Felix Street Commercial Corridor

For well over a century, the 500 to 700 blocks of Felix Street have been a center of commercial activity in St. Joseph. Today, it is a center for the revitalized historic downtown district. From the late 19^th to the mid-20^th century, many of the businesses on this street were owned by members of the Jewish community. Beginning on the southwest corner of Felix and S. 8^th Street:

722-720 – during the 1950s, this was home to Millenary Retailers, the former Lowenberg and Bergman Millinery Co. By the 1950s, there were not many millenary stores remaining; though they had been a staple along Felix St. through the first quarter of the 20^th century. The name change appears to have been a last-ditch effort to save the business which went bankrupt in 1954.

718 – (sometimes referred to as 121 S. 8^th St.) In 1909, Bernhard Newburger moved his millinery enterprise from 711 to this site. Bernhard immigrated to the United States in 1857. He married Carried in 1889. He later moved to 701-703 Edmond St. where he employed 100 women. He died in Lexington, KY in 1927.

The Leibowitzs were a prominent commercial family in St. Joseph. They are best known for their clothing store (which is still in operation at the East Hills Mall). In the 1930s, one branch of the family operated a jewelry store at this location. The proprietor was Abe Leibowitz. He was born in Austria

714 – In 1900 Aaron J. Straus had his clothing store here. Aaron was born in St. Louis, but spent the majority of his life in St. Joseph. He died in 1941 and is buried at Adath Joseph Cemetery.

708 – If one family deserved the title “Kings of Felix St.” it would be the Rositzkys. In 1900 Jacob Rositzky operated a dry goods and notions store at this address. Jacob was a Russian immigrant; he came to the United States at the age of 15 in 1897. He went bankrupt in 1916 and died at his home in 1921 of “general paralysis of the insane.” He is buried at Shaare Sholem Cemetery.

702 – From 1961, this was the final location of Joe Optican’s Jewelry Co. Beginning in the 1930s, it had occupied several sites across the street (see below for more information). In 1965, they added a location at East Hills Mall. Joseph Optican was a diamond salesman from New York, who relocated to St. Joseph when he married Lillian Rosenthal. Joe Optican died in 1958 and his wife Lillian took over the company. When she died in 1971, their son Dick took the reigns (Joe and Lillian are buried at Shaare Sholem). Optican’s closed in 1991.

606-608 – Carl Lohr operated a saloon here, “Lohr’s Place” in around the turn of the 20^th century. The Gazette described it in 1897: “Mr. Lohr in short conducts one of the best and most pleasant resorts in St. Joseph. He makes a specialty of fine goods and his wines and liquors are the best which money can purchase. When it comes to beer he is famed from one part of the city to the other, for his beer is always just right. He only disposes the famous Schlitz beer, and it is always in prime condition. He handles the best of imported and domestic cigars and no one who once patronizes him fails to return a second time. In addition, he serves the finest lunch in the city and in a style to please the most fastidious. One reason that his place is so popular is that nothing but the best of everything is served and the service and treatment is of the class that gentlemen appreciate.” Lohr committed suicide in 1911 by drinking carbolic acid (though the press stated that he died of apoplexy). He is buried in Kansas City.

604 – Many of the Jewish community undertook businesses associated with the clothing industry. From the late 1880s to the 1890s, Harry Cohn had his tailor shop here until he moved to 708 Edmond in 1895. Cohn was naturalized at the Buchanan County Courthouse in 1888. In 1910, an article appeared in the News-Press detailing the search by Cohn’s brother-in-law (who lived in New York City) for Cohn.

600-602 – United Department Store leased this building that had previously been the Townsend Ueberrhein Clothing Company in 1932. Isaac Rositzky was president of the new company that was a staple for grand shopping in St. Joseph for 56 years, closing in 1987. The business was a family affair, Isaac’s son Simon was Vice-President when it opened and took over leadership when his father died in 1948 and continued in that role until the closing of the store. Simon was a much beloved figure in the city for his civic engagement and philanthropy. He died in 1999

Located in the United Department Store was the optometry practice of Dr. Jacob Saferstein. Nate and Adele Saferstein operated the jewelry counter in the store.

522- Isaac and Lena Lowenberg operated a fairly nomadic millinery enterprise: between 1890 and 1921 they were located here (1921), 418 Felix (1890), 718 Francis, and in 503-505 Felix. Isaac immigrated to the United States in 1876. Settling first in New York where he married, in 1880 he and his wife moved to St. Joseph. He died in 1924.

502—Einbender’s was one of the grand clothing stores that graced downtown. The store was founded by A.J. (Abraham) Einbender and his wife Sylvia. They began their retail career with a grocery store after J.J. returned from the First World War. In order to increase business Sylvia suggested that they add dresses to the inventory. It was not until after their store at 8^th and Locust burned in 1957 that the store moved to this location. They acquired the Orpheum Theater and razed it in order to provide parking. They put the metal cladding on the outside of the building in order to give it a more modern appearance. A.J. died unexpectedly in 1959, never living to see the grand reopening in this location. In 1988, Einbender’s closed its doors.

