St. Charles City Bakery facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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St. Charles City Bakery
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The St. Charles City Bakery viewed from the southwest
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 Location in Minnesota
Location in the United States
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| Location | 501 Whitewater Avenue, St. Charles, Minnesota |
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| Area | Less than one acre |
| Built | 1876 |
| Built by | Conrad Bohn |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| NRHP reference No. | 84001723 |
| Designated | August 9, 1984 |
The St. Charles City Bakery is an old building in St. Charles, Minnesota. It was built way back in 1876. This building is special because it's listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's an important place in history.
The bakery building is important for its role in business. It's the only building left from the first main shopping area of St. Charles. A big fire in 1891 destroyed most of that old downtown. After the fire, the town's main business area moved to a new spot.
Contents
What the Bakery Building Looks Like
The St. Charles City Bakery is a two-story building made of brick. It measures about 20 feet wide and 40 feet long. The building sits on a strong limestone basement.
Building Style and Features
The building has a style called Italianate architecture. This was a popular design when it was built. You can see this style in the rounded arches above the windows and doors.
The front of the building faces west. It has a main entrance in the middle. On each side of the door, there is a window. Wooden panels are under these two windows. They match the wooden panels on the double doors.
All three openings – the door and the two windows – have rounded windows above them. These small, rounded windows are divided into four equal parts. A decorative brick line runs between the first and second floors. There's also a decorative edge at the roofline. These details add some simple design to the building.
Changes Over Time
The building was first built with red bricks that you could see. But over time, the walls were painted. A wooden staircase was added later on the north side. This staircase leads to a second-floor door, which used to be just a window.
In 1913, a small, one-story section made of concrete blocks was added to the south side. This part was later removed. A metal shed now stands in its place.
History of St. Charles and the Bakery
The town of St. Charles was planned out in 1854. Another small town called Chattanooga was just half a mile south.
Railroads and Town Growth
In 1864, the Winona and St. Peter Railroad built tracks between the two towns. New businesses started to appear along Whitewater Avenue. This street stretched from both downtowns toward the new train tracks. By 1868, the open fields between the two communities were gone. Chattanooga officially joined with St. Charles.
The corner of Whitewater Avenue and 5th Street became the center of St. Charles' main business area.
The Original Bakery Building
In 1876, a local baker named Frederick Kuebler wanted a new brick building for his bakery. He hired Conrad Bohn to build it on the southeast corner of the intersection. This new bakery was one of the first strong brick buildings. It replaced the older businesses that were made of wood.
The Great Fire of 1891
By 1891, Frederick Kuebler's bakery building was being used by the St. Charles Times newspaper. On April 26, 1891, a huge fire destroyed three blocks of downtown St. Charles. The old bakery building was one of only two business buildings that survived the fire.
Instead of rebuilding in the same spot, a new downtown was built three blocks south. This new location was better for the combined St. Charles. It was also next to the Winona and Southwestern Railway facilities, which had been built the year before.
Today, a group of seven buildings from this new downtown still stands. This area is called the Whitewater Avenue Commercial Historic District. The fire almost completely wiped out the first business area of St. Charles. The St. Charles City Bakery building is the only part of that original downtown that is still standing.
