First Avenue between Front and Chestnut Streets

Pretty much everyone from Dodge City knows about the big bank building on the east side of First Avenue between Front and Chestnut/Wyatt Earp. If you think it was only home to First National Bank, boy do I have a story for you.

Ford County Treasurer, Alonzo B Webster, owned the lot in question and operated a dry goods store in the 1870s.

Webster sold his stock in February of 1878 and the Old House Saloon opened in Webster’s former store on March 9.

Plans were in place to organize a new national bank in May of 1882 but the filing was delayed due to the difficulty in procuring a fire and burglar-proof safe. The massive safe was installed in Herman Fringer’s drug store down the block from the Old House on June 1. Bank of Dodge City was formed on June 3, 1882 with Directors George Hoover, Richard Evans, Henry Sitler, William Harris, and Herman Fringer.

The 1884 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map shows the saloon at the northeast corner of Front Street and First Avenue along with some ancillary structures. The bank is shown just west of the Dodge House.

The following year, A. B. Webster sold the Old House lot to Bank of Dodge City.

G. M. Hoover bought the saloon building for $195 and had it moved to Military Avenue where it was used as a store.

Early estimates indicated the bank would spend $20,000 on the new brick building. Awarding the contract to an out-of-county builder didn’t go over well with the community.

Nevertheless, work began in July of 1885. Tenants were preparing to move in to the new building at the end of November but it sustained about $500 worth of damage in a fire that swept through Chestnut and Front Streets. Those who were able occupied their spaces the first week of December.

Bank of Dodge City was up and running in the new building.

The Globe Live Stock Journal also had space in the bank building.

Dr. Simpson rented rooms in the bank before he moved over the Bee Hive.

The building was damaged by fire again in August of 1886.

In December of 1886, Bank of Dodge City received approval to become First National Bank.

The first bank notes were issued in January of 1887.

I should clarify that this newly named First National Bank should not be confused with the later First National Bank…which was also located in this building at a later date. Or the second Bank of Dodge City on Second Avenue. Got it? Good.

The 1887 Sanborn shows the bank at 409 Front Street with offices on the second floor and in the basement. The entrance at the back of the building was assigned 326 Chestnut Street. These blocks had been renumbered but Dodge still didn’t have a standardized numbering system.

Asa T Soule (that freaking guy!) bought controlling interest in the First National Bank in May of 1887.

Wilburn Argus reported Soule paid $75,000 for the bank and then his friend (and later estate administrator) W. W. Munsell arrived to take over the operations in late May. Soule became President and Munsell Vice-President. Evans remained in his position as Cashier. Hoover and Hardesty retained seats on the Board of Directors.

Attorney Michael W Sutton moved his office into the front room on the second floor in January of 1888.

Gilbert Brothers Real Estate and Loans had an office on the Chestnut Street side. They were besties with Soule and were trying to sell property near the College of Western Kansas. So many promises were made.

The Chestnut side entrance was remodeled in May of 1889 to house a separate office.

Bank president, A. T. Soule, died in January of 1890. His son, Wilson, assumed his position at the bank.

In January of 1891, M. W. Sutton moved his law office to the newly remodeled main floor room on the Chestnut side.

The 1892 Sanborn shows the bank at 410 Front Street and new street addresses of 723 and 724 First Avenue.

The First Avenue Hotel opened above Sutton’s law office in July of 1893.

The bank’s balance sheet steadily declined throughout 1893 as its customers steadily lost their shirts. There were tons of foreclosures and everyone was suing everyone. In January of 1894, First National lost Evans and Kellogg to Hoover’s new private bank, also called Bank of Dodge City. In March, T. C. Owens opened a barber shop in the basement of the First National Bank building. I believe this was the first retail-type establishment to rent space in this building. Prior to this, even the basement was leased to attorneys and insurance companies.

In July of 1894, the bank’s balance sheet had further declined to $97,975.20 and on July 27, J. W. Gilbert announced they would be closing their doors. Yes, this was the same John W Gilbert who was selling lakefront properties with streetcar access north of Dodge.

