Since this is from an earlier post, different businesses occupy the building today.
According to the St. Louis County historian, Esley Hamilton, (now retired) this building at 3100 Sutton was most likely built in 1917 by Albert Schwartzman and his wife Rosie. They were granted a permit for a building 51 by 80 feet long. It probably cost them in excess of $8,000 to construct.
Early in their occupancy at 3100 Sutton, the industrious couple operated a variety store and had as tenants, a shoe store, a tailor, and a store selling gentleman’s furnishings.
Sometime between 1917 and 1925, the Schwartzman’s added a second floor to their building to be used as a dance hall which was called fittingly, if not creatively, Schwartzman’s Dance Hall.
If the concept of the Schwartzman’s Dance Hall doesn’t make you want to move your bones, apparently it didn’t make many others want to either. On Oct. 1, 1925 the building was sold to Oscar Kasday who turned around and sold it to the Loyal Order of Moose #1086, Maplewood Lodge in July of 1927.
Over time, the Moose shared their space with the Carpenters and Joiners Local 1739, the Frisco Shop Craft No. 5 and the Women of the Moose #713.
Prior to moving across the street to their newer building, the Schwartzmans operated a grocery and meat market at 3101 Sutton (seen above) in one of Maplewood’s most distinctive commercial buildings.
Another detail of the Schwartzman’s first building at 3101 Sutton showing the stunning brickwork and magnificent terra cotta.
A terra cotta, acanthus-leaved capital, part of the brick entry arch.
The ceiling of the corner entry with raised panels. The popular Mauhaus Cat Cafe now occupies this part of the building.
Some very attractive ironwork survives as well.
More decorative iron on the extraordinary parapet wall.
From this ad we can see that the Schwartzmans were at 3101 Sutton in 1908.
I’ll close with a copy of the research Esley Hamilton did on these buildings. Man, he does a good job!
Thankfully, we have finally gotten a break from the cold weather. January was one of the coldest that I can remember. Today it is predicted to be close to 70 degrees. Time to get the bicycle out! C’mon spring!
Doug Houser February 3, 2025
Doug, the bottom portion of the Moose Hall building (we called it) remained empty store fronts until about 1958. I was about 10 years old when my mother rented one of the store fronts for one month in Nov/Dec to sell Christmas trees. The eldest, I helped her there after school while she spent most the time building us 4 of us) Masonite toy furniture in the back room for Christmas. She had done this for Christmas money. Neighbors bought enough for her to break even, but there is a reason trees are sold outdoors. I also helped by changing 78 records of Christmas songs on a record player. My dad had set it up with a speaker to attract buyers. (Dad worked for Missouri Pacific RR) Mother later took in cleaning at a store front on Cambridge and after ran the Whitney’s Confectionary on Commonwealth near Greenwood. Finally, she used the money from a fire that closed the store to go back to Harris Teachers College and was a St. Louis public school teacher for 25 years after she was 44 years old. I bought the house on Elm that I grew up in for the last 25 years, since she passed away. It’s probably why I have an affinity to serve on the City of Maplewood’s Plan and Zoning Commission for the past several years.
P.S. We moved to Elm when I was 5 and do remember the streets full of cars from the Moose Hall dances that took place upstairs in that building every Saturday night. That was until the building was totally closed down and stores enclosed late in them1950s. It basically remained empty for the next about 50 years. Thx for the history!!
Doug I had a business at 2732 Sutton.
A “schoe store”? Folks try to throw a “c” in my last name occasionally, Doug!! 😊
You found the one typo in the whole thing, Sherman. I couldn’t edit it because I only have a photo of that letter but I’m extremely open-minded about that sort of thing because I’ve committed worse in the past and am almost certain to in the future.
Interesting story I am a retired Carpenter Local 1739.
Thanks, Thomas. Did you ever have any business in the building at 3101 Sutton?