| Additional Information: | This structure (at least the main block) was built circa 1912 by Myer Cohn. Cohn was born in Russia and came to the United States at the age of sixteen. He moved to Walworth in 1902, after which he started a general merchandising store in the Higbee Block at 106 N. Main Street. Following the 1904 construction of the Clarke Block at 110-114 Madison Street he moved his business there (and moved his family into the apartment above) until building his own facility at the subject location. The Cohn family again lived above the store, occupying the rear half of the second floor. The first floor of the building carried general merchandise, such as dry goods, clothing and groceries, while the front portion of the second floor was a furniture showroom. Cohn died in June of 1931 and his wife and sons Benjamin and Samuel ran the store until 1935, when Samuel and his wife Clara took over business operations. It was at that time that the name was changed from Myer Cohn General Store to Waals Department Store. The latter name is said to be a combination of the first two letters of Walworth and #28;Al,#29; the first name of the brother-in-law of his wife Clara, who was in partnership with Sam and Clara.
In 1946, the Cohns moved from their residential quarters on the second floor in order to expand the business floor. In 1953, an interior renovation consisted of the removal of the original oak cabinets and the tin ceiling and the installation of modern fixtures, a dropped ceiling and linoleum over the maple floors. An elevator was also installed. In 1961, a two-story addition was made to the south end of the main block and, in 1972, the building to the west was purchased, which added 8,000 square feet to the store. In brief, the west building was occupied by the Sanitary Cash Market from 1922 to 1946, after which it was owned by Harvey Theilbar and operated as Thielbar IGA. As of 1953, the Cohns rented space on the second floor of the IGA building. From 1963 to 1972, it was owned by Bert Booth and was the home to a dime store/variety store. In 1987, an exterior renovation occurred; however, no specifics of the renovation were cited. In 1996, the department store closed and it remained vacant until January 1998, at which time the current owners, John and Roberta Hunt, purchased the building. The Hunts, who operate an antique store in the building, removed the dropped ceiling and repaired the original tin ceiling, as well as stripped the floors of the carpeting. They also cut a hole into the ceiling and installed a central staircase to the second floor. |
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| Bibliographic References: | Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, 1912, shows the building, and denoted as "From Plans"
Roberta Hunt, "A Downtown Landmark" in The Old Oak, newsletter of the Historical Society of Walworth and big Foot Prairie, (Spring 2008), Vol. 3, No. 1
"Waal's Looks to Future with 1988 Facelift" The (Walworth) Times, Sesquicentennial editions, 2 July 1987, 3/12
"Myer Cohn dies on Sunday, The Walworth Times, 18 June 1931, 1/3.
Myer Cohn General Merchandise, Advertisement, in The Romog (1925), yearbook of the Walworth High School, on file at the Walworth Memorial Library.
Architecture/History Survey Reconstruct USH 14: Illinois State Line to I-43, 11-0524/WL. |
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