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| Source - Digging Cincinnati History |
My friend remembered there once was a sign on the building in the shape of a pipe. Well, off I went to dig on this one, since the title name seemed so detailed and old. But it was odd that the store front actually is part of two separate buildings.
I took a look at the 1887 Map:
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| 1887 Sanborn Map |
This took a lot of digging but it turns out this location dates at a tin shop as early as 1851 run by John Mesker, with help from Joseph Busse, Bernhard Niehaus and Jacob Cooper. Right next door, at 497 Main Street was a "coffee house" (another name for a saloon) run by Frederick and Henry Luening, just 26 and 23 years old, respectively, immigrants from Oldenburg.
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| 1850 Census - Source |
Through the 1870's and until 1885, this situation remained the same with the families growing. In 1885, while, Fred Luening is still living at 497 Main, it is no longer a saloon. A different merchant tailor is in this location and 499 Main has become "GOTTMANN
WM., Dealer in Wall Paper, Window Shades, Table and Floor Oil Cloths, Toys,
&c,". By 1890, Joseph Busse is no longer in the tin shop and 495 Main has become the shoe & boot store of J. Joseph Lagemann.
Well, where are the Keyer's? Louis Keyer, Sr. and his family lived at 70 Abigail Street (now 322 E. 12th Street, a parking lot). He was a turner, making pipes, umbrellas and canes. His son, Charles, followed in the family business. In 1896, Louis and his family moved to 1225 Main Street and had their shop below. Louis passed away in 1897 and Charles took over the business. In 1904, he had a home built at 2716 Eden Avenue:
From the looks of it, Charles was doing quite well! The business expanded to the 1227 Main location around 1920. This must be when the tile was added to the entrance. In the 1930's, as part of the Ohio Federal Writers' Project, this photograph was taken of the Keyer Pipe Manufacturing:
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| Source |
I am not sure who is at the machine. It could be Charles or his son, William, who took eventually took over the business. The business was still open in 1958 under the name of Keyer Pipe and Umbrella House and run by Judson W Gabbard. Gabbard sold the business in 1965 upon his retirement, having worked at Keyer since the late 1930's (see the comment below). I found this great packaging while searching:
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| Source - eBay Listing |
A reader submitted this picture of his great-grandfather's pipe, complete with the case, stamped "Louis Keyer, Cincinnati, O"
Recently, BASE Gallery, a cooperative gallery partially sponsored by the City of Cincinnati, had used the space. The building is currently owned by Franciscan Homes IV, a non-profit housing group for the apartments above.
Recently, BASE Gallery, a cooperative gallery partially sponsored by the City of Cincinnati, had used the space. The building is currently owned by Franciscan Homes IV, a non-profit housing group for the apartments above.
Just to the right of this building is an alley. If you look closely at the pavement you'll find one of the few remaining examples of wooden "bricks" in Cincinnati.
ReplyDeleteMy brother, Judson W. Gabbard worked as a salesman for Charles Keyer in the late 1930's and his career was put on hold when he entered the US Army in 1942. He returned to work after the war, and managed the distribution network and the retail store at 1225 Main street.(I recall visiting the store as a child). In the 1950's Charles Keyer retired and having no children, transferred ownership of the store to Judson. Judson continued to run the business until his retirement around 1965, when he sold the business.
ReplyDeleteA unique wood and metal sign in the shape of a large pipe hung over the store front, and is now in the possession of the Cincinnati Art museum. I Remember the mosaic tile entrance and have photographs of the storefront, interior and sign.
I would love to share any of the photos you have. Please contact me.
DeleteThank you for the update on the business and when it was sold. I will update the blog post to reflect your information.
My grandfather had a grocery store at 505 Main (later 1235) and he was also an immigrant from Oldenburg. I have a photo of the store from about 1890 that shows the 505 address. I would be interested in any photos that show the 505 building that anyone else might have...
ReplyDeleteJudson Gabbard was my cousin, and I spent many an hour in his upstairs repair room. When he had a pipe that was hard to repair, he would call it a DOG! Most of my pipes came from Keyer's. One thing, Gene is mistaken about Jud's retirement. It was 1995. He sold it to a salesman from Beckett Paper.
ReplyDeleteJudson Gabbard was my cousin, and I spent many an hour in his upstairs repair room. I can hear him now calling hard to repair pipes Dogs! Gene Gabbard is mistaken about Jud's retirement, it was 1995. He sold it to a salesman from Beckett Paper.
ReplyDeleteFabulous article. I'm a moderator at the PipesMagazine.com forum for pipe collectors. These photos were a big hit!
ReplyDeleteOn Ebay, 1926 Keyer pipe store tobacco tin, English Blend
ReplyDelete