The Lowell Area Historical Museum is taking us on a stroll along Main Street and sharing the history of buildings in Lowell’s historic downtown. To learn more about Lowell history, visit the museum website to explore its collection of local artifacts and records.
Address: 117 W. Main
Date Built: 1906; 2010
Owner when built: J. E. Lee; Greg Canfield
1st businesses: Klumpp and White Meats, Jud Tinkler- Barber, Thomas Shiels Saloon; Main Street Inn
J.E. Lee and Jake Young built the Lee Block in 1877. Fire destroyed it in the conflagration of 1884; Lee rebuilt it using “corrugated iron covering on the sides.” The buildings were partially destroyed in another fire in 1906 and the iron covering made it difficult to get water on the fire. Lee died in 1907 while superintending the rebuilding.
The Lee building originally had five storefronts with the addresses 123, 121, 119, 117 and 115 W. Main. The Main Street Inn, 117 W. Main, replaces the three eastern storefronts. The builder had his business, J. E. Lee’s Meat Market, in the easternmost store from 1877-1903. It continued as a meat market though the 1920s with A. L. Weyrick, Klumpp and White, and finally Klumpp’s Meats. There was a wooden walkway around the east side of the building to a platform in the back which held the bubbling iron pot of freshly made bologna.
Other businesses in these three storefronts through the years have included: Tony Gazella’s Novelty and Shoe Repair, White Jewelry and Gifts, Avery Jewelry, Lowell Loan Co., Speerstra Insurance, Tummino Law, Meyers, Mika, Beckett and Jones Law, Fashion Fashionesta, Reedy Realty, a shoe store, and The Dam Store.
In 2009, the buildings were condemned because their foundations were falling into the river. The Main Street bridges over the Flat River were being replaced and the water level would be lowered and foundation work could be done. Greg Canfield took up the challenge. He purchased the buildings, repaired the foundations and seawall and in 2010, did the renovation. The Main Street Inn was a labor to save Lowell’s Main Street charm.
If you visit the Inn today, you will discover seven large bedrooms with views either of the Flat River or of Main Street. There are two decks attached to the back of the building for you to sit awhile and enjoy the view of the river and the Lowell Showboat. There is also a large lounge and kitchen area upstairs and a smaller dining area downstairs. Options for rental include by room or the upper floor or the entire Inn.
Below is what three storefronts (115, 117, and 119 W. Main) looked like in the past. Notice the barber pole on the center storefront. Among the barbers were Jud Tinkler, John Bannan, Mabel Scott and Owen Ellis, Dick and Owen’s, Stiles Beauty Shop.
And here’s what 117 W. Main Street looks like today:
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