For a print edition, please contact the editor of our Special Publications, Jennifer Mertz.
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STORY INDEX Population of Indiana's
northeast counties Tracking railroads: Longtime area auto dealers have 'seen it all' Amish continue long-held
traditions Cars accelerate lives of Noble County residents The price of cars: How much did it cost to drive one off the lot? Electric Interurban connected area to Fort Wayne, beyond LaGrange residents rally to save historic brick streets U.S. 6, Ind. 3: Kendallville's routes to growth Agriculture ever-changing, advancing in Noble County Comparisons: How far did the dollar stretch? Growing onions, peppermint made 'scents' in early 1900s The Gaby farm: A changing culture impacts 4-H County fair continues to be a big social event Thriving through the times: Downtown Kendallville adapts to a century of changes Dekko's philanthropy remains a 'valuable resource' Rinkel family still at the wheel of Greenfield Hills Commerce nothing new to Shipshewana: Town thrives as one of fastest-growing tourist areas in state Making do during the Great Depression: Retired hatchery owner recalls tough times, bright moments Mill a 'Star' business in Ligonier: Firm has been grinding wheat into flour for 113 years Elmer E. McCray had a major impact on Kendallville Richard R. Cole has long legacy Female executive has seen many changes in workforce Working women: From assisting war effort to competing in global markets Wolcottville a center of commerce, industry in 1800s Mongoquinong area was early LaGrange County commercial center 'The cheapest hired hand we ever had.' Electricity made life brighter, easier down on the farm Monument company's history set in stone Historic Corn School dates back to 1906
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Thriving through the times Downtown Kendallville adapts to a century of changes By DENNIS NARTKER
KENDALLVILLE - About 50 street-level businesses lined Kendall-ville's Main Street business district in 1900. Early that year Kendallville's 3,354 citizens traveled the unpaved dirt road in horse and buggy to attend a stage show at the Spencer Opera House, 221 S. Main St. (later called the Boyer Opera House and then the Strand Theatre). In August that year C.F. Moellering & Co., of Fort Wayne,
paved the 50-foot-wide Main Street business district with bricks
for $14,207. Shoppers in 1900 stopped at Paul Klinkenberg's store, 201 S. Main St., to buy wallpaper for four cents a roll. They took their horses to John Q. Whitford's livery stable, south of the Kelly House (Kendallville Auto Parts, 101 S. Main St.). The Kelly House light tower, with its powerful electric light, served as a beacon to traveling salesmen. Shoppers bought baby shoes for 10 cents a pair at the Boston Shoe Co. at the corner of Main and Mitchell streets. Travelers checked the train schedule at the Union Station in Depot Park off Lincoln Street west of the North Main Street railway crossing. The east-west Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railroad and the north-south Grand Rapids and Indiana Line served Kendallville. In 1916 the three-block district between Rush Street and the railway crossing had 87 street-level businesses with professional offices and apartments on the second floors of most buildings. Nine grocery stores, six restaurants, six taverns, eight clothing stores, three hotels and three theaters were among the businesses. Automobiles joined horse and buggies on the main thoroughfare.
In 1949-50 the downtown business district boomed with 118 retail shops, businesses and service agencies including A&P and Kroger groceries, six restaurants including the V&A, the Kendall Hotel and the Princess and Strand theaters. J.C. Penney's had new men's topcoats for $12, the Villa Shoe Store offered "X-ray fitting" and Rimmell's Hat Shop at 133 S. Main St. offered soft Faille handbags for $2.95. Paul Douglas and Linda Darnell starred in the movie "Everybody Does It" at the Strand Theatre, or downtown visitors could see "Penitentiary" at the Princess Theatre.
As of June 1999 the district had 77 businesses, including a restaurant, a shoe store, two bars, two clothing stores (sports apparel and second-hand clothing) and no grocery or department store. Law offices, craft and hobby shops, insurance agencies, a church and even an alternative school now exist where department stores, restaurants, banks, grocery and clothing stores once attracted thousands of shoppers each week. Family Video has replaced the V&A Restaurant. A parking lot now exists where the Kendall Hotel once stood with its Kendall Lounge and barber shop.
