Levi Block Building

Believed to be the oldest building on Perryville's Downtown Square, this property was part of Perryville's original 100 town lots as Lot 33 and was first owned by Isidore Moore and his wife Leah, who acquired it on May 24, 1823. They transferred it to Levi Block in 1830 for $65. Block, perhaps Perry County's first Jewish resident, operated as a merchant here and lived in Perryville's first brick store building. After achieving considerable success, he left for St. Louis in the 1840s, and the Perryville Union reported that he amassed a fortune of $50,000. The property remained in retail use under Leon and Joseph Delassus and their heirs until 1924, when it was sold to John Lottes and William End. For a time, a tavern occupied the first floor, while photographers used the second floor. The End Art Gallery later occupied this upper space for many years, followed by Counts and Dobbelare Studio, and many Perry County residents still remember the glass-enclosed display case at street level where new portraits of local graduations, weddings, and other life events were regularly displayed.

Perryville, Missouri · United States