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(Photo by Richard F. Hope)
Werner Building (432-34 Northampton Street, recently A + D Tile & Paint-Up, now Homebase)
3-story white “Beaux Arts” style building, with elaborate buttressed roof cornice. One building survey identified the style as “Victorian commercial”.[1]
Located on the western portion of Original Town Lot No.213, as laid out in 1752 by William Parsons. In 1754, a warrant to survey this property was issued to “yeoman” George Michael (indexed as George Nicholas) Schortz,[2] and that Lot was patented by the Penn Family to him in the same year, for an annual payment of 7 shillings.[3] Easton’s premier storekeeper Myer Hart[4] purchased the property for £20 in 1764,[5] where he may have conducted commercial activities.[6] Myer (also spelled Meyer) Hart sold it to Christian Peiffer (or Pipher) in 1774, for £40.[7] Peiffer, a “yeoman” (farmer) from Forks Township, moved to town and established a store at the location, based upon tax record listings. His will (dated 19 February 1785) gave the property (then his residence) to his son, John.[8]
John Peiffer held the property until July 1806, at which time he was making his living as a “Taylor” (i.e., tailor) in Philadelphia.[9] On the 17th of that month, Peiffer paid £38 to buy out the property’s rental payments owed to the Penn Family (both prospectively, and the arrears).[10] With that obligation cleared away, on the last day of the month Peiffer sold the “easternmost” half of his property to miller Christian Butz for $980 in “lawful silver money”, although he kept the building on the western “remaining part”.[11] Slightly over a month later, Peiffer and Butz entered into an agreement to create a private alleyway between their two properties, each to contribute four feet of land to the project.[12]
The western half of the property, with a building on it, was sold for $3,100 to merchant Joseph Burke in 1812. By that time, Peiffer was still a “Taylor” by trade but had moved from Philadelphia to Easton.[13] In 1817, Burke sold it for $3,850 to Christian Butz[14] the same man who had purchased the eastern half of Lot No.213 in 1806 (see above).
· Both of these purchasers were connections of the prominent Wagener Family of millers in Easton. Christian Butz had married Mary Wagener, a daughter of local milling magnate David Wagener.[15] Joseph Burke, for his part, had married Susanna Wagener,[16] the daughter of Daniel Wagener,[17] David Wagener’s oldest son.[18] This makes Christian Butz an uncle (by marriage) of Joseph Burke.
As a young man, Christian Butz had struck out on his own account in 1800, when be purchased Andrew Kichlein’s grist “Mill Tract” on the left bank of the Bushkill.[19] He and his wife lived in a small log cabin on the right bank of the Bushkill opposite their mill, and their enterprise appears to have prospered. As we have seen, Christian Butz was not only able to purchase this half-lot property (the cheaper half, without the building!) in town in 1806, but by 1810 he also built his family a “large brick house which is a fine specimen of fine workmanship”.[20] In 1812, Christian Butz purchased a half-interest in the old stone inn at the corner of Northampton and what is now called 4th Street, that was a predecessor to the current Hotel Lafayette. Jacob Mixsell, a prosperous Easton businessman,[21] purchased the hotel’s other half-interest.[22] As we have also seen above, by 1817, Christian Butz had done well enough to add the more expensive half of Lot No.213. The Butz Family also introduced certain refinements to the rural, largely German community of Easton. Among other things, they were the first in town to introduce a “gig” (a light, sleek, 1-horse carriage on two wheels), which they drove around on public roads.[23]
After Christian Butz’s death in 1821 (at age 65),[24] without a will,[25] his estate split Lot No.213 into halves again. His son Michael Butz accepted the eastern half of Lot No.213 in 1824 at the estate’s valuation,[26] while Christian’s son Jacob finally accepted the western half in 1833.[27]
Jacob Butz was a successful Easton businessman. In 1812, he had purchased Jacob Mixsell’s half-interest in the hotel (see above),[28] thereafter running it with his father. He then took over running the hotel from his father, perhaps as early as 1817.[29] Jacob Butz “took down” the 2-story stone building that had served Yohe, as well as the wooden Indian that had been the sign of older hotel, and replaced it with his own brick building.[30] It has been said that under Jacob Butz’s control the inn became known as the Farmers’ and Mechanics’ Hotel.[31] In 1824, after Christian Butz’s death, his other heirs sold their interests to Jacob Butz,[32] making Jacob the sole owner of the inn. Jacob early on (in 1818) enlisted his younger brother, Michael Butz, as a partner in the hotel store.[33] At the end of his career, in perhaps 1840, Jacob Butz again enlisted his now-also-successful brother Michael to take over operations of the hotel as proprietor,[34] while still retaining formal ownership himself.[35]
One modern survey suggested a construction date for this building c.1850.[36] If correct, then Jacob Butz (or perhaps his immediate successor) would have been the owner at the time. Butz’s building would then have replaced John Peiffer’s earlier building on the property (see above).