Interestingly enough, Gilbert and the rest of the gang organized The Midland Bank three days prior to the closing announcement on July 24, 1894.

The Midland Bank’s balance sheet was much smaller than that of First National at only $15,737.86 in November of 1894.

The Ford County Republican Committee leased a room in the bank building in October of 1895. The Gilbert brothers sold the bank the following month.

The Midland Bank was sold yet again in January of 1896.

Midland Bank was then transferred back to the Gilberts in October of 1896.

In July of 1897, Mr. and Mrs. J. D. Williams opened a confectionery and dressmaking shop in the north room of the bank building. The following month, E. G. Erickson moved his boot and shoe shop into the building. John Becker had a tailor shop off and on in the same space. Otto Zieze bought Becker’s shop in August of 1897 and operated in the same location.

First Avenue Hotel closed January 19, 1898 and Mr. and Mrs. Tuttle started a private boarding house in those rooms. The Midland Bank lost its state bank charter in February of 1898.

E. D. Webb was appointed receiver and he immediately began action against a cattleman in Ashland over a deal which made up the bank’s primary loss. I believe this may have been George Theis, Jr. and he ended up owning the building.

O. T. Wright took over the boarding house in October of 1899.

After Ham Bell sold his Elephant Stable to John Cox, he rented the former tailor shop in January of 1900 and started H. B. Bell & Co. Live Stock Exchange. He also branched out into the land business. Dr. C. A. Milton opened an office in the former shoe shop that May.

Webb was finally able to sell The Midland Bank’s property in May of 1900. Russell and Crane were the buyers.

The bank building itself along with principal bank property was bought by C. F. Harbst of Ohio in June for $8,000. A charter was granted to The State Bank of Commerce on December 22, 1900 with capital of $10,000.

As I noted in a previous post, this new bank opened for business on January 5, 1901.

In November of 1901, the Santa Fe Railroad secured the upper rooms for division headquarters, which were relocated from La Junta, Colorado.

A. P. Kolley added three new chairs costing $75 each to his basement barber shop in June of 1902.

The Western Union office moved into one of the First Avenue rooms in November of 1903.

On June 1, 1904, the bank received approval to become the National Bank of Commerce with capital of $25,000.

The National Bank of Commerce was made a United States Depository in March of 1908.

The 1911 Sanborn shows the blocks had been renumbered again. You can see the Western Union office at 406 First Avenue.

The bank had been leasing their space in the building from George Theis, Jr. but were able to buy it in February of 1911.

The Dodge City Business College moved into the upstairs rooms in March of 1911.

In early 1912, bank officials had been waiting for spring weather to begin a complete remodel of the building. The Opera House fire in March of 1912 added to the scope of work. All windows on the west side of the bank building were broken and the metal cornice was melted off. Architect Reuel A Curtis was hired to redesign the building.

Plans included removing the brick veneer and replacing it with a darker color brick. New furniture was ordered in the mission style. The remodel was expected to cost around $12,000.

Dr. Hellwarth leased an office for his dental practice in November of 1912.

The bank’s giant new safe weighed 15,000 pounds.

National Bank of Commerce opened in their new quarters at the north end of the building on December 18, 1912. Western Union moved into the old bank area at the corner of First and Front at the end of December. The proprietors of the barber shop in the basement took advantage of this change so everyone would know where to find them.

The Dodge City Abstract Company was located in the bank building for decades.

Ham Bell finally shortened the name of his business.

Bell moved his office to his new building across Chestnut Street in February of 1916. The Conklin-Ginzel Mortgage Company took his old spot. The Millikan & Turner Real Estate Company leased an office in the Commerce Building while they waited for their new quarters in the Kansas State Bank Building to be completed.

The 1918 Sanborn shows the Western Union office in the original bank space at First and Front Street and the bank on the Chestnut side.

