Schornstein Grocery and Saloon

Schornstein Grocery and Saloon, built in 1884, is one of the most unique and ornate, small Victorian & French Empire buildings in St. Paul. William Schornstein existed as a prominent member of the local German American community. The earliest records of Schornstein note that he worked as a tavern bartender at the Tivoli in downtown St. Paul before owning the combination grocery store, tavern, and residence. Augustus Gauger, a highly regarded architect and German American, designed the building. The home also served as a gathering place for many of the town's German American residents.

Sehornstein and his wife, Wilhelmina, immigrated to St. Paul in 1873 from their native Germany. After working as a bartender for years, Sehornstein and his wife moved to the predominantly German neighborhood on Dayton's Bluff in 1880. As well, in 1880, he opened his first grocery store and saloon in rented quarters at the corner of a route heavily used by farmers traveling to St. Paul from eastern Ramsey County. 

In 1882 Schornstein purchased a new lot located a few blocks away at the site of the present building and built a new, two-story brick store. But that building was burnt to the ground in 1884. The Schornsteins responded by hiring prominent German-American architect Augustus Gauger to design a far grander structure on the same lot at 707 Wilson. Gauger and the Schornsteins existed among the many prolific German-born citizens in the town. Gauger arrived in the U.S. from Germany in the 1860s and settled in St. Paul in 1875 where he worked for the auded architect Edward P. Bassford before setting up his own successful business. Gauger designed for the Schornsteins one of the few French Second Empire style business buildings in St. Paul. It functioned as a combination grocery store and saloon, along with family living quarters and a large hall on the third floor where the area's many German-Americans congregated. 

Sometime after the turn of the century, the second floor was divided into two apartments. Additionally, a one-story storefront attached to the west side wall was used by Schornstein*s brother-in-law as a harness shop. William Schornstein operated the saloon and grocery store until his retirement in 1910 when his son, Otto, assumed control of the business. One year after William Schornstein died in 1920, his son closed the store subsequently sold the building. Since 1921 the building has had several owners but has most often served as a grocery store through the mid-twentieth century. The building has since been converted into apartments on each floor. 

Granger, Susan. "Nomination Form: "Schornstein Grocery and Saloon." National Register of Historic Places. nps.gov. August 21, 1984. https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/e4d9eff1-0b2d-48a2-8d73-4613affd9dcd/

Hess, Jeffrey A., and Paul Clifford Larson. St. Paul's Architecture: A History. University of Minnesota Press, 2006. Accessed July 10, 2020. www.jstor.org/stable/10.5749/j.ctttsz5r.

Millett, Larry. AIA Guide to Downtown St. Paul. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2010.

Nord, Mary Ann. The National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota: A Guide. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2003. Digital copy: https://archive.org/details/nationalregister0000nord. 

Trimble, Steve. "Schornstein Grocery and Saloon." Saint Paul Historical. saintpaulhistorical.com. Accessed July 10, 2020. https://saintpaulhistorical.com/items/show/19.