Historic Anheuser-Busch Ice House
600 Main Street • Van Buren, Arkansas
A photographic history of the historic Anheuser-Busch building and the years it was home to Dave's Hobby Shop.
The Historic Anheuser-Busch Building at 600 Main Street
At the corner of 6th and Main Streets in the Historic District of Van Buren, Arkansas, stands the building we knew simply as 600 Main Street. Over the years it has been referred to as the Anheuser-Busch Ice House, the Anheuser-Busch Building and the Anheuser-Busch Brewery Building.
Historical sources associated with the building have generally dated its construction to about 1892. Paperwork we encountered during our ownership, however, provided some evidence suggesting construction may have occurred in 1898. We never attempted to resolve that discrepancy, so both dates remain part of the building's story.
The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was reportedly intended to be a three-story structure, although only two stories were completed.
The exterior still carried unmistakable reminders of its Anheuser-Busch history. Large copper letters spelling out Anheuser-Busch extended along the 6th Street side. Copper was also used extensively in the building's upper exterior trim and downspouts.
On the front was the distinctive Anheuser-Busch A-and-Eagle emblem, which we were told was one of the last surviving examples associated with the company's old ice houses.
One interesting detail can be seen in the main photograph on this page: one of the copper downspouts was missing when that photograph was taken. The original downspout was later found and returned to service on the building.
Entrances, Loading Areas and the Building's Earlier Working Life
The Main Street facade had two separate entrance doors. As viewed from Main Street, the door on the left provided access to the stairway leading to the second floor as well as access into the main downstairs area. The door on the right opened directly into the main downstairs portion of the building.
Anheuser-Busch identity was incorporated directly into the building's tilework. The right-hand Main Street entrance featured Anheuser-Busch tile and the company emblem, and the emblem could also be seen in the period tile floor inside the building.
The 6th Street side of the building now has four doorways. In the building's early years, the two rear doorways did not exist. The second floor extended over the rear loading dock and horse area below, reflecting the building's original commercial use. The two rear doorways were added later.
During our years there, the lower area behind those two rear doors became part of our working operations. Shipping, receiving deliveries, office work and other day-to-day business functions took place there. As with the rest of the building, we made our operation fit the existing space rather than unnecessarily remodeling the building to fit us.
Original Construction and Surviving Features
Each floor contained approximately 2,300 square feet. The building's structure was substantial, with interior masonry walls constructed with two layers of brick.
Round wooden plugs had been set into holes drilled in the brickwork. A hole was drilled into the masonry, a wooden plug was inserted, and fixtures or other items could then be attached to the wood rather than directly into the brick.
Heating flues for stoves were built into the walls toward both the front and rear portions of the building, another reminder of how a commercial building of this period was originally heated.
Upstairs were original doors, transoms and extensive period woodwork. Other reminders of the building's earlier life included original knob-and-tube electrical wiring, including porcelain knobs and tubes, early sockets and electrical boxes.
The second floor was arranged around a long hallway with numerous rooms opening from it. Above each doorway was an original transom window, and the old transoms were still intact and operational. Some of the interior walls were curved, displaying a level of craftsmanship that must have required considerable patience and skill to construct.
At the front of the second floor, overlooking Main Street, was Dave's amateur-radio station—his "ham shack." It was an especially fitting location for W5SWL, with the operating position looking out over historic downtown Van Buren.
The building's structure was impressive. Large, rough-sawn timber beams supported the upper floor and roof structure. The heavy size of these timbers was consistent with the building having been constructed to support the additional third story that was reportedly planned but never completed.
The structure seemed substantial enough that, as a helicopter pilot, Dave considered constructing a proper landing pad on the large, flat roof. There was certainly plenty of room for it. The City of Van Buren had other thoughts about the idea, so the rooftop landing pad never came to be. Looking back, that was probably the wiser outcome.
The original floors also had character of their own. The period encaustic tile is believed to have been manufactured by the American Encaustic Tiling Company. The floors had a noticeable slope toward the side doors, apparently facilitating the washing or cleaning out of the interior during the building's earlier working life.
The Pressed-Tin Ceiling
To the best of our knowledge, the decorative pressed-metal ceiling was original to the building. Over the years it had been painted in a rich gold finish that brought out the remarkable pattern and depth of the metalwork.
