In 1886, Peter Feller bought a wooden structure for $2,500 on lots 13, 14, and 15 of block 19 at what later became 141 South Main Street, and it became known as the Southern Hotel. In 1892, the hotel was rebuilt in brick and a tavern was added. The building became known as a Mesker Building, reflecting the trade in mass-produced building parts at the turn of the century. Peter and his wife Anna owned the hotel for more than thirty years, and in 1916 their children inherited and ran it. Caroline Kaufmann bought it in 1919, and during the Kaufmann years guests entered the dining room from Third Street, Mrs. Kaufmann cooked and served meals, and a frequent guest, Joe Elsner or "Peddler Joe," came from St. Louis by streetcar, stayed two nights, and spent his days selling small items door to door. After twenty-three years, the Kaufmanns sold the hotel in 1942 to Phillip and Kate Fagan, who later sold it to Joseph and Dorothy Sommer. The Sommers ran the Southern Hotel for the next 24 years, with their children helping with laundry, ironing, and cleaning rooms, while Joseph worked at a tire shop, brought co-workers to the tavern in the evenings, served beef sandwiches, chili, and liquor, hosted coon lunches and kloepper card games, and gave free holiday drinks including Tom and Jerry, a mixture of liquor and eggnog. The Sommers also made major renovations, including installing indoor plumbing, added a barber shop, and Joseph became known as the "nickel block barber." During the flood of 1945, many refugees took shelter there after their homes were swept away. In 1967, the Sommers sold the hotel to Walter and Norene Becker, who hired Emil and Marie Krebel to manage it, and Marie cooked roast beef, barbecue pork, chili, and fried fish for guests and tavern patrons. During the Vietnam War, young men on their way to war stopped there for their last meal before going overseas. In 1973, the Beckers sold the property to Harry and Nera Schmeig, who operated it for three years before H.S. and H. Ltd. bought it and allowed the hotel to continue operating. In 1980, after more than one hundred years of use as a hotel, the building became a liquor store called Waterloo Liquor. Michael Wightman bought the liquor store in 1993 and allowed Kay's Arcade to occupy the basement. Three years later, a fire in the arcade damaged the entire building, and although the arcade owner did not rebuild, Wightman repaired the liquor store before selling the building to Timothy Reeves and Rebecca Brown. The business later became an Italian restaurant for a short time, then a sandwich shop called Obee's in 2001, changed its name to Subliminal in 2010 while remaining a sandwich shop, operated as Momma's on Main in 2017, closed in 2018, and then the entire first floor was renovated into Uncle John's RRR Bar, owned by George Obernagel, Jered Gallagher, and John Gallagher.