Cross Felix Street

503 – In 1900 this was one of the sites of the Lowenberg Millinery enterprise (see 522 for more information)

513 – In 1909 Samuel Kahn sold hats here. Kahn was born in St. Joseph in 1871 (his father was from Germany and his mother from Baltimore). He died in 1934 and is buried at Adath Joseph. While here, Kahn became embroiled in a nasty dispute over the erection of a “bridge” over the sidewalk on the northwest corner of 6^th and Felix where the Block Brothers were building their store (521-525).

515-517 – From 1895 until the 1920s, this was the site of Lehman Brothers Dry Goods store. The brothers were William, Julius, and Maurice Lehman who came to St. Joseph in 1898; William was born in Memphis but educated in Germany before initially going into business in New York. William died in 1905 and is buried at Adath Joseph. After William’s death, the business continued under the leadership of Maurice who eventually sold out in 1925.

521-525 – Block Building. Built in 1909 to house the large Block Brothers Clothing Store. The construction of this structure caused a bit of a sensation as it was of steel and advertised as being fireproof. The Block Brothers were Harry, Ellsworth, Samuel, and Nathan. The Blocks came to St. Joseph in 1890 and the father of the family, Jacob, purchased a clothing store on the northwest corner of 5^th and Felix and changed the name to Block Brothers. Samuel and Nathan eventually left the business and it was carried on by Harry and Ellsworth. The Block Brothers continued at this site until 1932 when it was taken over by the Plymouth Clothing Co. Ellsworth died in 1933; Harry died in 1953. The family is buried in the Block Mausoleum at Adath Joseph.

701-711 is now Coleman Hawkins/Felix St. Park. In 1902 F.W. Woolworth Co. purchased a small building on the northeast corner of 7^th and Felix (it was located at the Felix St. entrance for the Y.W.C.A. building). In 1904, Woolworth’s agreed to erect a building on the site 40 feet wide and 118 feet deep. In 1907 they expanded to a frontage of approximately 60 feet and the Pennant cafeteria was opened on the second floor.

709 – In the early 1930s this was home to Joe Optican Jewelers. They opened their jewelry store here in 1929, but business increased so much that they relocated to 721 Felix. Business continued to boom and they moved again to 725 Felix and in 1961 they opened their final downtown location at 702 (see 702 above for more information).

711 – In 1909 this storefront was occupied by Bernhard Newburger’s millinery shop before he moved to 718 Felix that year.

715 – In 1884, this was the location of Harry Cohen’s tailor shop (see 604 above for more information.

725—This was one of the locations of Joe Optican’s Jewelry Co. (see 702 and 709 above for more information.

The Felix Street corridor has been a vibrant commercial hub for more than a century. Like much of the rest of downtown, the Urban Renewal program of the 1970s took a terrible toll on the area and escalated the abandonment of much of downtown. Poor design choices, such as the pedestrian mall built in the late 1970s simply made the situation worse. Within three years of its construction it was already being seen as a mistake. In recent years, the area is undergoing a real renaissance and it serves as the center for a revitalized downtown with many interesting shops and restaurants/bars.

“Aaron J. Straus,” St. Joseph News Press, March 29, 1941.

“Abe Leibowitz Dies at Age 66,” St. Joseph News Press, Aug. 11, 1950.

“Millinery Firm Changes Name,” St. Joseph Gazette, Aug. 30, 1952.

“Jacob Rositzky,” 1900 Federal Census

“To Fair Visitors: Carl Lohr Extends a Hearty Invitation to Visit His Hospitable Place,” St. Joseph Gazette, Aug. 22, 1897.

“Carl Lohr is Dead,” St. Joseph News Press, May 29, 1911.

“Wants Trace of Cohn,” St. Joseph News Press, Nov. 4, 1910.

“Department Store Leases Felix Street Building,” St. Joseph Gazette, Aug. 20, 1932.

“Ike Rositzky Dies on Trip,” St. Joseph News Press, Jan. 3, 1948.

“Saferstein Rites,” St. Joseph News Press, Nov. 2, 1979.

“50^th Anniversary for United Store,” St. Joseph News Press, Oct. 3, 1982.

Julie Summa, “St. Joseph Man Known for Giving to Community,” St. Joseph News Press, Feb. 9, 1999.

“Death of I. Lowenberg,” St. Joseph News Press, July 15, 1924.

“To Return Body of Mr. Einbender from Paris by Plane,” St. Joseph News Press, May 18, 1959.

Harold E. Mills, “Einbender’s, Clothier, Hangs it up after 69 Years,” St. Joseph Gazette, April 17, 1988.

“Wm. I. Lehman is Dead,” St. Joseph News Press, April 15, 1905.

“Died in Paris Today,” St. Joseph News Press, June 28, 1926.

“Block Brothers Clothing House to be of Steel,” St. Joseph Gazette, Dec. 30, 1906.

“Ellsworth Block Died this Morning; Was 72 Years Old,” St. Joseph News Press, Sept. 21, 1933.

“Optican Co. Nearing its 50^th Anniversary,” St. Joseph News Press, March 4, 1979.

“Optican Jewelry Co. Grew from Small Store,” St. Joseph News Press, March 20, 1988.

“B. Newburger,” St. Joseph Union-Observer, Sept. 2, 1910.

“Houston Woman Formerly Lived with Arthur Pryor Family Here,” St. Joseph News Press, Aug. 28, 1955.