The Koetting Eye Center has long been a St. Louis fixture. Many of our patients can recall coming to the Koetting Eye center for as long as they can remember. But, did you know that the modern, cutting edge eyecare practice you know today actually dates back to the late 1800’s and has had a history of innovation since its inception? Join us as we explore the long history and humble beginnings of one of the largest and most revolutionary eyecare practices of the St. Louis area.
Our story begins south of St. Louis in St. Geneivive, MO in the year 1887. John Koetting, grandfather to Dr. Robert Koetting, owns a department store in town which features a watch and jewelry repair shop. He decides to open an optical department within the shop in order to offer more services to his clientele. Although small, this optical department will become the predecessor to what we know today as Koetting Eye Center. The original department store, now named Koetting Foodway still stands in St. Geneivive. It has offered other merchandise and services along the way, serving as a furniture store, silent movie theater, and funeral parlor, but it has been selling groceries exclusively since the 1950’s.
To continue our story, we must move ahead to the year 1921 and pick up with John Koetting’s son, Dr. Felix A. Koetting. At this time, Optometry is a very new profession and Dr. Felix Koetting establishes his Optometric profession in South St. Louis. He is joined in practice by his son, Dr. Robert A. Koetting in 1947. Dr. Robert Koetting, always a pioneer in his profession, makes the decision in 1961 to devote his practice exclusively to contact lenses. This is an extremely bold endeavor at this time, as contact lenses are uncomfortable and very few Optometrists know how to fit them. In fact, only 1% of the population is wearing contact lenses in 1961. His practice is called Eye Laboratory Inc, but in 1976 he moves to the University Club Tower and renames it The Koetting Associates. He specializes in hard-to-fit contact lenses and carries a large inventory of lenses so patients won’t have to wait. His progressive decision pays off and his practice grows as he cares for tens of thousands of patients: not only gaining the trust of his patients but also that of other doctors in the eyecare industry.
In the early days of contact lenses, a contact lens fitting was an extremely complicated and time-consuming endeavor. Many patients fit at that time recall that the process took an entire day, and Dr. Koetting and his technicians would take them out to lunch midway through the day. Dr. Koetting was fitting “hard” contact lenses, and as in present day, had a lab on site so adjustments could be made. According to these patients it was a long day, but it was life changing. They were able to see clearly without glasses for the first time they could remember. Fast forward to 1982, and Dr. Carmen F. Castellano joins the Koetting Associates. Dr. Castellano works alongside Dr. Koetting until his retirement from seeing patients in 1986. He learns every aspect of the “Koetting Way” from philosophy to patient care and to this day he continues to safeguard the legacy of this revolutionary eyecare practice. Like his predecessor, Dr. Carmen Castellano continues to push the boundaries of eyecare, receiving numerous awards and accolades for his contributions to optometry. He adds an eyewear dispensary to the practice in 1990, as well as further expanding into medical eyecare. 1999 brings the advent of LASIK surgery, and Dr. Castellano moves the practice very heavily into that area seeing upwards of 30 LASIK cases each month. This new wave of eyecare is the modern-day life-altering equivalent to the experience of Dr. Koetting’s early contact lens patients allowing them to see clearly without glasses or contact lenses. In 2006 The Koetting Associates moves from the University Club Towers to our present-day location at 2511 South Brentwood Blvd. and continues to be an integral part of the Brentwood community.
Continuing the father-son tradition of the Koetting Associates, Dr. Carmen Castellano’s son, Dr. Joseph C. Castellano joins the practice in June of 2011.
In August 2011, Dr. Robert Koetting passes away. Although he retired from seeing patients in 1986, Dr. Koetting remained active in the profession through writing, lecturing and consulting. He was an inventor, an expert on management practices, a popular speaker in his field, and he wrote over 350 articles and scientific papers and five books. His contributions to the eyecare industry are numerous and valuable. It is our honor and pleasure to carry on his legacy through the exemplary care of our patients.
Always moving forward and evolving, The Koetting Associates expands the practice into West County in 2016 by acquiring the practice of Dr. Gary DeLancey in Ellisville. This merger is an obvious decision for Dr. Castellano and Dr. DeLancey, who have been friends and colleagues for many years and feel that the philosophy of the two practices and the quality of care provided make this a perfect match.
Additionally, in 2016, the practice is joined by Dr. Nicholas Castellano. Dr. Nick is also one of Dr. Carmen Castellano’s four sons, thereby cementing the family legacy for at least this generation.
In 2019, The Koetting Associates became known as Koetting Eye Center. We also updated our logo. It’s a slightly different look, but the same quality of care our patients have come to know and expect from Koetting.
In January of 2021 the long and historic father- son legacy was again continued when Drs. Joe and Nick purchased the practice from their father, Dr. Carmen Castellano. Under their leadership, we will continue to break boundaries and explore the latest technology for our patients both established and new. We have some exciting changes in the works for Koetting Eye Center and we look forward to continuing to provide the most advanced eyecare and to serving our esteemed patients.
