Upper Pierre Street Commercial Historic District

The Upper Pierre Street Commercial Historic District is important as the center of commerce in Pierre after 1900 and for its association with two prominent businessmen, Andrew C. Brink and Charles Hyde. The district includes the Brink and Mundt Buildings, named for the men who ran land and insurance businesses in the buildings, which both date from 1895, and the five buildings Charles Hyde constructed between 1906 and 1909. All seven of the district’s buildings are symbols of Pierre’s late-19th century pioneer architecture and early-20th century commercial progress. The buildings have simple Classical Revival details with the exception of the Brink Building, which is refaced with a much higher style Classical facade.

When Pierre was platted in 1880, construction was basically limited to the flood plain. The heights of storefronts were all different because of the variances in the grade. The 1906 addition of Upper Pierre Street allowed downtown to install a gravity sewage system for drainage in times of high water. The grading of the flat and hill at the same time was one of Pierre’s largest construction undertakings. The excess dirt resulting from grading Upper Pierre Street became infill in the flat. Concrete sidewalks were installed on Pierre Street up to Capitol Avenue. This project helped create unified storefronts and greatly improved the aesthetics of downtown.

The intersection of Capitol Avenue and Pierre Street became the commercial center of Pierre after 1900 thanks to Andrew C. Brink and Charles Hyde. Andrew C. Brink was involved in both A. C. Brink & Co. (wholesale) and Brink & Tollinger (retail) flour and seed commission merchant businesses in the 1890’s. He also worked as a building contractor. He also became one of the city’s most prominent real estate men and ran the A. C. Brink Land Company and the Permanent Concrete Construction Company out of the Brink Building for many years.

Upper Pierre Street Commercial Historic District

The Brink Building at 117 South Pierre Street is a two-story coursed brick building with a front facade of stone block imitating marble. The Brink Building and the red brick Mundt Building at 115 South Pierre Street both date from 1895. These are the only two buildings that still exist of the early business development on Upper Pierre Street that predated Charles Hyde’s involvement in the district.

Charles Hyde was an entrepreneur, real estate dealer, and promoter, who settled in Pierre in 1887. Born in Illinois in 1860, Hyde worked as a detective, reporter, cattle hand, and semi-professional roller skater before his move to real estate. He also made his fortune from founding the American Exchange Bank in 1907 and from ranching. Hyde built several businesses along Lower Pierre Street before developing the commercial district on Upper Pierre Street. Many envious people, particularly in the flat district, disliked Mr. Hyde because of his success and because they opposed development of the Upper Pierre Street District on the hill.

Hyde’s first building in the Upper Pierre Street Historic District was the Hyde Block at 101 South Pierre Street that Jeffers & Henry, architects out of Aberdeen, designed in 1906. The first businesses in the building included a drugstore, bank, hairdresser, restaurant, jewelry store, and a grocery store.

Hyde did his own contracting on the next two buildings–The Mallery Store at 105 South Pierre Street and the Grand Opera House at 109 South Pierre Street. The Mallery Store, later known as Moore’s Department Store and also as London’s, dates from 1906. Its original owner was John E. Mallery, who sold dry goods, shoes, and ladies-ready-to-wear apparel after moving from Wisconsin to Pierre in 1882, where he succeeded in the new prestigious business district. The Mallery Store is located between the Hyde Block and the Grand Opera House and differs from those buildings because of its large glass display windows and two doorways in a recessed entrance.

The Grand Opera House once contained 1200 seats and had ornate decorations and lush stage curtains. The opera house was extremely popular in the community of Pierre, drawing audiences with such shows as “Clint and Bessie” and various Shakespeare performances. In 1917, there was a decline in theatre popularity that forced the owners to transform the Grand Opera House into a movie theatre in 1919. Movie theatres were becoming increasingly popular by that time. Known as “The Grand Theatre,” the new movie theatre matched the popularity of the old Grand Opera House. The movie theatre closed in the late 1960s due to competition with the new State Theatre and the Sioux Drive-in. The Grand Opera House is again a live theatre, home to the Pierre Players, a local theatre group.