Lighting throughout Dave's Hobby Shop was carefully planned. Every light source, its placement and its color temperature were selected to complement the historic interior and create the atmosphere we wanted. Rather than flooding the building with harsh modern retail lighting, we used warmer, color-correct lighting to bring out the character of the brick, wood, tile, ceiling and antique fixtures.
The pressed-tin ceiling received particular attention. We illuminated it with warm 2700K light, washing the gold-finished metalwork in light to emphasize its patterns and depth. The lighting throughout the store was intended to make the merchandise easy to see while allowing the building itself to remain a major part of the experience.
A beautiful chandelier adorned the front portion of the interior, adding a more formal touch without taking away from the historic fabric surrounding it.
Restoring the Building for Dave's Hobby Shop
We spent approximately a year preparing and rehabilitating the building before opening Dave's Hobby Shop. A great deal of that work was not conventional remodeling at all. It involved carefully cleaning, preserving and revitalizing what was already there.
Our basic philosophy was simple: we made the business fit the building rather than making the building fit the business.
Wherever new woodwork was required to adapt the building for Dave's Hobby Shop, the custom work was done by our own hands. We tried to make those additions complement the historic building rather than overwhelm or conceal its original character.
Even the heating and air-conditioning installation was approached with preservation in mind. Rather than tearing into the historic walls and ceiling to install conventional ductwork, we used exposed round ducting—the green tube visible in several of the photographs.
We fabricated custom duct hangers from old automobile leaf springs. This allowed the ductwork to be supported with minimal attachment to the historic walls and structure while adding another bit of character to the installation.
The display cases in the center areas of the store were not simply placed directly on the old tile. We constructed individual raised platforms for the cases, both to help protect the historic flooring and to compensate for the slope of the original floor. This allowed the cases to sit level without altering or damaging the tile beneath them.
The tall upright white display cases seen beneath the green HVAC ductwork were custom-made for Dave's Hobby Shop. They followed the general style of some of the other cases we used, but were built specifically for our needs and for the space available inside the store.
Step Inside Dave's Hobby Shop
Dave's Hobby Shop was never intended to look like a modern big-box retail store. The building itself was part of the experience. Historic brick, tile, woodwork, antique fixtures and carefully selected lighting shared the space with model railroads, electronics, amateur radio equipment, books, models and the many other things that made a traditional hobby shop interesting to explore.
Model Railroading, Models and Hobbies
Model railroading was a major part of the store. We carried HO and N scale equipment, locomotives, rolling stock, track, structures and accessories. Models, science kits, rockets, paints and traditional hobby supplies filled other portions of the building.
Amateur Radio, Electronics, Books and Magazines
Radio and electronics were naturally a significant part of Dave's Hobby Shop. Dave is amateur radio operator W5SWL, and the store carried amateur-radio publications, equipment and accessories along with shortwave, CB, scanners, electronic components, wire, coax and related products.
The Working Micro-Trains North Pole Village
One of the displays customers remember was our working Micro-Trains North Pole Village. Like many things in the store, it was there to be enjoyed rather than simply sitting on a shelf.
The Mid-1800s Bar and Historic Fixtures
One of the most striking fixtures in the downstairs area was the old front and back bar, which we used as the checkout counter. We remember it as dating from the mid-1800s, and our original store archive identified it specifically as an 1843 original front and back bar.
A large, period-correct safe also remained in the building. Its size and appearance fit naturally with the commercial character and era of the structure and made it another memorable feature of the interior.
A Hobby Shop With Character
Dave's Hobby Shop had its share of characters. Dobson the butler, our Mummy, Frank and various other unexpected residents helped ensure that a trip through the store was not quite like visiting anywhere else.
Historic, Recycled and Custom Display Cases
The display cases themselves had stories. We deliberately used older wooden and commercial cases where they suited the building, and some had already lived long lives in other stores before coming to Van Buren.
One particularly beautiful old case came from the Red Oak Mercantile in the original town of Red Oak, Missouri. Buildings from that fading community were later purchased and relocated to create what became known as Red Oak II near Carthage, Missouri. The old mercantile case eventually found another home with us at Dave's Hobby Shop in Van Buren.
