Mercier Building

Before the current Mercier Building was developed, two separate buildings stood here. On the south side, Henry Hoos built a large two-story wood-frame building in 1842 that became known as the White House because it was painted all white, and it was also called the Hoos Hotel after its owner. In 1872, Henry Hooss's son John Hooss became a retail liquor dealer selling spirits in the White House, whose hotel bar room became well known among locals and travelers and was considered one of the finest hotels and taverns in the area. On the north side was originally the Old Lion Drug Store, which in a later renovation became part of the Kielser building next door; after Old Lion, it became the Felts and Alken Drug Store, then Mercier and Vessels Drug Store, and finally Mercier's Drug Store. In 1927, A.C. Mercier and his son, Val, purchased the old White House-Hooss Hotel building from the Hooss estate to construct a complex that would include a drug store, tavern, and theatre. Plans were drawn by architect Robert Beller of Kansas City, and the contractors were John Prost, his son Narcis Prost of St. Louis, with John Kiefner assisting in an advisory capacity. The Mercier Building was completed in 1934 at a cost of $40,000. Mercier Theatre opened on September 26, 1934, with the motion picture Gift of Gab, featuring Edmund Lowe, Ruth Etting, Ethel Waters, Boris Karloff, and Bela Lugosi. Kelly Fulton spent his entire career working at the theater. The theater seated 600 moviegoers, tickets cost 10 cents each, and the theatre closed in 1986 after showing One Crazy Night and Flight of the Navigator; the terra cotta Mercier name that once appeared at the top of the building was removed before 2012. In 1935, Wonder Tavern opened in the south end of the new building under proprietors Art and Erwin Miesner; in 1955, Art sold his interest to another brother, Edwin, and after 35 years the tavern closed in 1969, followed by a restaurant and other businesses. On the north end of the complex, the old Mercier Drug Store was incorporated into the 1934 design, and besides the Mercier family, pharmacist assistant Lucius Huber helped manage the business. Upstairs offices over the years housed dentist Dr. Sherman T. Loberg, Leo Rozier of Perryville, who established his first legal practice here after law school, and later George Busch Insurance Agency.

Perryville, Missouri · United States