Upper Pierre Street Commercial Historic District

In 1908, Kansas City architect P.R. Johnson designed the Capitol Avenue Block at 105 ½ East Capitol Avenue, also known as the Capitol Hotel. Among the first businesses in the Capitol Avenue Block were a hardware store, grocery store, a boots and shoes store, furniture store, and a dry cleaning business. The Pierre Street Block at 101 ½ East Capitol Avenue and 108 ½ South Pierre Street dates from 1909. Some of the earliest of the many businesses housed there over the years were a department store, bank, jewelry store, motion picture theatre, a plumbing service, a boots and shoes store, and a Christian Science Reading Room.

The Hyde buildings are all constructed of red or brown brick and have Classical Revival details. The buildings are either two or three stories, except for the one-story Moore’s Department Store. Four of the five Hyde buildings have projecting pressed metal cornices decorated with dentil molding along the street facing facades. They are grouped along Capitol Avenue and the north end of Pierre Street.

Karcher Block

Built during Pierre’s second building boom, the Karcher Block was one of the first brick commercial buildings in the city. Commissioned by Henry Karcher and constructed in 1884, the block is in the popular Commercial style with Italianate features. Karcher was instrumental in providing permanency to the present downtown business district of Pierre.

Karcher Block

At the time, it was unclear whether the center of the business community would be in East or West Pierre. According to Karcher’s diary, Mr. Wells, who owned most of what was then called East Pierre, offered Karcher $6,000 not to erect his “mammoth double brick building” in West Pierre. Karcher rejected this offer, and West Pierre went on to become the center of the business community.

The Karcher Block provided for two retail spaces on the main floor, including a post office, and a second floor used as a public hall. Construction of the Karcher Block and the Central Block, another major downtown building, at the same time guaranteed that West Pierre would be the focus of the business district.

“Heilman’s”.”Sunset Bar” and “Coast To Coast Store Auto Supplies”. Numbers above two doors to the left of the Sunset Bar include “362 1/2” and “364 1/2”.

The Karcher Block was considered one of the most desirable business locations in the city because of its central location on the northeast corner of Pierre Street and Dakota Avenue. In continual use since its construction, the building served as the home for many thriving downtown businesses including retail stores, doctors and lawyers offices, real estate agencies, an immigration and employment bureau, the Dakota Poster newspaper, and the Pierre City Railroad Company. The block stayed in the Karcher family until 1989.

Hilger Block

Dating from 1883, the Italianate style Hilger Block was the first brick commercial building constructed in Pierre. The building has played an important role in local commerce and economic development ever since. Pierre became the economic center of south central South Dakota during the great Dakota boom of 1878-1887, an era of good weather and the gold rush in the Black Hills. Because of the economic boom, J.D. Hilger built the Hilger Block and operated a clothing store there. He later partnered with Anthony Hengel to form Hilger and Hengel Clothing Company, which occupied the first floor. The upper level housed professional offices. The 1890 Pierre Directory listed 12 tenants in the building. Hengel eventually became sole owner and named the business the Tony Clothing Company. The upstairs continued to house professional offices, mainly for doctors, attorneys, and insurance agents.

The Hilger Block was considered one of the most desirable business buildings in town because of its central location in the business district. Because it is in West Pierre, which eventually prevailed over East Pierre as the central business district, the building became one of the most sought after pieces of real estate in town. A year after its construction, 10 more brick commercial buildings replaced wooden buildings on Pierre Street strengthening the town’s economic prominence in the region.

The Italianate style was popular in South Dakota from about 1870 to 1900. Characteristics of the style found on the Hilger Block include the long narrow window openings, elaborate window hoods, and a decorative cornice with brackets. Although the storefront and second floor windows have been altered, the stone sills, lintels, window hoods, and cornice remain. The building still conveys its historic 19th and early 20th century sense of feeling and association.

The east façade features a recessed central entry flanked by large windows with stone sills and segmented stone window hoods. Above the windows are corbelled bricks that lead to a cornice with brackets, dentils, and decorative moldings. The south elevation has a display window at the southeast corner and a small garage door at the southwest corner on the first floor. The windows on the second floor also have stone sills and lintels. A flat plain parapet runs the length of the elevation.