In January of 1921, The National Bank of Commerce became First National Bank in Dodge City with capital of $100,000. The image below shows the building from Chestnut Street looking southeast.

This photo was taken in 1925 and you can see the Lora-Locke Hotel hadn’t been built yet. The structure on the roof of the Chalk Beeson Theater is the fly tower used for controlling the stage scenery and asbestos curtain.

The 1926 Sanborn was the first to reflect the diagonal opening at the Chestnut Street entrance to the new bank space.

William Bader and W. C. Crutchley combined their pool halls into a joint enterprise under the Western Union office.

In July of 1929, First National Bank announced a new building would be constructed at the southwest corner of Second Avenue and Spruce Steet. The new building formally opened on August 19, 1930. Around 1930, Mann and Company architects had an office in the space at 412 First Avenue.

By 1937, Pioneer Cafe occupied the old First National Bank spot at 119 W Chestnut Street and Richmond Barber and Beauty Shop was on the opposite corner at 400 First Avenue.

In this photo taken in the mid to late 1930s, you can see the Lora-Locke in the background. The fly tower had been removed from the theater, which was remodeled into retail space.

Here’s a rare view from Front Street looking toward the northwest. The roofline hadn’t yet been altered at this point.

In 1942, Chuck’s Cafe was in the former Pioneer Cafe spot and the beauty shop was on the opposite corner.

A public auction was held in the building on October 13, 1943 but it appears the building itself was not for sale just yet.

In July of 1944, Conrad Gabriel of Garden City bought the building for $40,000. By 1947, the only occupied spaces were residential apartments. It’s entirely possible that the building was being remodeled again during this time.

By the time this photo was taken, the buildings along Front Street had been completely defaced. The decorative roof line of the bank building was removed and the brick had been painted.

Roy Estes Paint and Wallpaper occupied the Chestnut side room in the early 1950s.

The upstairs apartments were mostly occupied throughout the 1950s. In 1953, Mid Town Cab company was on the corner of First and Front with LaGrayce Beauty Shop at 402 First Avenue and C & C Barber Shop the next door north.

In April of 1955, the occupants of 207 Walnut Street temporarily relocated to the old First National Bank spot while their permanent home was remodeled.

By 1955, the barber shop was cleverly renamed First Avenue Barber Shop, the old bank room was vacant, and the US Army Recruiting Station had moved into the spot at 406 First Avenue.

El Poche Cafe opened at 402 First Avenue in late 1957 or early 1958.

The building went up for public auction on October 19, 1959.

I’m not sure if the Bairds bought the building or just rented most of it but they had apartments upstairs and Eldon’s Lunch at 119 W Wyatt Earp Boulevard in the 1960s. Around 1960, Joe Riedlinger opened Joe’s Domino Parlor at 406 First Avenue.

His and Hers Cafe replaced Eldon’s in the mid-1960s and that was the last eatery to occupy the building.

All of the apartments were vacant in 1967. The cafe and domino parlor were still hanging on and City Cab was located at 404 First Avenue. The following year, the Lutz Apartments were about half occupied and only the cab company was operating on First.

You can see from the photos below that the neighborhood had been allowed to deteriorate into a total slum. I don’t know what was going on with code enforcement in those days, but the answer appears to have been not much. These were taken just prior to the Urban Renewal demolitions.

This newspaper photo of demolition progress to the west didn’t scan well but at least you can see the bank building in the background.

By May of 1970, the original Bank of Dodge City building was gone.

Click here to see how the lot looks today.

I’ve made my views of Urban Renewal clear in the past so I won’t continue beating a dead horse. Just know that if you own an old building and are struggling with upkeep, there are all sorts of resources to get help. We’ve lost enough of our architectural heritage. Let’s preserve what’s left.

UPDATE: A reader sent a couple terrific images for your enjoyment, including a higher-resolution scan of the 1887 engraving. In addition to Bank of Dodge City, you can see signs for W. J. Fitzgerald Real Estate & Farm Loans, H. M. Beverly Real Estate and Loans, L. E. McGarry & Co. Law, Loan, Real Estate, Abstracts.

