🧱 Robinson aka Reeder Building

 Built:  1909

Address:  309 North River Street

 Quarry:  Unknown

Architect: Fred Hummel 

📜 Historical Overview

Built in 1909 by architect Fred Hummel, this sandstone commercial block reflects the early 20th-century trend toward simpler designs while still showcasing fine craftsmanship. Its rock-faced façade features diminutive uncut modillions along the cornice, a pilaster and square column highlighting the lower level, and a recessed doorway with a broad transom window.

The structure has historically been known by two names because it was legally divided: the north half (311 N. River) was most often referred to as the Robinson Building, while the south half (309 N. River) was linked to ownership by Maggie Reeder and occasionally called the Reeder Building. In practice, the two halves functioned together as one commercial block.

The first tenants included J.L. Marcoux’s furniture and undertaking business (occupying the entire second floor and part of the Robinson side’s ground floor) and Connor & Co. in the Reeder side storefront. By 1912, Marcoux had shifted fully to undertaking and relocated, while Morgan Drug, Killinger Furniture, and others moved in.

📍 Later Uses & Current Status

Over time, the Robinson/Reeder block adapted to a variety of tenants:

• 1910s–1920s: Morgan Drug, Killinger Furniture, Golden Rule Store, and Morehouse Chrysler Company
• 1930s–1940s: Variety store, upstairs dance hall, Welch’s Cleaners, and LeBlanc’s Music & Gift Shop
• 1950s–1970s: Wagon Wheel Bar, municipal liquor store, and Russell Wyatt’s real estate and gift shop
• 2000s: Avonelle Kelsey’s art studio, later a secondhand store
• 2018–Present: Purchased by Brent and Amanda Estep, who renovated the upstairs into living quarters and opened The 309 General Bar and Restaurant at street level, where they host live music and dining.
  

🔍 Things SOS is looking for:

• Confirmation of the stonemasons or builder crew who worked under architect Fred Hummel
• Historic photographs of Marcoux’s furniture and undertaking business, early Connor & Co. storefront, and the upstairs dance hall
• Documentation clarifying how the Robinson and Reeder names were used when the property was split between the north and south halves

QR Code Info:  Built in 1909 by architect Fred Hummel, the Robinson Block reflects the early 20th-century move toward simpler sandstone commercial styles. Its recessed entry, broad transom window, and modest stone detailing showcase fine craftsmanship of the era. Known also as the Reeder Building, with a truly colorful history it once housed a drugstore, an undertaking parlor, furniture shops, an upstairs dance hall, and later a secondhand shop and a lively neighborhood bar. For more than a century, the block has adapted to changing businesses while remaining a cornerstone of River Street.