The Wallhaus Building

Henry Wallhaus, born on April 7, 1847 in Daenkershausen, Germany, came with his family to the U.S. in 1855 and settled near Columbia, Illinois, later farming his father's place in the Foster Pond area until about 1882, when he opened the H. Wallhaus Hardware and Cutlery Store at 216 South Main Street in Waterloo. Before Waterloo was incorporated in 1888, he served on the town board, was city treasurer during the mayorship of George C. Gauen, the town's first mayor, and was also a school trustee. On September 18, 1908, he purchased the building at 129 South Main Street and moved his hardware store there; although its exact construction date is unknown, it is believed to have been used earlier as a residence. His son Herman worked in the store for several years and eventually took over the business. After Henry died at age seventy-five in 1927, the building passed to his wife Catherine, and after her death two years later it went to Herman and his wife Alyda. They continued the business and lived upstairs with their family for many years. Their daughter Jean Stogner later recalled a central door leading upstairs, coal stoves for warmth, running water, two sides to the store, a cellar beneath the middle door where inventory was kept, a former second-level rear porch, and outbuildings in the backyard that included Alyda's washhouse, a wine cellar, and a warehouse for the store. When Herman and Alyda retired, Jean was too young to take over, and after fifty-five years of Wallhaus family ownership the building was sold in 1964 to Kenneth and Jeannette Kelly. It was then leased to several proprietors, including a tavern operated by Adam and Mary Anders, Ray and Vera's restaurant from 1972 to 1980, the 21st Amendment pub from 1980 to 1996 operated by Burch Kunkel and E.J. Schwager, and Toaly's restaurant and bar managed by the Toals in 1997, by which time the upstairs had been converted into two apartments. In 2001, Kenneth Kelly Jr. sold the building to Joseph and Jeanette Schneider, who continued leasing the space to various businesses, including Uptown Yoga and Gail's Coins and Collectables, and it is now home to Quadrant Design Architects and Planners and Keller Williams Marquee, Amy Hanks Real Estate Team.

Waterloo, Illinois · United States