Here is a photo from 1963 that clearly shows the City Cab office at First and Front. You can see the upper parts of the west windows had been bricked over but the details remained.

If you like what you see, be sure to subscribe (way at the bottom of the post on mobile devices) to receive an email each time a new post is published and share on social media. You can also support my work by donating below. This content is 100% funded by history fanatics such as yourself. Thanks for reading!

607 N Second Avenue

This building has been quietly serving Dodge City for more than 100 years. It’s one of the many which had been saddled with a modern and very unattractive slipcover for as long as I can remember. Seeing the building’s original features for the first time made me wonder about its history.

The 1887 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map shows frame dwellings at 725-726 Second Avenue. This was before the staggered street numbering system was implemented. The 1911 Sanborn shows a much larger home and a whole mess of renumbering on Second Avenue. The lot we’re looking at was assigned 607 at that time and 609 was across the alley to the north. The residential neighborhood had given way to a mostly commercial district.

The original Anderson Building at 605 Second Avenue was erected in 1912. George Anderson awarded the contract to prolific Dodge City builder, Julian Parham. Annie Anderson had a new building with a very similar look constructed on the north side of the original in 1916. The home which had occupied the lot was sold and moved to another site.

Felkel’s Inn, operated by John Felkel, opened in August of 1916.

This menu holds up to today’s standards, although I’d skip the olive nut and pimento cheese.

The line between newsgathering and advertising may have blurred a bit but I do like the idea of opening a business with an orchestra.

The 1918 Sanborn was the first to show the restaurant with rooms upstairs. The building still had only one street number. In May of 1918, John Felkel accepted a position at the Dodge City Ice Cream and Produce Company. Martin Ditch took over the restaurant, which was renamed The Inn.

That lasted about a minute. By November of 1918, Ditch had moved to Hutchinson to take another job.

By September of 1918, Moon announced the fountain would cease operations due to a lack of “sufficient competent help.” I assume World War I and the influenza epidemic were contributing factors. The dining room service continued.

W. A. Curry assumed operations of The Inn in April of 1919. The fountain was resurrected under the watchful eye of J. D. Werner. The article below is kind of confusing. Sam Stubbs, Sr. had purchased The Inn and renamed it The Pennant.

The Stubbs family was famous for feeding Dodge City at various venues.

By the time of this printing, the new Anderson Building had been assigned the second street number of 609 Second Avenue. I’m not sure about that telephone number.

A fire damaged the building in January of 1920 and the restaurant reopened in April. I’m not saying the phone number was responsible but I also wouldn’t rule it out.

A Wurlitzer orchestra piano was installed at The Pennant in November of 1920. It reportedly produced music that was “full of pep.”

Stubbs moved The Pennant to the old Reynolds Jewelry spot on Chestnut Street in February of 1921 and Rush Hardware moved in to the new Anderson building the following month.

If you squint, you can make out the J. S. Rush sign on the right just beyond the Santa Fe Trail Garage.

Rush then sold the hardware store to Homer and Fred Tepe in October of 1922.

Once they took possession of the hardware store, the Tepes combined it with their plumbing and hardware business which had previously occupied the space at 315 W Chestnut Street.

It appears the Tepe brothers either sold or simply closed the hardware store by 1928. Homer had an accident in Clark County and an article from March of 1928 called him the former proprietor of a hardware store in Dodge. The 1928 and 1930 directories list Offerle Mercantile Company at 607 Second Avenue but I haven’t been able to find any details other than the name of the owner, H. A. Offerle. I believe that would be Harry Abner Offerle but don’t hold me to it.

The building must have been remodeled into two separate storefronts sometime in the 1920s. W. G. Thomas operated Temple Shine Parlor in the north room at 609 Second Avenue.

Anderson Cleaners moved to the north room around 1934.

William J Hoffman was a jeweler from Jetmore who teamed up with S. C. Walker (formerly of Mosher & Cochran) to open a store at 405 Second Avenue in May of 1925.

