In 1907, Fred Wehrenberg operated a grocery and saloon in this corner storefront, and a year later he rented a vacant storefront nearby on Cherokee and converted it into St. Louis' first recorded nickelodeon, beginning the Wehrenberg Theatre chain. He bought used kitchen chairs for moviegoers, and his wife, Gertrude, accompanied the silent features on piano, playing "Hearts and Flowers" for love scenes and "Light Cavalry" when Indians chased the stage coach or soldiers rode to the rescue. He charged a nickel for each 35-minute picture feature, and a full house netted $4.95. At intermission, moviegoers went next door for a stein of beer at the Wehrenberg Saloon. Soon the Wehrenbergs were operating an airdrome on Jefferson Avenue beside their storefront theatre, providing open-air entertainment in summer and, in winter, using a canvas top and pot-bellied stoves for heat. In 1910, Fred and Gertrude built the city's first theatre designed exclusively for movies, also on Cherokee, and they later operated several movie houses along the street. With beginnings on Cherokee, Wehrenberg Theatres became one of the nation's largest theatre circuits and the oldest family owned and operated chain in the United States.
