What Was There: 24 Quail Street
This forlorn structure on the southeast corner of Quail and Third Streets has an unremarkable yet diverse history. Built in 1880, 24 Quail Street was a stalwart provider of provisions to a predominantly Irish-German, working men’s neighborhood, notable for its bars and brawls.
George C. Benedict was the first to use this building to add a branch store to his flourishing Hudson Avenue tea and grocery business.
With a couple of exceptions, this storefront remained a corner grocer into the 1920’s
1896 Henry Noll, groceries
1900 Henry Reibert, groceries
1906 Isaac Truax’s saloon (Truax, a Republican and former 17th Ward president, would later become Commissioner of Public Works)
1911-5 Robert H. Howe, groceries
The neighborhood became slightly more diverse during and after wartime years:
1918 George Niklas, a Greek immigrant, groceries
1920 Deime Angeloff, a Bulgarian immigrant, groceries
1922 George Morris, groceries
24 Quail Street’s grocery history pretty much came to a screeching halt as the Tabachneck family opened their Trading Port across the street. Trading Port grew into the predominant grocer for that entire section of the city, eventually expanding into a supermarket and a Tabby gas station.
Meanwhile,…
1923 E.E. Campbell painting and paperhanging
1932 C.N. Pappa’s, meats
1936 Louis C. Leviton’s tavern (former coal merchant)
1939-1945 for sale
1947-8 A.A. Patch Company, manufacturer of rubber goods
1952-1955 for sale
1956 Pauline’s Beauty Shop (Pauline Wolfe)
1961 Rymic Enterprises, Inc., home improvement
1963-4 Sue’s Kitchen (Agnes Pironi)
1964 All Appliance Service Company
1969-78 Office Aids Company, bookbinders
1981 A.B.’s Furniture (Hazel Esten)
To the best of my knowledge, the last business tenant here was The Renovator, Inc., in 2012.
All of the above was researched and compiled using ads, newspaper clippings, and city directories. Unfortunately, modest little businesses such as these didn’t advertise much, and so far I’ve not managed to find any period photographs. Your corrections and additions are most welcome.
Doc Circe Died For Our Sins 
Leave a Reply