"Main and Second Streets where the NIPSCO offices are was the site of a large livery stable. Operators at different times were Ed Rohwedder and Ross Graham."Images (links open in a new window):
♦ This post, concerning the livery changing hands, shows the Rohwedder livery business in the early 1900s. (The linked story repeats contemporary newspapers' statements that Edward Rohwedder rented a barn behind the Hobart House for the use of his livery business; that may have been in addition to its location at 200 Main Street.)
"In 1891 Fred Rose, Sr., built the home that the Hobart Development Corporation razed this summer."
"Around the 1920s Dr. Fred Werner built a brick building for his home and dental office. After Dr. Werner's death, a beauty shop operated here. Dr. Lowell Dupes had an office in this building. It is now Earl's Barber Shop."
"In this building Dr. Dwight Mackey practiced. Living rooms were upstairs. Dr. Ralph Banks used the rooms for his dental office when he moved from the Roper building rooms on Third Street. Dr. Gutowski has dental offices here today."
"Frame homes were razed when the Ben Ack Building was erected in the 1920s. All of Downtown Hobart was once owned by Chief Ben Ack of the Potawatomi Indians. This area was one of the floats awarded him when the U.S. Government purchased Northwest Indiana from the Potawatomi in the 1832 Treaty of Tippecanoe. Most of his land was bought by George Earle. The second story of the Ben Ack building is apartments, three stores make up the first floor. These stores have been occupied by various businesses. NIPSCO's first business office used one, Dick Wheaton sold TVs before he moved to Third Street. An auto agency, a chicken franchise, a newspaper store, Mundell's Flower Shop (1940-1947) (218 Main St.), a realty office and a children's wear shop were briefly here. Now Henri's Dress Shop (216 Main St.) has two rooms, and Nawrocki's Hobart Liquor Store the third (220 Main St.)."
"The three-story and basement Hobart House was built in 1867 by Edward Roper. On the third floor was a ballroom. Hotel rooms were on the first and second floors and a kitchen and dining room in the basement. William Jahnke and later C.E. Fraley operated a livery stable on the alley. Later Charles Bradley ran a machine shop in a building along the lake. This building has since been used by Tucker Iron Works and other concerns. In the basement of the Hobart House at one time was a Chinese laundry. Manteuffel also had a saloon here. In the 1920s the Hobart House was no longer a hotel. In the early 1920s Hobart schools were so crowded first grades were taught in these rooms. During the Depression years the township trustee housed welfare families in the building. The building was condemned and razed and Ed Prusiecki built the Art Theatre in 1941."
"The small building Mr. Prusiecki uses for his office was built in a walkway space between the theater and Mellon's Insurance office (232 Main St.). Mellon's office was first the Hobart Bank. When the bank moved to the Strattan building Estil Pearson had his law office here. Joseph Mellon opened his real estate and insurance office which was taken over by his son, Byron, and now operated by Byron's son, James."
"The building just south was the Colonial Theater owned by Ed Spencer who sold to Pliny J. Truesdell who sold to H.T. Coons of Chicago, August 19, 1913. The Theater was called "The Gem" until Sam Routes bought it and renamed it "The Strand." In 1913 the program listed three one-reel movies and two acts of vaudeville. Prusieckis took over The Strand in 1939. It is now a saloon. This building and the next one on the corner were built in 1893."
"On the corner Vossberg's Clothing Store with residences upstairs was once Cully Swanson's General Store. John Fiester succeeded Swanson here and also ran a bowling alley and pool parlor in the basement. Then it was a drugstore and proprietors were McComber, Penneman, Mr. and Mrs. Dyche, Badanish and Scholl. Dr. Brink and later Dr. Ader, then Dr. Kraft had offices upstairs. In the rear was a building Leon Calvert used for his tin shop."
