Fritz Krueger Building

Fritz Krueger Building. . Fritz Krueger and his family emigrated from Germany to America in 1885. The family settled in Mt. Vernon in 1891 and quickly Fritz became a prominent businessman and contractor. At this site. Krueger constructed a building with bricks from his Mt. Vernon kiln. He operated the Fritz Krueger and Son business which carried general merchandise that included apparel, furniture and hardware. Krueger's primary business remained in construction and he built many prominent buildings such as the Houk and Adams Building in Mt. Vernon, the Stanford Courthouse (1909) which is still in use, banks and college buildings. In 1913 Fritz doubled the size of his building and The Boone Way Opera House opened. It was the first theater in Mount Vernon and the proprietor was George Owens. He was locally referred to as "The Picture Show Man". The theater contained a player piano which was operated by J.G. Machal and during the film, Mrs. Ruth McFerron would accompany the silent pictures by playing appropriate songs on the piano. , In 1926, fire destroyed the Krueger and Son merchandise store and The Boone Way Opera House. , In 1927 the Kruegers sold the property to a group of local investors who built a new brick building for use as a union hall for the Junior Order United American Mechanics, Mount Vernon Council No. 45. The Junior Order Hall, as it was known, was short lived, closing its doors in 1933. The property then passed through several hands, being split in 1959 with an additional building constructed on the western portion.