The Northeastern Center's administrative offices are housed in a former furniture store building. Trains no longer stop here. The depot is gone. The Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railroad line is now Northfolk Southern and the GR&I, except for about a mile of track leading to the Favorite Brands International (Kraft) plant, was torn up in 1972. Ind. 3 and U.S. 6 traffic bypasses the area. Forty years ago Main Street was part of Ind. 3. Shoppers no longer bump elbows on the sidewalk or circle the district looking for a convenient parking space. Kendallville's downtown business district has undergone many changes over the years, some good and some bad. The downtown business district's history is evident in the restored building fronts in the 100 block of North Main Street, the decorative cloth awnings in the 200 block of South Main Street, the red brick pavement peeking through the asphalt street surface and City Hall's refurbished exterior. The future looks bright for one of downtown's oldest buildings, the Mitchell building, or Mitchell House as it was called more than 130 years ago. The two-story building at the corner of Main and William streets, 132-136 South Main Street, now houses TLC Health Foods, Mr. B's Sports and Designs and Ebey Appliance & TV. Its fancy canopy and restored storefronts reveal its early origins. The corner was a focal point of Kendallville's lively business district through most of this century. Here crowds passed on Friday nights, pausing to purchase popcorn from the little booth on the corner, pausing again to inspect the windows of the Sellick's and Kirkwood's stores in the 1950s and 1960s. A parking lot was created in 1961 behind the building and the merchants in the building added night lights and rear entrances. The Business Service Company of America building at 107-109 N. Main St. is among a block of buildings on North Main Street on the National Register of Historic Places. The Iddings/Gilbert/Leader/Anderson block (note the names at the top of the storefront facades) from 105 to 113 N. Main St. was added to the historical register in 1987. The adjoining buildings feature a Queen Ann design. The block has housed different types of small enterprises this century including Franklin's Cafe, Nartker's Restaurant, Throp Restaurant, Stemen's Cafe, Demerest & Wherley Milliners, Elmer's Bar, Bonnie Lou's Country Inn, Mission Church, Helmer's Creamery & Produce, American State Bank, City Cigar Store, J.E. Hovarter Radio Shop, the M.L. Horner Grocery and the Clark & Carunchia Market. The Anderson building at 113 N. Main St. is on the historical register for African-American businesses. Alonzo Anderson, a black barber, erected the building in the 1890s for his barber shop. Downtown's rejuvenated history is also evident in City Hall at the corner of Main and Rush streets, currently undergoing a $1.3 million interior renovation. Two years ago city officials, with support from a majority of citizens, decided to keep city government and the police station in the 86-year-old structure downtown, refurbish and restore its exterior while modernizing the interior and the adjoining annex. The City Hall fire station was moved into a new structure on Drake Road in 1998, opening up space for an expanded police department. The City Hall project will be completed in October. At its peak in the 1950s, shopping on Friday and Saturday nights in downtown Kendallville was more of a social occasion. People arrived early to get a parking space, then sat on their cars or the sidewalk benches and chatted. They shopped for groceries at the A&P or Kroger's while teens hung out at the Palace of Sweets or the Central Drug Store's soda fountain and booths. Traffic changes affected shopping patterns. In the late 1950s trains no longer stopped in Kendallville. The state ordered Kendallville to change from angle parking to parallel parking in the downtown district in 1958 for better traffic flow. Main Street was part of Ind. 3. In 1974, the Ind. 3 bypass west of Kendallville was completed, and in 1991 the $41 million project to four-lane Ind. 3 from Kendallville to Fort Wayne was finished. In the late 1950s the Publix and Foodtown shopping centers at the Ind. 3 North and U.S. 6 junction began pulling patrons away from the downtown business district. In 1959 the U.S. 6 bypass was completed and traffic no longer had to travel Dowling Street and Riley Street. In the late 1980s construction began on the Fairview shopping center on the city's northeast side off of U.S. 6, the biggest commercial development in the city's history. Anchored by Wal-Mart, Scott's Foods and the Best Western Kendallville Inn, the 100-acre shopping complex is now the focal point of most retail business in Kendallville. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, places along U.S. 6 like the Dairy Queen, the Redwood Drive-In, the Publix Cafe and Restaurant, the A&W Root Beer Stand and Kelsey's Drive-In attracted teens and their parents. Downtown retail shops like The Toggery, The Cinderella Shop, Gamble's and the Firestone Store closed. The U.S. Postal Service, since the turn of the century a downtown drawcard, abandoned its building in the 100 block of West Mitchell Street for a new building at the intersection of U.S. 6 and Fair Street in 1977. The Elks Temple, also in the 100 block of West Mitchell Street, and home to numerous gatherings in its fancy banquet hall in the 1950s and 1960s, was demolished to make way for a bank and parking lot. Despite these losses the downtown business district can remain vibrant if everyone works together, according to Nancy Riesdorph, of Mr. B's Sports & Designs, 134 S. Main St., and president of the Downtown Business Association. "We are getting new people coming here all the time, and they comment on how nice the downtown is and the friendliness of everyone," she said. "With everyone working together we can keep improving the downtown." A group including Chamber of Commerce representatives is working through the state's Main Street revitalization program to improve the downtown. "The future of our downtown will remain very important to our commercial growth as we rarely have an empty building for any length of time," said Barb Mulholland, Kendallville Area Chamber of Commerce president and chief executive officer. "As long as there is pride in the business owner in the downtown, it will thrive," she said. |
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