Newberry-Wile Building

German-Jewish immigrant Solomon Wile came to America in 1855 at the age of 26. He originally lived in Breckinridge County, and became a peddler. He moved to Ohio County in 1858, and finally to Owensboro around 1862. In 1865 he bought a lot on Main Street and put up a brick building with a 34-foot storeroom, and partitions separating the family’s living space of the back and the second floor.

In June 1881, Wile had the building torn down a new one built, costing around $6,000-$7,000 (around $153,000 today). The new building, erected by the Loyd & Snyder Co., was 110 ft x 22 ft, with a galvanized iron front and new show windows that were over 10 feet tall. The first floor remained men’s clothing and furnishing, while the second floor was converted for boys’ and children’s clothing and shoes. The family by this time had moved to a new home on 4th Street. The renovated store re-opened on September 26, 1881.

Wile died on September 24, 1886. His funeral procession was at the time one of the largest ever seen in Owensboro. His sons, Benjamin and Joseph, inherited the business and renamed it Wile Bros. They expanded the store in 1888 and 1889 by annexing the neighboring buildings. Benjamin retired from the in 1912, and went into banking, eventually becoming the President of the Farmers & Traders Bank in 1922. He died in 1933. His brother Joseph remained in charge of the Wile Bros until his death in 1926. He and his wife at the time were living in a second floor apartment above the western end of the building. At his death, he considered to be one of the wealthiest men in Owensboro.

In 1927, the building became the J.J. Newberry Co. Department Store. J.J. Newberry’s remained a competitor for Kresge’s, another popular department store located right across the street, for many years. On June 25, 1962, a fire broke out at the building that gutted the building, with an estimated damage cost of $200,000. The building was renovated and re-opened four months later. By the early 1980s, the building was abandoned, and a failed restoration attempt exposed it weather damage. In 1986, the city condemned the building, but it was eventually saved. It underwent major renovations in 1994-1995, and later in the early 2010s. 

Dew, Aloma W.. Dew, Lee A.. Owensboro: The City on the Yellow Banks. Bowling Green, KY. Rivendell Publications, 1988. 

"A Handsome Improvement: The New Clothing Establishment of Sol Wile & Sons Thrown Open to the Public." Owensboro Messenger & Examiner (Owensboro) October 5th 1881. , 3-3.

"Joseph Wile Dies of Apoplexy at his Apartment." The Owensboro Messenger (Owensboro) April 7th 1926. Morning ed, 1-4.

Messenger-Inquirer. A Pictorial History of Owensboro - Daviess County. Volume 1. Owensboro, KY. Owensboro Publishing Company, 1994 

"Moving Ahead in Downtown Owensboro." The Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer (Owensboro) October 4th 1963. , Downtown Progress sec, 7D-7D.

KRVF Owensboro, KY - Architecture