415 North Fifth Street - Midtown Neighborhood Historic District - St. Charles, MO - NRHP Historic Districts - Contributing Buildings on Waymarking.com

County of building: Saint Charles County
Location of structure: N 5th St., 1st bldg. N of Adams St, W side, St. Charles
Built: 1949
Architect: Unknown
Architectural Style: Modern
Original Occupant: Schumpe Motors
Map

"71. 415 North Fifth Street, Schumpe Motors; Mid-Century Modern; circa 1949; Contributing
This is a 1-story, mid-century Modern automotive dealership building. The rear 2/3 of the building is the automotive garage, which is a barrel vaulted section that has a false parapet of concrete block coated with stucco. The walls of this section of the building are painted concrete block. Across the façade is a low profile, flat-roofed showroom. The flat roof cantilevers out on both the south and east elevations to form a deep canopy over the plate glass windows that extend across the south elevation and across most of the façade, except for the entry area at the north end. The display windows, which extend to a low kickplate, have been replaced with narrower sections of aluminum-framed display glass. Near the north end, under the canopy, is a Permastone wall with a full light, multi-paned door that appears to be a replacement. At the north end of the façade is a tall, tower-like Permastone section that projects out to align with the outer edge of the canopy and is wide enough that it has a large plate glass window opening (currently covered over). The structure was built circa 1949 for Schumpe Motors automobile dealership." ~ NRHP Nomination Form

"Built: 1948-1950
Style/Design: Modern/Automobile dealership
The pre-1900, one story dwelling had been demolished between 1929 and 1947 according to the fire insurance maps. Since there are still residential lists for this address through 1945 and no listing in 1948 in the city directory, it is likely that the old house was demolished between 1947 and 1950 to make room for the construction of a new automotive dealership building for Schumpe Motors. The dealership moved into their building between 1948 and 1950 and continued to use the building at least through 1957.
  By 1959 and again in 1961, the city directory lists the Dutch Maid (coin-o-matic) at this address. In 1961, there was also a listing for 415 Rear for Moore’s Auto and Truck Service. This is one of the few historic commercial buildings within the historic district, an example of both the rising popularity of the automobile and the need for auto service for neighborhood residents, as well as an example of the transformation of the neighborhood as it matured, with the conversion of private residences into apartments and commercial enterprises. This is a great example of a mid-century automobile dealership building with the Modern stylistic details and the large showroom windows.

"The building is positioned on the north half of the property and the south half is paved for parking." ~ St. Charles Historic Survey  Phase I, PDFG pages 727-730