2731 Cherokee Street

2731 Cherokee Street. The Cinderella Building. The Cinderella Building, designed by architect William Wedemeyer was constructed by contractors Joseph G. Bothe and Charles A Welsh in 1913. The property where the building stands was purchased from the Besch family by Harry and Eugene Freund a year before construction began. The site had been the location of the Cherokee Beer Garden, and was owned by the Besch family since the 1860s. The Cinderella Building operated as a dance hall and skating rink until 1915 when the Freunds converted the rink into a movie theater. In 1929 Fred Wehrenberg took over management of the Cinderella Theater, and in 1932 Fred and Gertrude Wehrenberg and their Southside Amusement Company officially purchased the Cinderella Theater and Hall from the Freunds. Wehrenberg moved his offices to the second floor of the building, where the Freunds had originally had their Cinderella Amusement Company offices. The first floor storefronts were occupied by a variety of retail stores, including a cigar shop, a hat shop, and Walter Forman's clothing store, which was in the building from 1925 until 1933. During the late 1930s through the 1940s the second floor offices were predominated by Unions and Fraternal organizations, including the Cherokee Council Royal League and the Candy and Confectionary Workers Local No. 310. The longest occupying business was the Thom McAn Shoe Store, which moved into the Cinderella Building in 1935 and remained until 1980., The Cinderella Theater remained in operation util 1958, nine years after the death of Fred Wehrenberg. In 1962 the theater portion of the building was demolished for a surface parked lot. The following year Wehrenberg Theaters moved their offices to Creve Coeur. The Cinderella Building remained in commercial operation and continues to house several businesses.