Days before selling the Princeton Bottling Works factory on Short Street in January 1949, Herb Krier finished a concrete-block building in southeast Princeton for the branch of the business he would retain.
Princeton Times-Republic, Jan. 13, 1949 – “A deal was completed last week by which the ownership of the Princeton Bottling Works was transferred to Robert and Anton Ritta, of Milwaukee. … Herb Krier, the former owner of the bottling works, has retained his beer distributing business and will occupy his new beer depot at the intersection of Highways 73-23 and County Trunk D. Mr. Krier sold the bottling works so that he could devote all of his time to his rapidly expanding beer business.”
Krier’s former beer depot at 606 South Fulton most recently was a Subway restaurant. The property is for sale.
Krier sold the beer distribution business in 1952.
Princeton Times-Republic, June 19, 1952 – “Norman Krenz, 27, of Milwaukee, has purchased the Herb Krier beer distributing business in this area, it was announced this week. Krenz was in business for himself in Milwaukee before coming to Princeton. … The Kriers will leave later this week for Port Washington and Belgium where Herb will set up a beer distributorship with Braumeister and Hamms. He will also take over his former distributing business in Madison.”
Now, here’s where I lose track of the building for a bit. It was still Krenz’s beer depot in 1965, and it was home to Farrell Morning Glory Dairy by July 1983, but I do not know when the use changed from beer to milk depot.
(There was also a Sealtest distributorship in Princeton, operated by Norman Semro from September 1949 to March 1957, when he sold to Robert Megow. Megow did business as Princeton’s Sealtest Dairy as late as June 1965.)
Norm Farrell took over the Morning Glory route from Fred “Fritz” Schwanz, who had operated as the Princeton Dairy or Princeton Morning Glory Dairy since April 1968, on April 1, 1977.
In June 1989 Farrell appeared before the city council. He said he was selling the former beer depot property to Gary and Pat Melchert and asked the city to reduce the cost of water and sewer to the property to help the new owners. The deal went through in September and Melchert’s Antiques opened in October 1989.
Princeton Times-Republic, April 26, 1990 – “For 14 years, Gary and Pat Melchert have traveled the ‘antique circuit’ before setting up a permanent store. … ‘We began to check out the area,’ Mrs. Melchert said. They must have found Princeton met their needs, for in 1989 they purchased the Norm Farrell building on the eastern edge of town. Melchert’s Antiques opened in October 1989.”
Jeff and Tracy Prellwitz purchased the building in April 2002 and opened the Subway restaurant in September. It closed in 2020.
Please let me know if you have any corrections or can help fill in the gap in my timeline, especially 1965-1983.
Thank you for caring and reading about local history.