County of building: St. Louis County
Location of building: W. Argonne Dr. & Clay Ave., SE corner, Kirkwood
Built: 1875 - 1899
Style: Late Victorian - Italianate
Original Occupant: Heinzelmann Bakery
Current Occupant: Down By The Station
150-156 W. Argonne. Heinzelmann Bakery Building. 1875, Major renovation and new
façade after fire in 1899. Architect, unknown. Contractor, unknown. Contributing.
Although Dahl’s A History of Kirkwood indicates that the Heinzelmann Bakery was constructed
around 1875 when Rudolph Heinzelmann started his business at that location, Heinzelmann did
not purchase the property until 1881. Since the building is clearly evident on the 1878 plat map, either Heinzelmann was leasing the space or he actually opened his business in 1881 (the
business is listed in the 1881 gazetteer). He ran the company until his death in 1896, when his
son Leo took over. The building suffered a fire in 1899 and was rebuilt, with three storefronts.
This is an exceptionally significant commercial building in Kirkwood, in part because it was
built on a long triangular lot created next to the railroad right-of-way and as the only building
retaining its cast iron storefronts in Kirkwood. The caboose was placed next to the building (east
side) in the 1980s by the property owners as part of their business still in operation in the
building, Down by the Station.
After the fire in 1899, Heinzelmann moved his business across the street to 157 W. Argonne and
expanded to a grocery store, but Leo and Lulu Heinzelmann retained ownership of this building
until it was sold as part of their estate in 1962. H. Frankenstein Tailor and Hough Realty
occupied this building in 1910. 150 W. Argonne was listed as vacant at least from 1922 through
the 1950s, but more likely it was just being used by the same business as 152 W. Argonne. In
1922 Kirkwood Dry Goods occupied 152. By 1928 it was used by Kirkwood Beauty Saloon. In
1938, I. Serkes operated a tailor shop at that address. In 1949, R. Henry had a watch repair shop
in that storefront and by 1958 Stouts’ goldsmith business was located at 152 W. Argonne. The
154 W. Argonne storefront housed Argonne Cleaners in 1922, to be replaced by the Multack
Cleaners in 1928 and then was vacant until a series of beauty shops moved into the building in
1949 through the 1950s. The 156 W. Argonne address was an apartment, occasionally occupied
by a dressmaker at that time." ~ NRHP Nomination Form
" ... In one case, a
fire in 1899 in the 1875 Heinzelmann Bakery Building (150-158 W. Main, now Argonne),
resulted in a major reconstruction and distinctive, Late Victorian, brick façade with multiple cast
iron storefronts. ... "
" ... The Heinzelmann
Bakery (150-156 W. Argonne) is a large, two-story, brick building that is more in line with the
vernacular style of the majority of the surrounding buildings, except for its length, which
dominates the block where it is located. ... "
" ... Across Argonne, at the west end of the district, is one of the district’s most recognized
late nineteenth century buildings, the Heinzelmann Bakery Building that was originally
constructed in 1875, but rebuilt in 1899 after a major fire so that it now has a distinctive
Italianate influenced, projecting, pressed metal entablature at the parapet cap as well as the
town’s only remaining examples of cast iron storefronts on this multiple storefront brick
building. ... "
"The property owners in the district have had a long tradition of updating their buildings,
beginning with the 1899 update of the 1875 Heinzelmann Bakery, but especially epitomized by
the stucco coatings popularized in the 1920s and 1930s.
" ... Older buildings are more likely to
be two stories tall and tend to be narrower than the recent construction. However, one of the
oldest buildings downtown, the Heinzelmann Bakery Building (150-156 W. Argonne) is also one
of the widest facades, with multiple cast iron storefronts and a decorative brick parapet installed
in 1899 after the fire in this 1875 building. ..." ~ NRHP Nomination Form, PDF pages 9, 42-43, 50-51
"150-156 W. Argonne. Heinzelmann Bakery Building. 1875, Major renovation and new
façade after fire in 1899. Architect, unknown. Contractor, unknown. Contributing.
The Heinzelmann Bakery is a two story red brick building with a long, continuous façade, but a
staggered rear elevation (giving the appearance of separate buildings on the rear) due to the
triangular shaped lot with the railroad right-of-way curving on the rear of the property. After an
1899 fire, the building was rebuilt and updated to include a cast iron storefront with three entries
and seven transomed display windows. There is a bracketed cornice and brick detailing that
includes a brick band above the second floor windows that follows the segmental arch of the
brick lintels. The second floor windows were one-over-one sashed windows when the 1988
survey photo was taken, but they appear to be replaced (with a taller lower sash) since then.
There is a recent wood, one story addition that connects to a train caboose on the east side of the
building." ~ NRHP nomination Form