Post #582876 by TikiTomD on Fri, Apr 1, 2011 9:53 AM

The October 27, 1974 Florida Today article, “Mr. Moon and His Restaurant Shine On” (posted earlier) noted that Moon Lueg had a restaurant in Fort Pierce, Florida for many years called the Moon Garden. Wondering about this precursor to the Moon Islander, I came across this comment on wallyg’s Flickr site (http://www.flickr.com/photos/wallyg/2318774996/)...

Posting by tomtiger99 on September 29, 2009:

I love that they have restored the Sunrise Theatre. I've been a resident of this county since 1961, and have seen several historic or potentially historic buildings in St. Lucie County wiped away forever. Maybe it's like that all over, but there isn't any real sense of history in this county. History isn't just a pre 1930 building. Anyone remember Moon Garden Chinese Restaurant? The casino at the Jetty? The Ritz Theatre (down the street from the Sunrise), an old hotel at the foot of Tickletummy Bridge, Moss Department Store, to name a few. St. Lucie County Historical Society, please keep up your good work, and look beyond to what currently is coming into the historic light.

On tomtiger99’s Flickr site (http://www.flickr.com/photos/35356512@N05/) was posted what appears to be a menu cover...

Moon Garden, built in 1957, opened in 1959, closed in 1964, flattened after 2005
The Lueg family owned this place north of Fort Pierce, it closed in '64 when the owner's daughter was killed in a car crash. It remained empty until about 2005 when an ambitious woman bought the property to preserve and repurpose the building. It apparently was torn down after being totally gutted and roofless, for a project that was cancelled!! I remain angry to this day. Local artist A.E. "Beanie" Backus had painted an Asian mural on one of the interior walls, according to one local news report after the woman bought the building. I saw the mural years before the building was fenced in, and ultimately flattened. Good going St. Lucie County! Anyone with pictures of this place, please contact me on Flickr, and maybe post some. Lueg family lost everything pertaining to the business in a house fire.

A commenter on tomtiger99’s site with the handle, innisfree55, added this on September 2, 2010...

The Moon Garden Restaurant was owned and operated by Moon Lueg. The family also had a restaurant in the Melbourne-Eau Galle area. Mr. Lueg had a large farm off Old Dixie Highway where he raised vegetables especially those used in his oriental recipes. His daughter Ida Lueg was killed in an auto accident in '63. I believe Mr. Lueg closed the Moon Garden Restaurant shortly after. Mr. Lueg was a close friend of Father Beerhalter, the pastor of St Anastasia's Church in Ft Pierce. At that time the church was building a new High School (John Carroll High) and Mr. Lueg donated money and Oriental furnishings for a room at the school in his daughter's memory which was called the "Chinese Room" by us students that attended JCHS. I'm not sure if I have any photos of the Restaurant although there may be some in the yearbooks from the High School in the advertisements section. My Dad worked for the School and met Mr. Lueg and his wife Ella May several times. They had a large family and the children all attended the local Catholic School. I do have a picture of the family from 1951 which was taken at Father Beerhalter's 25th Jubilee.

tomtiger99’s reply that same day...

Thank you for your note and the correction of the family name! My faulty memory at work again. I can dig up the newspaper articles sometime with the pictures of the building. I did find out through someone else into local history, that the family refused to let this person take photos inside the building, before the brainiacs who destroyed it bought it and flattened it. I'd like to check out the high school yearbooks and find out if indeed pictures exist as you suggest they could. Also, perhaps patrons or their children have family party pictures inside and outside the structure? I'd love to see the other restaurant north of here, if the building still exists.

Then, on innisfree55’s Flickr site (http://www.flickr.com/photos/49077767@N06/) came this 1951 photo of the Lueg family, when Moon was just 43 years old...

Lueg Family
This was taken in the St. Anastasia Church Social Hall on 10th St during the 25th Jubilee. This is the Lueg family. Many old timers will remember the Moon Garden restaurant north of town near the Indian River County line. Mr. Moon Lueg and his wife Ella May here with their 8 children owned and operated the Moon Garden Restaurant along with another restaurant in the Melbourne area. After the death of one of his daughters (I think it was Ida) he closed the restaurant and left it vacant. Moon Lueg was a close friend of Monsignors and also owned a vegetable farm on the river off the Old Dixie Highway where he grew many vegetables needed for his restaurants oriental cuisine that were not available locally. Mr. Lueg donated money and Oriental furnishings for a memorial room for his daughter when John Carroll was built. For those of us JCHS alumni, we remember it as the Chinese Room on the 1st floor.

And here’s a photo on that 25th Jubilee, in 1951...

25th Jubilee for Father Michael Beerhalter
25th Jubilee for Monsignor Beerhalter in 1951. This was taken on the auditorium stage that was on the top floor of St. Anastasia's School on 10th St. I can remember my father buffing and waxing that wooden floor while I rode on top of the buffing machine. Some fellow JCHS basketball team players may remember having to use this auditorium for our basketball practice one year. We learned how to shoot 9 ft baskets which didn't help much when it was time to play on a regulation size court. Oh the memories...

Some of the children in this last photo appear to be those of Moon and Ella May Lueg.

Maybe there are some TC members in the Fort Pierce area that can add to this.