Plans for a detailed study of possible uses for downtown Webster buildings, some occupied and others vacant, surfaced in May 2001. This jogged our memory. We drew a mental image of downtown as we remembered it, dating to the end of World War II. Another time could have been used but there had to be an anchor because the street's retail mix changed quite often. Memory served us fairly well but there were blanks in our recall. Omissions were checked against old street lists in the public library. The flip side--what's there now--was included to give a picture of retail-commercial activity when state Rep. Paul Kujawski, D-Webster, advanced the study proposal. South side of Street, starting from Dudley line and working to South Main Street. -- by Ed Patenaude/Jim Manzi

Next to French River:
-- Gasoline station, service bay and office for United Coal & Trucking Co. Now a travel agency and dance studio. Building directly behind housed Empire Laundry.

River Court, dead end street:
-- Home and office of Dr. Joseph C. Genereux. Now Donald Raymond's accounting office.
-- Three story block. Rosener's Cafe with apartments above. Now Maggie's Fish World and a beauty parlor. Apartments remain.
-- Horton Furniture Store. Occupied building that Webster Music is about to vacate.
-- New England Cash & Carry Supermarket. Still a market.
-- Small building. Glick's Tailor Shop. Building gone, now parking lot next to market.

Chase Avenue:
-- Henault's Drug Store, later Guay's, and Frontenac Cafe in store fronts. A club-footed cobbler had a shoe repair shop around the corner on Chase Avenue, in same building. Dr. Joseph C. Roy and Dr. Quincy H. Merrill had offices on second floor. Also a couple of apartments. Dandurand's paint store across Chase Avenue, in three story building just recently (2001) rehabilitated for apartments.
-- Stanley Piekarczyk watch repair shop and Julius Wilson grocery in next door, two-story building with two or three tenements to second floor. Both buildings destroyed by fire at same time, probably in early 1960s. Open lot next to railroad tracks, once DeWitt Hotel. Torn down for salvage in 1938 or 1939. Brick building to back, once stable for hotel, was a garage run by Jimmy Valentinetti. Torn down around 1960.

Railroad crossing:
-- Three story brick building. Railway Express Co. warehouse and office in one of three store fronts. Samuel Smith had a furniture store, with a second floor loft, and a small First National grocery. Dr. Edward C. Starosta had office to second floor, there also was a small space leased by Knights of Pythias and Webster Aerie Eagles had third floor. Now JT's appliances and some housing on upper floors.
-- Two-story building. Shea's Toggery Shop and Fiola's shoe repair in first floor stores. Dr. Francis Ostrowski and Dr. William O'Shea, dentist, had offices to 2nd floor. Metropolitan Insurance Co. also located there. Now, Aubuchon's and apartments.

High Street:
-- Maanexit Hotel. Big, ark-like building, two and three floors. Restaurant and bus terminal on Main Street, entrance to hotel and bar on School Street, barber shop and stairs to downtown bowling alleys on High Street. Worcester bound buses took on passengers on Main Street and Southbridge bound buses took on passengers on High Street. Worcester to Putnam buses stopped in Webster, discharged passengers and continued to Putnam, where they took on passengers to Webster and through to Worcester. Now Dunkin' Donuts.
-- Up High Street. A small building with Del Faford's bicycle shop. He sold fireworks every 4th of July from an adjacent, even smaller building.

School Street:
-- Big old block that is there today. Tony Manzi Fruits store on corner. Dunlop Tire Store, Cacciapouti shoe repair shop, Fred Manzi's barber shop, Jack Ryan's lunch in other Main Street store fronts. Otto Puls, barber; and George Wong, laundry on School Street side of same building. Apartments upstairs. Now, instead of Chinese laundry on side there's a Chinese restaurant on corner.
-- Two commercial buildings behind on School Street, both three stories. One had Racicot Bros. furniture store, with storage to top levels; second Jimmy Mitsakos optical shop and Walter Godzik's barber shop at street level. Apartments above. --Manzi family lived next door, across from Fire Station. Mr. Manzi had a big fireworks stand in his driveway, right across from firehouse, every 4th. Building bolted together. Stored in back barn most of time. Today: One time Racicot store now National Guard recruiting station and eyewear store; second building burned, now Frank's Auto Body; and Manzi dwelling is parking lot for Shaw-Majercik funeral home. Barn still in place.
-- Joslin House Hotel and garage. Building pretty much as it exists today, but with four stores on Main Street--Simonds men's wear, the Hollywood Shop, women's clothing; the Kiddie Shop, and New York Fashion Shop. Driveway between stores and old Manzi Block led to Buick Garage, owned by Jack and Joe Simkusky. Garage is now part of Joslin House apartments complex. Hotel entrance was on Mechanic Street, along with St. Germain the barber, Krasnoff's appliances, Calder's Bakery, Avery's Leather Goods store, Cazeault Oil Co., office and sold paints and wallpaper; and Jerry Dery's upholstery place. Vic Billings bowling alleys access from side street.