The Hilger Block is an example of what Richard Longstreth labeled the two-part commercial block. Two-part commercial blocks generally have two to four stories separated by a distinct horizontal division into two zones. The lower zone at the street level served as a public space, frequently as retail or commercial space; the upper zone generally housed more private space such as offices and meeting rooms. The two-part commercial block was prevalent in small cities and towns nationwide from the 1850’s through the 1950’s. The main level of the Hilger Block is still a retail space, while the upper level is now loft style apartments.

Central Block

Built in 1884, Central Block was one of the first masonry commercial blocks erected in Pierre and was often referred to as the handsomest building in town. It provided space for two major retail businesses on the first floor, housed several small professional offices on the second floor, and served as a prototype for further business construction in the city during the next 25 years. It is one of the few remaining historic buildings within the city’s original commercial district.

The 1884 Republican Territorial Convention Ball was held in the new Central Block. The ball was the occasion of the grand opening of the building. The Rochester Orchestra entertained several hundred guests.

By 1887, William F. Baird controlled much of Central Block. He was a partner in the Baird, Burke & Brown real estate firm, which continues today as Burke Real Estate. Baird’s wife, Alice, was Pierre’s first female physician, specializing in “diseases of women and children.” She had her practice in the Central Block throughout the 1890’s. In the early 1900’s, Henry R. Horner owned the southern half of the building. Horner served as the 1884 delegate to the Hughes County Republican convention and as Pierre City Attorney. He was elected to the South Dakota Senate in 1893 and 1897. Horner’s law firm, Horner, Martens, and Goldsmith, exists today as May, Adam, Gerdes, and Thompson and is the oldest law firm in South Dakota. Since the building opened in 1884, it has housed grocery, pharmacy, clothing, variety, and appliance stores. In addition, many prominent attorneys, real estate agencies, and health care professionals have had their offices here.

Central Block is a two-story commercial building with a stone foundation and masonry walls. Trimmings are made of St. Louis pressed brick and Kansas stone. The building is designed in the popular Commercial style and has Italianate features. The east facade has glass store fronts with large separate doors for each retailer. A central entry door leads to the second story. The second story fenestration features seven elongated rectangular windows with stone window hoods. The center window is capped with a carved stone plaque with the words “Central Block” in relief. Above the window line is an intricate pressed metal cornice, supported by brick corbelling.

The Charles Hyde building in Pierre. This is a 3 story brick building and the window awning is up. The building has a drug store and a bank in the building.

Hyde Block and Grand Opera House (back left) at the corner of Pierre Street and Capitol Avenue. The Post Corner Drug was at this location for many years.

This picture of the Hyde Building was taken in 1909.

Lower Pierre street. Print on photo indicates 441 S Pierre Street. Near corner of Pierre St and Dakota Avenue.

Pierre Legion Cabin 2018

In June 1919, ex-servicemen in the Pierre area met at the Pierre City auditorium to begin organizing. Ed Phares was elected temporary chairman and Louverne Ballou temporary secretary. The name “Pierre Post” was selected because the organizers felt that the community would be better served keeping its name always in the foreground. This was nontraditional, as many posts were commonly named after fallen comrades.

Pierre veterans met at the beginning of July 1919 to complete the organization of the Pierre Post. They elected Carl M. Walker as post commander, Will Robinson as vice-post commander, Louverne Ballou as post adjutant, Robert Hipple as post historian, and Paul Dewell as post treasurer. The veterans also selected delegates to the state convention including: E.A. Beckwith, Will Robinson, Walter Burke, Daves E. Brisbane, Carl Walker, Charles L. Hyde Jr., B.E. Hepperle, Ed Phares, Robert Hipple, and Alfred Jaynes. The convention was held 14-15 July 1919 in Sioux Falls.

Pierre Post was active from the start. In July 1919, a delegation was formed to boost for Pierre and a committee was appointed to arrange dances at the auditorium to help fund the organization. The Pierre city commission also authorized the local Legion to build a permanent campground near McKinley School to assist tourists traveling through town. The Legion was also put in charge of the first “Armistice Day Celebration” on November 11, which was to feature rough riding, aero plane fights, boxing and a football game. A blizzard hampered this first celebration and many were unable to attend, but a tradition of observance was put in place.