Hoffman bought out Walker’s share around 1929 and moved to the south room at 607 Second Avenue in the mid-1930s.

By 1942, the Pollock, Mapel and Beck Shoe Company was located at 609 Second Avenue. And by 1947, the Pollock and Mapel were silent. You’ll have to read that linked post to get the (admittedly lame) joke.

The Fairytale Shop reopened in their new location at 609 Second Avenue in May of 1953.

This extremely relatable photo from 1954 shows the building pre-slipcover.

Dick and Betty Roth bought the jewelry store around 1960.

The Bairds remained next door to the north.

In the photo below, you can see the entire block south of the First National Bank Building was modernized with a metal slipcover.

The Fairytale Shop moved up north to the mini mall in the early 1970s. Raleigh and Elaine Bristor bought Roth Jewelers around 1974.

Rose Music Company opened at 609 Second Avenue in October of 1979.

Here’s a shot from the First National Bank Building.

Although I remember shopping at Roth’s for jewelry, I think I missed the billiards section. That must have come after the Bristors sold the business.

In the years since Roth’s closed, the building has housed a bridal shop, a seamstress, a hair salon, and several retail stores. The north storefront is currently occupied by Ez Ink Studios. Although the south room is now home to Grain Belt Express, the storefront still gives away its decades as a jewelry store.

These photos were taken over a period of a year or so. Walking past and seeing the slipcover had been removed was a wonderful surprise. You will notice lots of changes in the windows over time. The north wall of the building has since been decorated with some colorful adhesive artwork.

The Google Street View images go back to 2007 so you can see how the storefronts have changed over time. I love that these buildings are being allowed to show their age and character. They still have a lot of life left in them!

If you like what you see, be sure to subscribe (way at the bottom of the post on mobile devices) to receive an email each time a new post is published and share on social media. You can also buy me a cup of coffee using the donation form. Thanks for reading!

711 N Second Avenue

This ugly duckling was rumored to have gotten its start as a stone stable-turned-pigsty. It makes for a fun story but it also doesn’t seem to be rooted in reality.

The most credible story I’ve found about the building’s origin came from Frank A Hobble in 1932. He told the Globe that the stone building had been the sutler’s store at Fort Dodge, which was purchased by R. M. Wright and A. J. Anthony and moved to Dodge City. Newspaper accounts from 1884 seem to confirm Hobble’s version.

The 1887 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map shows a long, stone two-story tenement house with a single-story frame attachment on the back. The street address at that time was 905 Second Avenue. Pay special attention to the P. G. Reynolds Stage Stable to the left at Third and Vine. It will be relevant later.

By the time the 1892 Sanborn came out, the street number had been changed to 904 as the result of a building demolition to the south.

Unfortunately, the seven-year gap between available maps leaves the timeline somewhat open to interpretation. I know the building became a broom factory sometime before 1899 but as of this writing, I can’t prove which one.

In the spring of 1896, John E Harvey and L. E. Bissell opened a broom factory in Dodge City. I believe it was initially located under the Rock Island ticket office and I didn’t find any mention of it moving to Bridge Street/Second Avenue so it is unclear whether this building was occupied by this particular factory.

Frank S Porter bought the Dodge City Broom Factory in October of 1898 and he began plans to build a new place in July of 1899. Indeed, the 1899 Sanborn shows an old broom factory still at 904 Second Avenue with the current broom factory on the east side of Second between Spruce and Walnut. So there’s that.

The 1905 Sanborn still shows the (old) broom factory at 904 Second Avenue but the frame section looks like it was removed, as were the frame outbuildings. A new frame dwelling was added to the south end. It’s difficult to tell if they’re actually connected or just very close. It appears the building was once again used as a rooming house. Mr. and Mrs. J. A. Henry opened the Block House in May of 1907.

