Bey Building

Bey Building. . In 1878, Joseph "Felix" Bey inherited part of Lot 46 on the south side of the square from his father, Casimir Jean Claude Bey, a native of France. On the property was a wood frame building which Joseph razed to erect a fine two-story red brick business house 30 x 40 feet. When the masons finished the brick laying on May 24, 1878, at 4 o'clock in the afternoon, a festive celebration was had, serving spirits among the workers, and decorating the building with green boughs. In July 1880, the building was completed. To celebrate the occasion, a dance was held inside the new- building and was well attended. On the first floor, Joseph and his business partner, James Greenwell, operated a general store called Bey and Greenwell Merchandise. Joseph and his wife, Mary Monica Edwards, lived upstairs. By 1881, the partnership had dissolved but Joseph continued to run the store for a short time. In 1883, Joseph built a small addition which became the central part of the building. Eventually he bought the adjoining building, and the three buildings were known as the Bey Building. Throughout the years, other additions were made to the back of the building. In 1886, Joseph sold his store interest to John and Louis Hooss. They renamed the store J. Hooss and Co. Other early tenants in the Bey building were J. V. Moore Grocery Store, Beckman and Weber Hardware Store, Halter and Hoehn, a saddle business, Hart and DeClerk Grocery Store, and Russell's Gift and Art Shop managed by Mrs. J. K. Russell. Joseph "Felix" Bey died at age 43. Joseph and Mary had one- child, Dr. John Emil Bey, a dentist. In 1900, Dr. Bey set up his dental practice upstairs in the building. By 1907, the Bey Building underwent major remodeling. The building was regarded as one of the most modern business fronts in the city. Dr. Bey's youngest son, Dr. Stephen Paul Bey, also became a dentist. Both father and son spent their entire careers practicing dentistry in the Bey Building. Felix Bey, another son of Dr. Bey, opened a funeral parlor in the left side of the building in 1930. It was named Bey Undertaking. Albert Bey, a third son, took over the funeral business and in 1939 moved the funeral parlor to the Bey family home on the corner of West St. Joseph and Water Streets. It was called Bey Funeral Home. Although Albert moved the business from the square, he continued to use the central part of the Bey Building to store caskets and do embalming in the basement. Through the years, there were many professional tenants in the Bey Building: Dr. Albert Hooss, Physician and Surgeon; Dr. C. A. Wildman, D.O.; Dr. George Blaylock, Physician and Surgeon; Dr. W.H. Bailey, Physician and Surgeon; and F. Denizet, Optometrist. In the 1950's and 1960's, Pevely's was a popular hamburger and soda eatery that occupied the building. When it closed, Chow Palace, another eatery soon followed. After 140 years, the Bey family sold the building in January 2020 to Dominic and Stephanie Stark.