Origins of Pierre Post 8 Cabin

Legion Kilt Band on Capitol steps in 1955

Pierre Post met in a variety of buildings during the interwar years including the city auditorium, St. Charles Hotel, Hyde Block, First National Bank, Hughes County courthouse, and other venues. In early 1940, Pierre Post voted unanimously to construct a new Legion building. Plans were made to construct a large log building on the banks of the Missouri River at the foot of Pierre Street. The building was to be centered at the base of the street and was proposed to include decorative landscaping. W.H. Pringle, local builder and chairman of the building committee, reported that the cost was not to exceed $3,500. The log building was to be built out of native Black Hills logs, which were to be available in early summer of 1940. Pringle was placed in charge of construction and traveled to the Black Hills to inspect and select the logs.

Unfortunately, construction of the building was slow or postponed. It was not until April of 1941 that work occurred as Pringle introduced Mr. Berglund as superintendent of the project to the Legion board. Money was evidently a cause of the delay, as the Legion began raising money with a cement sack sale later in April. Costs had risen to $4,200, but the Legion had also secured the National Youth Administration (NYA) laborers under the direction of a Mr. Vickers to erect the building. The agreement was that the post would furnish all materials while the NYA, sponsored by the city of Pierre, would supply the labor. The NYA retained overall supervisory responsibility.

In the summer of 1941, the NYA’s out-of-school work program employed about 1,082 youths in South Dakota. These quotas allowed for intermittent construction of the Legion building. After a delay during the summer while the logs were seasoned, work resumed in October. Final arrangement between the NYA and city were made for completion and Mr. Kirby of Hot Springs was assigned foreman of the crew. Millwork was ordered so that the building could be enclosed before winter and haste was made to finish the fireplace on the east side of the building. The fireplace on the west wall was removed and a central heating plant was also under construction.

Legion Cabin – flood of 1952

With National Youth Administration (NYA) labor in short supply in 1942 due to changes in policy, Pierre Post approved hiring additional laborers to speed up the completion. The concrete floor was poured in early December and the millwork was on hand for installation. Pringle reported in January of 1942 that the building was nearing completion and may be finished in time for the next monthly meeting. Pringle also reported that paid membership had reached 113, which was important as a list of members was to be included in the building’s cornerstone.

State NYA officers inspected the building in February and stated that it was the only project in the state in which a city was sponsoring a veterans’ project. Construction was still ongoing in April, at which time the first meeting was held in the unfinished building. In late April, the NYA stopped work on the building as it was determined not essential to the defense of the country. This required Pierre Post to raise more money to complete the building, which had to be done by Memorial Day in order to host the State convention. A benefit dance, featuring Keith’s Orchestra and Homer Myers on his Hammond Organ, was held in May to raise additional funds.

The building was completed in June of 1942. Ed Downs, director of the NYA, presented Mayor John B. Griffin with a key to the building in an official ceremony. The Pierre City Commission had passed a motion in May putting control of the building in the hands of the Legion.

The Legion Cabin has served as Pierre Post 8’s home, but it has also been used for a variety of events within the community. When the Pierre municipal airport was converted into an Army Air Base in 1942, a full complement of troops arrived with it. The Legion turned over use of the building to the United Services Organization (USO). By May of 1944, over 16,000 servicemen had visited this USO making it one of the most successful establishments in the northwest.

Legion Cabin as USO headquarters during WW II

Both the Legion and the Women’s Auxiliary of the American Legion used the cabin as headquarters. The Auxiliary had been established at the first National Convention of the American Legion in Minneapolis in 1919. The Legion, after receiving several request from various women’s patriotic organizations to participate, created the Auxiliary to enhance a shared vision. The first unit in South Dakota was organized in Parker and by 1921 eighty-six auxiliaries had been chartered across the state. The name was also shortened at the 1921 national convention to the American Legion Auxiliary. The Auxiliary’s main function was to support the American Legion in four primary objectives: Rehabilitation, Child Welfare, Community Service, and Americanism.

The cabin was also rented or donated for use. For example, the cabin hosted meetings of political organizations in the 1960s as well as a reunion of Civilian Conservation Corps members who built nearby Farm Island Park. It also hosted a large number of talent plays, minstrel shows, jamborees, roaring gulch carnivals, and other activities over the years. In the 1950s, the Pierre Post 8 cabin was the primary establishment to offer dancing, refreshments, and entertainment to the public in the winter months.