The block was renumbered sometime around 1909. The 1911 Sanborn shows both the old street number and the new one of 711 Second Avenue. The frame house was definitely connected according to this map. A wooden porch was added along the front and a there were also a couple of additions in the back. By this time, the Christian Church had been constructed at the southwest corner of Second Avenue and Vine Street.

I wrote a bit about Combs Automotive, which was temporarily located at the Block House, in a previous post.

The Block House was used as an emergency hospital during the influenza epidemic. It finally closed in the Spring of 1920.

The 1920 directory advertised 14 clean, airy, modern rooms managed by Mrs. Bertha Brumbaugh. Mrs. Henry retained ownership of the building until she sold it to the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks No. 1406 in February of 1924.

W. S. Leonard was hired by Mrs. Henry’s son to auction off the Block House furniture and fixtures ahead of the renovation.

The description in this article makes me wonder just how bad the building looked during the Block House years.

This postcard from 1925 contains the earliest image I’ve been able to find and it just wasn’t an attractive building.

The 1926 Sanborn shows the structure had been further enlarged. You can see the frame dwelling to the south had been removed and replaced by the IOOF and auto sales buildings which still occupy those lots.

Boxer (and Dodge City police officer) Angus Snyder trained in the basement of the Elks Home. Several fights were held in this building over the years.

Snyder actually held the second mortgage on the building and things were not going well for the Elks.

The building went up for sheriff’s sale in November of 1931 and Snyder bought it. The Elks, meanwhile, had eighteen months to redeem the property and announced plans to do so. Those plans were ultimately unsuccessful.

The 1932 Sanborn doesn’t show any changes to the lodge but the neighborhood had been completely transformed.

Snyder converted part of the building into apartments. There was one apartment on the second floor and two on the main floor plus a small basement apartment that was only briefly rented. The basement was mostly leased to businesses and government agencies. Snyder was even convinced to build a handball court in 1934.

The Kansas Emergency Relief Committee rented space in the building during the mid-1930s. KERC’s spot was later leased by the Ford County Board of Social Welfare as seen in the photo below from April 1, 1939. I’m not completely certain why all the BPOE signage (and the Elk!) remained.

You will note a cafe had been added at the north end of the building at some point. LaGrande Beauty Shop also occupied space in the building in 1939.

By 1942, Richardson’s Cafe was at the north end and Walker Mattress Company occupied the basement. Culligan Soft Water Service had moved in by 1947 and the cafe was home to J & D Cafe. I’m not sure when the gym was cleared out and used for storage.

Western Light and Telephone Company was in the building directly to the south and the office manager, Lott G Gean, had an apartment in the old Elks Home during the 1950s. Fields Typewriter Company had taken over the basement by 1953.

This photo was taken in 1954 and you can see the J&D Cafe sign in the window.

By 1955, that north end was home to Shamrock Shine Parlor, which was quickly replaced by Red’s Barber Shop in 1956.

By 1959, the basement was leased to Perry Office Machines.

Later in 1960, Perry moved across the street and the basement was left vacant. The building was completely vacant by 1962.

In this aerial photo, you can see the Christian Church on the corner had already been demolished and the site was being used as a parking lot.

I don’t want to besmirch the sources for this article, who didn’t have the magic of the internet to refresh their memories. It really does seem like Ripple was pulling the reporter’s leg.

You’ll recall I drew your attention to the 1887 Sanborn, which placed the (wood, not stone) Reynolds stable around the block from the future Elks Home. The maps also confirm the building had two stories long before Mrs. Henry bought it. Observations of tenement buildings aside, I have found no indication that the building was ever a *literal* pigsty.

These photos were taken during the demolition, which took place in the Spring of 1970.

Aside from some small outbuildings, the lot has been empty ever since.

I’m always harping on the evils of Urban Renewal and the historic buildings which were taken from us. In this case, even with the legacy from Fort Dodge, it seems like the right decision.

If you like what you see, be sure to subscribe (way at the bottom of the post on mobile devices) to receive an email each time a new post is published and share on social media. You can also buy me a cup of coffee using the donation form. Thanks for reading!