"George Stocker built most of the buildings in the 300 block of Main Street. The building on this corner was erected in 1888. It housed the First State Bank when it was organized in 1899. Scheidt and Keilman's "Bee Hive" was in the south room. They also had a front on Third Street. The First State Bank was closed in 1929 and Gary National Bank opened a Hobart branch here. When they built on the old mill site, Lincoln Loan opened offices. Now Knight Coin & Stamp (301 Main St.) uses the rooms. Dr. Weisjahn had a dental office upstairs. Now the upstairs rooms are residences. Where Scheidt and Keilman had the Bee Hive, a restaurant later opened. Marshall Parry moved his "Royal Blue" store here from Third Street. Leonard Blair succeeded Parry in the grocery business and Hobart Fetterer followed Blair. Later a shoe store and a carpet store were here. And it is now the Craft Corner."
George Stocker made shoes when he first came to Hobart and had a store in the next building, now Atseff's Unity Shoe Shop. Stocker, as postmaster, had the post office here."
"The next building, built by Stocker, was two stories with residences upstairs. Hobart Town offices were in rooms upstairs at one time. On the first floor was Murray's saloon, also Scheddell's Drug Store. Hartman operated a furniture store and later Herman Pflughoeft was in the furniture business here. When Schultz Brothers Variety Store first opened, the building was still two-storied but was later remodeled to one story."
"This two-story brick once had Smalings Dress Shop downstairs and later Roper and Robinson. Mrs. Pardus had a craft shop. It is now Candle Glow."
"Next was a little frame building where the Hobart Gazette was published for so many years. These buildings were razed and Jacob Ittel built a warehouse-type building and Consumers Chain grocery (later to be called Kroger's) moved from across the street to Ittel's building around 1940. When Krogers left, Vossbergs moved their clothing store from the west side of Main and just recently traded locations with Scholl Pharmacy."
"The next two-story brick had living quarters upstairs and a store below. Ahrens Saloon was here, later Redding ran the saloon. Baumer's Bakery and then Stevens Bakery and lunchroom preceded a pool room. Tempas had an ice cream parlor here before Burkes opened a restaurant. The Brown House stationery store used the rooms before the Bridal Boutique opened."
"Next was a two-story brick building put up by the Earle family. This was purchased by Attorney Ray Kostbade and remodeled to one story. Mrs. Charles Lee and Mrs. George Watkins had a restaurant here. Dr. Richard L. Mayer has his offices (341 Main St.) in the building with Abbott's Restaurant (339 Main St.) on the east side."
"The next two buildings have had a varied history. Ammerman's Harness Shop was at the corner in 1876. Bruce had a plumbing shop here and a shoe shop was operated by a Mr. Shoemaker, then Mr. McClary and Mr. Flood. Simon's Cigar Factory and Ben Lax's Clothing Store were other businesses here. Odell Smith (347 Main St.) moved the jewelry store from across the street and rebuilt the corner building which housed a restaurant until Odell's expanded."
"Strattan's Opera House, a two-story building, was built by George Stocker in 1876 and sold to B.W. Strattan. On the second floor was a theater with a stage, seating area that could be converted to a ballroom, and a balcony. At one time a superstructure was used to store scenery so it could be rapidly pulled up and down. Hobart was to Chicago what Philadelphia was to New York. Plays were tried out in Hobart before being put on in Chicago theaters. In 1923-24 Hobart High School used the theater as a basketball court. Many exhibitions and dances were held here before it was condemned. The second floor on Main Street front once housed the Hobart telephone exchange. Offices were used by various concerns — Strom's Tailor Shop (300 Main St.), Findling's Insurance Office, Calumet Finance and JP office. Other rooms were residences. Hobart Art Guild is now upstairs. The Hobart Bank was moved to the corner room on the first floor. Stocker and Strattan both operated general merchandise stores in first floor rooms. The A&P Store was here at one time, also Mundell's Flower Shop and a pool hall. Hobart Hardware now uses all the first floor. Rexall Drug Store once used the middle store and the third room on the east has been an ice cream parlor, bakery and newspaper store. Vossberg's Clothing also occupied the middle store at one time."