Jacob Butz died on 5 September 1854,[37] without a will (just like his father). In proceedings to split up his properties among his heirs, none agreed to accept this “Brick Dwelling House” and half of Lot No.213 at the valuation placed upon it by the estate, so the property was offered at public auction. The successful bidder, at a price of $6,000, was Daniel W. [Wagener] Butz,[38] another of Jacob Butz’s brothers.[39] Six years later, Daniel placed title to the property with Elvira,[40] his wife,[41] who held the property until her death on 14 February 1885.[42]
Under Elvira Butz’s ownership, in 1874 the building became George H. Kahler’s dry goods store and residence,[43] presumably by lease. In 1878, the building became Woodring’s hat store, initially run by William Henry Woodring (whose financial difficulties caused him to move here from the corner building now listed as 400 Northampton Street).[44] William Henry Woodring, however, wished to concentrate his efforts on the study of law[45] – which pursuit ultimately got him elected to the Pennsylvania state legislature in 1892.[46] The Woodring hat business itself was taken over by Richard[47] A. Woodring,[48] a brother.[49] Another brother, Joseph George Woodring (1865-1950), also started working with Richard in 1890, but after five years Joseph left to set up his own, independent business by purchasing Thomas Daily’s hat business in 1895 and operating it on his own account.[50] (See further information on “Woodring the Hatter” in separate listing for 400 Northampton Street).
· Real estate owner Elvira Butz died on 14 February 1885, “in the 80th Year of Her Age”[51] (i.e. at age 79). The executors of her estate sold the property in October of the same year, for the highest public bid of $16,000 from Elijah J. Richards.[52] Richards was a banker,[53] who ultimately became the President of the Northampton National Bank.[54]
The Woodring hat business was replaced in the early 20th Century by William Werner’s “Music Store”, which substantially built the current building (or at least extensively remodeled it, given the apparent “Beaux Arts” decoration of the current building) in 1906. William Werner had originally trained as a watchmaker, and became a partner with his brother, George, in a jewelry business in Bangor, Pennsylvania. In 1895, the Werner Brothers partnership opened a music store in Easton, which William managed at various locations in town.[55] The Easton branch sold “musical merchandise” (including pianos and organs), “Edison phonographs” and records, and sewing machines.[56] In 1896, Werner’s Easton store was located at 21 South 3rd Street.[57]
· William obtained the first ever “jobbing agency” (i.e. wholesaler) contract to sell Thomas A. Edison’s new phonograph machines.[58]
At some point between 1902 and 1906,[59] the brothers decided to bifurcate the partnership’s operations: William continued to operate the Easton branch, while George remained with the jewelry store in Bangor.[60] By 1906, when William moved into the “commodious modernly equipped building” at 432-34 Northampton Street, he was offering “Music of every conceivable kind”.[61] Two years later (in 1908), he added a line of furniture, including specially designed pianos.[62] In 1914, the store advertised itself as the place “Where the Victor Victrola and Edison Diamond Disc Instruments are Sold”. It announced a “Closing Out Sale of 100 New Upright Pianos” in order to make room for more player pianos to meet the demand for those instruments.[63]
In 1919, Elijah Richards was able to sell his building for $80,000 to the Werner firm, now structured as a corporation.[64] Two years later, the Werner Family dissolved the Werner Company, allocating its two Easton properties (including this building) to William Werner.[65] William Werner continued to own the building until his death on 8 September 1931. It then passed to his widow and three children, who had formed a family partnership to operate the furniture business.[66] The Werner Family sold the furniture business to an Allentown firm in 1952,[67] but continued to own the real estate property itself until 1961, when it was passed to a trio of trustees.[68] The furniture business (run by the Allentown firm) continued at this location until 1970.[69] Then, in 1971, the trustees sold the property itself to members of the Maragulia Family for $61,000.[70] One of these purchasers, John Maragulia, has been known as the owner of the Monarch Furniture and Appliance Store (126 South 3rd Street).[71]
