulean with burnished gold, soft pale-silvery gray clouds and ceiling, with complementary Earth-tone colors that meld in such a way with the bijouterie as to be somewhat reminiscent of the Fox Theatre or the Legacy Room, the memorabilia room, of the Chase Park-Plaza Hotel.

     The pull of the past is irresistible in The Fountain just as it is on Locust St. from midtown to downtown with its Rip Van Winkle aura as if much of the street is waking from a long slumber. Dozens of the buildings along a dozen blocks of Locust St. were built during the teens and twenties for various entities related to the then relatively new automobile industry. So Locust was quickly and justly dubbed Automobile Row at a time when St. Louis was as important in car manufacturing as Detroit. The 2 story structure that on its first floor houses The Fountain was designed by one of our town’s 20^th century architectural stars; Preston J. Bradshaw. A multitude of Bradshaw buildings remain for us to enjoy such as the Chase and Mayfair Hotels, Coronado, Paul Brown and Forest Park apartments and others, including several on Automobile Row. The Fountain edifice was built by the B. J. Charleville Construction Co. in 1918 for the Supreme Motor Co., the area dealer/distributor for the Stutz automobile. It remained the Stutz home until 1924. If you came in late, the Stutz, manufactured in Indianapolis from 1911 to 1935, was noted for its Bearcat and Blackhawk open speedster models. This brand; along with others such as Peerless, Marmon, Pierce-Arrow, Durant, Gardner, Star and Franklin were felled by the Great Depression. Other cars sold on The Fountain’s block of Locust St. included those of Nash, Ajax, Ford, Hupmobile, Cord, Auburn, Maxwell, Chalmers, Chrysler, Chevrolet, Velie, Scripps-Booth, Cole, Stearns-Knight, Lexington, Gardner, Inter-State and Hug trucks.

     For several blocks along Locust most of the buildings with an auto history connection have been marked with commemorative informational plaques created by the Horseless Carriage Club of Missouri and Ben Hilliker of the commercial real-estate firm of Hilliker Corporation. And on the occasions, when antique car collectors host vintage auto shows on Automobile Row, a Stutz motor-car will invariably be positioned in front The Fountain, seemingly pleased that its old home has been reborn. 

     Here’s why The Fountain building has a close connection to the history of the Locomobile building and Premier Studios. First, they were both auto dealerships and for the last couple of years the second floor of what is now The Fountain has been headquarters for All Star Radio Networks, a company that syndicates various types of radio shows and features, many of them comedic, for radio stations in the USA and other countries. They provide over 700 radio stations with program content and other services on a daily basis. Joy and her husband Ron Christensen, along with a professional staff of broadcasters run All Star Radio. You’ll notice some broadcast studio-like windows on the second story level of the north wall of The Fountain. Behind the glass is All Star Radio. You usually can’t see them at work, unless they peek down at you and wave. Wave back, They’re friendly. A sample of their efforts can be accessed by speakers at some of the booths on the west wall of the dining room. You can tune into an All Star custom feature titled “Soap Hospital.” It’s the only restaurant radio comedy serial anywhere.

     If nighttime is the right time for you, you’ll find some fine fare from which to choose. My call on a hot summer’s eve before the Muny would be to start with the Stutz salad with a creamy marmalade dressing over Mandarin oranges, walnuts and goat cheese on baby spinach. Then you could move on to the Onion Comfit cheese Empanadas with red and yellow onions in wine with melted mozzarella cheese. A cold bottle of O’Fallon Peach Wheat beer would go nicely with this combo. And the evening menu still has all the ice cream treats from malts to banana splits and even the World’s Smallest Hot Fudge Sundae. If you’re a fancier of Almond Joy candy bars you shouldn’t pass up the Coconut Almond Joy sundae. It’s made with coconut almond ice cream topped with The Fountain’s rich home made hot fudge, real whipped cream and chocolate coins. The Fountain would be a nice dining destination after a show or concert on a Friday or Saturday as they’re there ‘til midnight. Or just drift back to a simpler time when gas was 19 cents a gallon and wind down with a Gin Ricky or Manhattan.

     And whatever you do, whenever you go, you’ve got to at least peek in the bathrooms. That’s all I’ll say.