Hutch Post, in partnership with Steve Harmon and the Conard-Harmon Collection, is proud to present Throwback Thursday. Enjoy a weekly release from Steve Harmon as he presents the "Hutch - Then & Now Collection."
STEVE HARMON
Hutch Post Contributor
Today's "Throwback Thursday Collection" takes us to the northeast corner of 3rd Avenue and North Main.
The three buildings at 302-304 N. Main were built in 1900 as Hutchinson businesses first expanded north of the Santa Fe tracks. The first photo was taken in 1928 and shows the new Santa Fe Hotel and Cafe, owned by James Brown, at 300 N. Main.
This was the second Santa Fe Hotel in town. The first one was across the street and burned down in 1921.
The 302 N. Main address was the W.P. Beal Jewelers. The 304 address was the Iris Theatre, a dime-movie house featuring second-run films and westerns. The slanted floor faced the front entrance with projection from the middle of the theatre. William Fulton was the manager and it existed from February 1912 to May 1943. The second photo shows the 302 N. Main address even earlier in 1910 when it was the New State Cafe.
The third photo of the corner is from 1947 and shows the 302 slot as the Classic Barber Shop, the 300 slot as the M&M Cafe, with #2906 Locomotive, one of the last of the steam locomotives of the Santa Fe Railway line.
The fourth photo is from 2017, and shows the 304 slot as Sarah's Catholic Book Store and the 300 slot as The Natural Alternative.
The fifth photo shows the corner today, with 304 being Thoracic Park Chiropractic, 302 being Main Street Yoga and 300 being Leu+Co, a plumbing, heating and a/c company plus property management services. The 300 and 302 slots are owned by Leuco Properties L.L.C. Logan and Em Leuenberger.
To purchase a photo print, contact: [email protected].
Throwback Thursday is brought to you by:
Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce
STRATACA Kansas Underground Salt Museum