St. Anne’s Hill is a well-preserved historic neighborhood on the near east side of Dayton, which was initially platted in 1845. Its homes, most of which were constructed from the 1860s to the 1890s, include “high style” Second Empire, Romanesque, and Victorian Eclectic architecture, as well as many folk-style or vernacular structures.
The neighborhood’s small business district can be found along East Fifth St, just about a half mile from the popular Oregon District. The stretch of East Fifth in St. Anne’s Hill was the very first street in the city of Dayton to be paved.
One of the nicest commercial buildings found in St. Anne’s Hill is this High Victorian Italianate structure at 1500 E Fifth St. that was built circa 1878.
It was originally the Stockert Saloon, named for Phillip Stockert who was a beer wholesaler, retailer and bottler. As with many of the small shops in various Dayton neighborhoods, the business changed many times over the years. After being a saloon, this building was Schneble’s Pharmacy for about 40 years.
In the 1980s the building became known for violins, as it was the Baroque Violin shop for a number of years before becoming St. Anne’s Hill Violins. In April 2018, it was reported that the new St. Anne the Tart coffee shop, which originally intended to open across the street at 1509 E Fifth St, would be switching locations to the site of the former violin shop. Construction is well underway and the new business hopes to open by the end of the year.
The coffee shop would join a growing number of small businesses lining the Fifth St strip, including the Fifth St Brew Pub and the Gem City Catfe. Just across Labelle Street is the building that formerly housed the New York Pizzeria and has been empty since then. Hopefully a new restaurant will be able to take its place soon.
Update 2/21/19: St. Anne the Tart has set an opening date for March 1 at 7:00am.
Sources
St. Anne’s Hill: A Historic Perspective
St. Anne’s Hill Historic District Building Plaque
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