Old Hardware: Garage, Dance Hall

Southwest Pioneer, January 2012

The former Grove City Hardware building, now better known as Cultivate, an organization that promotes entrepreneurs, was built in 1915.

            Built by Henry J. Meyer for Carl Johnson, it was first used as a garage.  An elevator at the front of the building would lift vehicles to the second floor for mechanical repairs.  It’s believed the first floor was a local dance hall.

Meyer later sold the building to Leslie G. Mulzer who opened a Ford and Lincoln automotive agency on the first floor and continued to operate a garage upstairs.  Mulzer’s dealership was once considered to be the largest Ford agency in Franklin County, according to the writings of Earl R. Nicholson, local historian and member of the Southwest Franklin County Historical Society.

            Ray Henry and Carl Goldhart took over the dealership after Mulzer’s interest changed and he became interested in aviation.   Harley Motor Sales also operated a Ford dealership in the building before moving to a new building on the east side of Broadway beside Grove City Lanes.

            The building was remodeled in 1923 by Charles Eesley making the upper floor an auditorium.  He also created four modern storerooms at street level that included the Galle and Good Bakery, Hensel’s Restaurant and the J. J. Davis Store.  It was purchased by the Luebben family for a hardware store in the late 1940s.