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John Bramer

Bramer Building

[ Picadilly Building ]

406 East Main Street

The building at 406 East Main Street, which housed the Watertown Main Street office in 2001, was built in 1884 by John F. Bramer. The distinctive brick building has raised brick cornices, and Italianate arched window heads and originally had a refractive glass transom on the store front window.

Bramer and his brother, Charles, were in partnership in a farm implement business. The shop was connected to 408 East Main and sold buggies, cutters, wagons, sewing machines, etc. according to the 1892 City directory. The Bramers made their home on the second floor.

By 1909, John's son, Frank, was running a piano tuning business from the location. Frank was violinist and was well known in the city.

The Bramer family owned the building until 1919, when it was sold to Robert Kulm. In 1921, it was the site of Vogue Cleaners [Reinhold Budewitz], and by 1928, it was the home of Stuebe Floral Co. The William J. Stuebe family would operate their floral business in the building until 1933. In 1934, Clara and Winifred Harrigan opened the Golden Lantern Gift Shop from the building.

By 1941, 406 East Main was The Smart Shop. Then in 1945, Alex Dimitros opened The Smoke Shop and sold cigars and tobacco products. By 1950, the name had changed to The Picadilly Smoke Shop and the name stayed the same through several owners when it finally closed in the 1990s.

Dawn Rafel ran The Old Towne Doll Shoppe until 1966.

The build was owned by Ron Ziwisky in 2001.

Image Portfolio

Click to enlarge

Bramer Ad 1891 Weltburger

Bramer Bldg 1975