Some of our old wooden display cases came from Chouteau, Oklahoma, and Fort Scott, Kansas.
Other commercial cases were simply good old cases that deserved another life. Rather than see usable fixtures discarded and sent to a landfill, we salvaged and reused them in the store.
Still others were made specifically for us. The tall upright white cases visible beneath the green exposed ductwork were custom-built to our requirements, using a style similar to other cases while fitting our particular needs and the historic interior.
Aircraft, Helicopters, Collectibles and Specialty Items
The store carried far more than model railroads. Helicopters, aircraft models, Corgi collectibles and other specialty merchandise filled displays throughout the building.
The wire and coax area reflected some of the radio and electronics side of the business, which also included amateur radio, shortwave, CB, scanners, electronic components and related equipment.
Shortwave, Amateur Radio, CB and Scanners
The radio side of the business included shortwave receivers, amateur radio equipment, CB radios, scanners, antennas, wire, coax and accessories. That part of our history continues today through W5SWL Electronics and Dave's Hobby Shop by W5SWL.
Yes, There Really Was a Cow in the Display Case
Not everything at Dave's Hobby Shop required a serious explanation. At one point a cow found her way into a display case—or at least appeared to have done so. It was the sort of unexpected sight customers came to expect from the store.
Books, History and the Old Hobby-Shop Signs
Books and magazines ranged well beyond the traditional hobbies. Military history, Civil War publications, electronics, radio, modeling and other subjects were represented.
Some of the store's decorations had their own history as well. The old Estes sign, for example, came from a hobby shop dating back to the 1960s.
600 Main Street After Dark
Late at night, when downtown Van Buren became quiet, the old building took on a character all its own. We spent many late nights—and sometimes entire weekends—working inside 600 Main Street.
The Cat We Never Found
We often worked in the building late into the night and sometimes throughout an entire weekend. Every now and then, one of us would think we heard a cat meow somewhere inside the building. At other times, we thought we caught a brief glimpse of a dark-colored cat moving through the store or one of the rooms. We looked for it, but we never found a cat.
The odd part came after Dave's Hobby Shop opened. Every so often, a customer would stop and ask us something along the lines of, "Did you see a cat in here?"
We never did find an explanation for our mysterious 600 Main Street cat.
More Memories From 600 Main Street
The photographs below preserve more of the store as it existed during our years at 600 Main Street. They show not only the merchandise but the atmosphere created by the building, its old fixtures and the way we adapted the business around its historic character.
Preserving the Memory of 600 Main Street
Dave's Hobby Shop is no longer located at 600 Main Street, but the years we spent there remain an important part of our history.
Looking back, what stands out most is how much of the building we were able to use without taking away the things that made it special. We worked around the sloping tile floors. We built platforms beneath display cases rather than damaging the flooring. We exposed the HVAC ductwork rather than cutting into historic walls and ceilings. We made our own hangers, fitted our own woodwork, preserved the old transoms and doors, retained the bar and safe, and planned every bit of lighting to complement the building rather than overpower it.
The copper Anheuser-Busch lettering, copper trim and downspouts, branded tile, A-and-Eagle emblem, pressed-metal ceiling, heavy rough-sawn timbers, old brick walls, working transoms, unusual curved walls and other surviving details gave 600 Main Street a character that could never have been created in a new retail building.
Dave's Hobby Shop added another chapter to that history. For a time, model trains, radio equipment, electronics, books, aircraft, collectibles and the sounds of customers and friends once again filled a nineteenth-century commercial building that had already lived a very long life.
Looking back, we do regret selling this beautiful building. It was far more than simply a place to operate a business. After the time and care we put into preserving it, and the years spent there with our customers and friends, 600 Main Street became a special part of our lives. There are many things we miss about Dave's Hobby Shop at 600 Main Street, but the building itself is certainly one of them.
This page is preserved so former customers, friends, Van Buren visitors, history researchers and anyone who remembers the building can see 600 Main Street much as we remember it.
The physical store at 600 Main Street is part of our past, but Dave's Hobby Shop and W5SWL continue today through Dave's Hobby Shop by W5SWL and W5SWL Electronics.
Dave Fant, W5SWL
Dave's Hobby Shop / W5SWL Electronics
73