"The next brick building was known as the Morton Building. Upstairs were living quarters and Dr. Morton had his dental office here. The store room downstairs has been an ice cream parlor, first Henderson's, then Fifield's and later Ellenberger's. Consumers Grocery Store was here and now it is Leon Gardner's Walgreen Agency. Dr. Storer once had offices upstairs."
"The Orcutt Building, now Bates Tavern, replaced the Mander Building where John Mander had a store and at one time the post office. Orcutt was Mander's son-in-law and opened a restaurant and hotel in the new brick building. At one time Fred Baumer had a bakery and catering business here."
"The next two-story building was razed when Albert Verplank built a one-story four-room store building. In the old building were various early Hobart businesses — a furniture store, undertaking establishment, shoe store, etc. The new building housed a menswear shop, dress shop, first offices of the Hobart Federal Savings and Loan, electric and gift shop, beauty parlor and dress shop, Guzzo's fruit and vegetable store, Johnson's Grocery, and now the Hi-Style Beauty Salon (328 Main St.), children's wear store, health food shop and wig shop."
"The next two-story brick housed the Masonic Lodge on the 2nd floor until 1925. Manteuffel shoe store was on the first floor and a residence in the rear. A gift shop and a loan office were there, and now the Hoosier Coffee Shop is here."
"The next two-story edifice, the Reissig building, housed a farm machinery sales room, Knapp's Variety Store and later Roger's News Depot (336 Main St.). Residences are on the second floor."
"The next two-story building has a residence upstairs. It once was a furniture store but for most of the time a barber shop. It is now Judd's TV."
"The next little building was a cigar store and later a barber shop. There was another small building next to it that was Odell's Jewelry Store where Mrs. Odell also sold her homemade ice cream. When the jewelry store moved across the street a number of proprietors operated a restaurant in the building. Mrs. Margaret Fleck had a fancy work shop here which was sold to Kittredge's Fabric Shop who later moved to Third Street when the buildings were torn down and the Hobart Development Corp. built the shop for Kellen's Florist (342 Main St.)."
"The small brick building next was Looker's Cigar Store, Newman's Newspaper Store, then Thompson's Beauty Shop and later a restaurant and a succession of short-lived businesses. Now this is where Calumet Finance does business."
"A small frame building on the northwest corner of Main and Fourth was replaced by a two-story brick. With residences upstairs, a saloon was on the first floor. Later there was a hat shop, then a dress shop here. A bakery owned by Baumer and then Corey used the rooms. A mail order office was here for a short while. Now this is where The Trunk Inc. (350 Main St.) does business."
"Odd Fellows Hall was built on land donated by the Earle family. In storerooms downstairs various businesses have been — Calvert and Ittel's Hardware, Hobart Hatchery, furniture store, an appliance store and now a craft shop. In the one-story part was there the Hobart News was printed. Mrs. Sohn had a dress shop here and the Hobart Herald had offices around 1953. Kentucky Fried Chicken was here and now it is Ginter Realty (405 Main St.)."
"The next building was a residence until Kellen's opened a florist shop. Now it is Le Counte Auto Supplies."
"Carstensens built the two-story brick for a home upstairs and grocery and meat market downstairs. George Sauter bought out Mrs. Carstensen and Ed Gernsey (Gernsey's Cash Food Shop) bought from Sauter. Harkins followed Gernsey. The room was next used for a Laundromat, then Sanz Electric shop. Ruchti's had their paint and paper store there. It is now the Hobart Gazette office."
"From here to the railroad tracks was a blacksmith shop, Veal's and Mueller's, and a large garage built by William Campbell (Campbell Bros., 431 Main St.). He sold Studebakers. Later Christenson sold Chevrolets here. This garage was razed and the Bank of Indiana (433 Main St.) built."
"Two houses were on the west side of the 400 block of Main before Hendersons built their ice cream factory (416 Main St.) with a residence upstairs. Both buildings were razed and the Hobart City Hall (414 Main St.) built in the 1960s. The Nickel Plate Garage operated at 426 Main St."