In 1970, A&D Tile (formerly Easton Paint-Up) replaced the furniture store at this location, by moving here from North Third Street.[72] Three years later (in 1973), it purchased the building for $56,000.[73] It made a substantial renovation to the building, with its “A & D Tile” label firmly planted in the masonry of the building’s facade. This effort was recognized with a certificate from Historic Easton Inc. in 1985.[74] In that same year, a seminar showed off the “newly renovated” building to artists potentially interested in moving out of New York City, emphasizing that the second floor (previously the Werner Company’s piano warehouse) was “a prime example of the city’s empty loft space.”[75] The firm also took steps to care for the building. For example, in 1985, while other downtown merchants were petitioning the town government to pay for pigeon control, Angelo DeFrancesca of A & D Tile told the Mayor that it had handled the matter privately for its building, “by spending about $250 every 18-24 months for pigeon repellent measures”.[76]
Angelo DeFrancesca, co-founder (with Richard Aldinger) of A & D Tile, retired in 2000, and died in 2005.[77] A & D Tile remained the property owner until 2011, when it was able to resell for $402,000 to Schy Rhys Redevelopment Inc.[78] – the higher price evidently reflecting the substantial renovation that had been done to the building. This developer, part-owned by Greg Schuyler,[79] then proceeded with “rehabbing” the building and the former WEST radio studio (in the Kunsman Building next door at 436-38 Northampton Street) “into town homes and apartments”.[80] Since 2015, the building’s front-downstairs store space has been occupied by the Easton branch of Andrew Po’s Homebase Skateshop,[81] which sells skateboards as well as “non-skater clothes, shoes and accessories”. On the second floor, from June 2015 until February 2016, Po experimented with his “Easton Flea” market concept for local artists, art entrepreneurs, and crafters,[82] opened intermittently as “a [business] home for more characters than a Steinbeck novel.”[83] That space has now largely been devoted to an extension of the downstairs store.
[1] Cf. City of Easton, Pennsylvania Historic Resource Survey Form, Attachment: Building Description Survey Area 1 Zone G (City Council Resolution approved 12 May 1982)(“Victorian commercial” style).
Northampton County tax records (www.ncpub.org) appears to list this as 436 Northampton St.
[2] Northampton County Warrant S5 issued to George Nicholas Schortz, Patent Book A18 234 (11 Feb. 1754, returned 9 Mar. 1754), indexed online for Northampton County p.155 Warrant No.5 at www.phmc.state.pa.us/bah/dam/rg/di/r17-88WarrantRegisters/NorthamptonPages/Northampton155.pdf, survey copied at Survey Book C185 166 (returned 9 Mar. 1754)(survey and reverse of page show George Michael Schortz, while the index lists George Nicholas Schortz).
[3] A.D. Chidsey, Jr., The Penn Patents in the Forks of the Delaware Plan of Easton, Map 2 (Vol. II of Publications of the Northampton County Historical and Genealogical Society 1937) citing Patent, Thomas Penn and Richard Penn to Geo. Michael Schortz, Patent Book A18 234 (14 Mar. 1754) with Northampton County Tax Records map, www.ncpub.org.
[4] A.D. Chidsey, Jr., A Frontier Village 234-35, 259 (Vol. III of Publications of The Northampton County Historical & Genealogical Society 1940)(Building No.52); see also I. Harold Sharfman, Jews on the Frontier 74-75 (Henry Regnery Company 1977); Joshua Trachtenberg, Consider the Years, The Story of the Jewish Community of Easton 1752 – 1942 56, 60 (Centennial Committee of Temple Brith Sholom 1944); Rev. Uzal W. Condit, The History of Easton, Penn’a 16 (George W. West 1885 / 1889)(“the first merchant of Easton”).
[5] Deed, George Michael (Margaret) Shortz to Myer Hart, G3 405 (12 Nov. 1764).