Dan Lesseg’s family has owned the northwest corner of Manchester Road and Big Bend Boulevard, in Maplewood, since 1966. It’s where a new QuikTrip will soon be going up.
Lesseg said he once swept the floors and cleaned the tile ceiling
of the Ford dealership that was there for decades.
“I was six years old. I used to sweep the floors on Saturdays, then my dad would take me over to White Castle and buy me a couple burgers for a nickel apiece,” he said. “At that time everybody was smoking, and he made me clean all the yellow junk off the ceiling tiles.” He said he doesn’t miss that.
Later, Lesseg had his law office in the second floor for about 13-14 years.
He said during the demolition it was obvious the wood roof was very dry. “That wood, if you heard it, it just splintered, it was so dry. Thank goodness no fire ripped through that building, because that roof would have caved in on itself,” he said.
He said the main building was built in the late 40s, early 50s. A furniture store, which was incorporated into the Ford dealership, was an older building, he said.
“Do I lament (the building coming down)? Yeah, but what I foresee coming, I think QuikTrip has an excellent plan,” he said. “They’re an excellent corporate citizen, and I think it’s going to be good for Maplewood.”
Watch the last wall, from the old furniture store, come down.