Euwer's Store - New Castle PA

John N. Euwer (1812-1878), of Scots-Irish descent and born in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, entered the mercantile business at a young age. By 1834, he made his way to New Castle with his brother Daniel Euwer, as they established a general store to take advantage of traffic along the new Beaver & Erie Canal. Together, they established the Euwer’s dry goods business in downtown New Castle. The Euwer’s store was located at what became #210 East Washington Street, where it would remain a presence for many decades.

Daniel soon left the business and another brother named Samuel took his place in the firm. Samuel soon died and John took over sole ownership. The store went through a series of name changes over the years. It became J.N. Euwer & Sons when two of John’s sons joined the firm in 1867, was renamed as J.N. Euwer’s Sons when patriarch John passed away in 1878, and later yet became the odd-sounding J.N. Euwer’s Sons’ Sons. The family was business savvy and several of the sons or grandsons attended Princeton University in New Jersey.

In 1881 several sons of founder John N. Euwer bought out the A.W. Brownlee & Company in Youngstown, Ohio, and opened another Euwer’s Store in that city. After fires destroyed the Youngstown store in 1900 and again in 1907, Euwer’s moved into the impressive new Stambaugh Building in 1908.

The company started construction in September 1898 on a new building in downtown New Castle known as the Euwer Block. The triangular-shaped building was located at the north end of the Mill Street Bridge. The street address was commonly given as “at the bridge,” and it was accessible via a stretch of Water Street/Neshannock Avenue, which is now gone. This four-story building became home to Euwer’s furniture and home goods business. Early advertisements used a Swastika, an ancient symbol of good fortune, and said come see us “At the Sign of the Swastika.” It was later dropped by Euwer’s and many other American businesses, especially after it was adopted by the German Nazi Party in 1920.

The neighboring Euwer’s storeroom building, known as the Old Armory, housed elements of the Troop F Cavalry around the time of the Great War (World War I). It was utilized as a community hall, entertainment arcade, and hosted boxing, wrestling, and other events during the 1920s and 1930s.

Euwer’s profitable business slowly waned in the coming years. In 1921, the store on East Washington Street was closed and sold to local businessman George Winter to become the home of the newly renamed The Winter Company. The furniture store in the Euwer Block remained in business but mounting debts caught up to it. The establishment, under the ownership of founder John N. Euwer’s grandson Harry G. Euwer (1878-1933), was finally closed in August 1928 and the contents were auctioned off over the next month. This ended 94 years of the Euwer family business in New Castle. The Youngstown store was closed at about the same time.

The triangular Euwer’s building “at the bridge” was slated to be razed in 1930 as Montgomery, Ward & Company expressed plans to build a large store at that location. There were delays and that never happened. Various businesses leased or temporarily occupied the building in the coming years. It was torn down sometime in the 1960’s and converted into a city-owned parking lot. In 1989, the property was sold, with some controversy because it was a popular parking location, to a local credit union. The property was later acquired by the development firm that constructed (adding onto the neighboring Niesner building) the commercial complex known as the Cascade Center at the Riverplex. A portion of the new structure contains the new Warner Cascade Theater, a re-creation of the original Cascade Theater established by the Warner Brothers in 1907.

The Euwer’s furniture store and secondary storeroom building are located “at the bridge” – next to the Mill Street Bridge. A section of Water Street or Neshannock Avenue that ran along the water can also be seen. Euwer’s also operated a nearby “arcade,” essentially a bowling alley and billiards hall. (1909) Full Size

A Euwer’s advertisement in the New Castle News appearing after a fire in the East Washington Street store in January 1899. It was a small fire but the store sustained lots of smoke damage. (1899)

The triangular-shaped Euwer Block was built “at the bridge” in 1898. Euwer’s sold furniture and other home furnishings here until it closed in 1928. (c1915) Full Size

Inside the Euwer’s store on East Washington Street. This store carried an extensive collection of women’s clothing. (c1908) Full Size

Euwer’s advertisement. (c1920)

A Euwer’s advertisement appearing in the New Castle News just a few days before the furniture store “at the bridge” closed its doors for good on August 1, 1928.