Removed.

[Marcia Moore]

Removed.

[W. Gray]

The skating rink was upstairs above what is now the Family Market.

[Lookatmeknow!!]

That is too awesome!!  If PEP sees this he might add on a skate rink!!  Wouldn't that be neat.  Parents could shop and kids could skate!!!!

[jprxmkt]

cool idea, since we have expanded north south east and west and guess the next step is up!

[W. Gray]

Have not been to Howard since end of May.

Have you completed expanding to the north?

Or, can you provide an update as to the status?

[jprxmkt]

PEP has done some work removing the middle wall inside Waldo's. It is now open from the front to the back (one large room) as it was originally built. (around 1910 we believe)  There is no central heat and air and the floor has termites so there will be quite of bit of expensive right at the beginning. We are trying to get a little paid down on the last remodel before we run up the tab again.

The ceiling is that old metal kind and is really good condition for as old as it is. It should look really nice with a new paint job!  The original Frank Lloyd Wright transom glass that used to be above the awning was up in the loft so I would like to use that somehow in the project.  It is in it's original casing but I'm sure it would leak and probably why it was taken down to begin with.

The walls for the most part are in pretty good condition. We will need to do some patchwork especially in the back of the building where the water and termites have been busy and then paint.

We will cut a hole through the wall up front east of the pharmacy so you will be able to access it from the existing store.  We will then be able to move more groceries into what is currently the giftshop and widen the current grocery isles by taking out 1 row of shelving !!!  We may expand the north gift shop wall farther north (towards Cookson's) behind Waldo's so we will have even more grocery area, maybe more freezers and larger milk case.

I'm very anxious to get going on it but isn't money always the determining factor? Darn it!!

[Jo McDonald]

Julie, you are to be comennded over and over again for all the loyal services that you bring to Howard.
If every small town could have all the young people that grew up in them, return and own and operate business as Howard has,
it would be a wonderful thing. 
Jo

[W. Gray]

Thanks for the update.

William Crooks constructed the original building at the corner site of the Family Market. The second floor became known as Crooks Hall. Crooks sold the building in 1888.

The bottom floor was first occupied by the First National Bank before they moved south across the street from which they later moved east across the street.

The bottom floor then became a post office, which most of us old timers can remember. Not sure what was in the basement at first but eventually it was Slim and Waldo's Barber Shop.

On the second floor, there was a stage at the west end. Per the Elk County history book, the Howard Dramatic Club put on a presentation "Odds With the Enemy" in 1884. Apparently, the owner decided he needed something to bring in income between state shows. He built a maple roller rink floor. Hopefully, they covered the floor with something before bringing chairs in for the stage show.

However, it could have been his stage business went kaput when the Opera House opened around 1887 above where Cookson's is now.

After the rink went out, the building was converted to office space. Judge A. T. Ayers had an office there. Clifford Sullivan, another attorney, also had his offices there.

Ayers was elected Elk County Attorney and then became the Kansas Thirteenth Judicial District judge for almost thirty years.

Crooks also built a movie theater, which later became the Plaza. The Plaza was supposedly remodeled in 1930 to house 600 patrons.

There was also roller skating and movies around 1900 in something called the Air Dome at the site of the Cox Building. This was apparently an open air pavilion.

[jprxmkt]

Wow, interesting! Thanks for the info.