Mechanic Street:
-- Three-story Bank Building on corner. Now site of a Sovereign office. Building was flush to the street, with First National Bank of Webster on one side and Webster Five Cents Savings Bank on other side. Stairwell in center led to second floor law office of Francis E. Cassidy, insurance offices of Patrick Prout & Co., and Deary Insurance; and First District Court of Southern Worcester County. Sessions held in Webster on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, and in Southbridge on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Webster Council Knights of Columbus rooms on third floor.

Three buildings along east-side of Mechanic:
-- Webster Credit Union, Brezniak the undertaker, and Roemer's Bicycle Shop in first building. Four apartments above.
--Philie's Beauty Parlor and Franklin's Tailor Shop in second building. Two apartments second floor.
-- Central Garage, Jimmy Geotis' Chevrolet agency. Back to Main Street.
-- One story Webster Co-Operative Bank building. Three long, narrow stores occupied by Co-operative, Mickey Pio's Barber Shop, and a loan company called Crown Finance, later changed to Beneficial Finance. Corrine Pratt managed it for a long time. Whole building now occupied by Hometown Bank, the Co-operative in disguise.
-- Four-story Columbia Block, built in 1893 by Slater Co. United Music Co. and Bernier Bros., men's clothing occcupied street level space. Dr. George Arseneault, an optometrist, and Napoleon A. Racicot, a lawyer, had offices to the second floor front. All the rest of the space was small furnished apartments and sleeping rooms. Save for agency on first floor, the building is vacant.
Brown Court, no longer so designated but the drive to Hometown Bank drive-through.
-- Two-story building. Now a barber shop and tattoo place, and a podiatrists office. Rosener's dress shop and Morris' hat shop in store fronts. Webster Shoe Workers Independent Union office, Desmarais beauty parlor, and an apartment on second floor.
-- Three story block with four store fronts. Occupants were Webster National Bank, The News Room, newspapers, magazines, smokes, candy, ice cream, sporting goods and slot machines; LaPalme's Hardware, and offices of Dr. Leslie R. Bragg. Heller & Heller, (Abraham and Samuel) lawyers; Dr. Howard Miller, dentist; and apartments in the eight units to second and third stories.
-- Narrow drive, now walkway to town parking lot. Believe it or not, tractor-trailers backed into narrow confines to reach Webster Shoe Co., a big two, three, and four story sprawl behind Main Street and backing to Negus Street.
-- A three-story block built along lines of adjacent building. Dakins Market and Kulin's women's and children's shop in store fronts. Apartments above. Now Subway and Charniak Insurance.
-- One story building with Bedard's Shoe Store, McGeary's Lunch, and Webster Ice, Oil & Coal Co. office. Destroyed by fire years ago and now off-street parking for Five Cents Savings Bank.
-- Dwelling house of Dr. Leslie R. Bragg. Torn down around 1954 to make way for Five Cents Savings Bank.
-- Congregational Church. New edifice at same location is United Church of Christ, Federated. Methodist Church was across the street and congregations merged around 1960.

Church Street:
-- Town Hall, municipal auditorium and back of Bartlett High School. Pretty much the same today, except school houses elementary pupils.
-- Chester C. Corbin Public Library. Unchanged.

Lake Street:
-- Socony Vacuum Gasoline station. Johnny Prout probably held lease after the war. Vince Verdone and Dad Barrett had a taxi stand on street side of station. Building enlarged and converted for Clark-Prout Insurance.
-- Driveway led to Floyd O. Nolf funeral home, a two-story dwelling that burned down within last couple of years.
-- Two-story apartment building with candy store in basement. Had pinball and slots.
-- Small building with Soter's Market. Two-story apartment building and Soter store torn down. Now parking lot for Clark-Prout Insurance.
-- One-story building. Housed Chabot's Cash & Carry Market. Later a bar with gambling machines and now a roughed over parking area.
- -Storefront with dwelling behind. City Market, probably town's first supermarket. Now a beauty shop and used clothing place. Apartments remain in back building.
-- Apartment house with stores in basement--Bud's Market and Santor's barber shop. Building still there, mostly vacant.
-- Another build-out from dwelling house. Joe Kokocinski's Plumbing Shop and Economy Press, printers in street side stores. Today, one store vacant and Dolly Pizzetti runs a part-time beauty shop in the other one.
-- Then, two private homes on a banking, one with Dr. George C. Littlefield's office and residence; and Spaulding Bartlett's residence, led to Bartlett Street. Littlefield house burned down and Bartlett house in shambles but still standing.

From Bartlett Street:
-- Area known as South Village, with several mill houses. Few businesses beyond.


NOW, Going back to starting point at French River, but from North Side of Main Street:
-- Worcester County Gas & Electric property. Appliances sold from brick building at street side. Also area where people paid their bills. Telephone operator and information clerk sat near side room used by sales personnel. Administrative offices to second story. This building still in place, but vacant. There was a coal fired generating plant behind this building. Long gone.
-- Three-story building next door. William W. Kozlowski Co. had a paint store in one of the store fronts and the second was vacant. This store and all of upstairs rooms had once been a speakeasy, with a secret entrance.
-- Big two-story building. Harry Daur's bar at street level, and a couple of apartments upstairs. Both buildings damaged in 1955 flood, subsequently condemned and torn down. Now Sandi's Restaurant and parking lot.

Union Street:
-- Two-story building. Bill's Silver Rail bar, Bazinet's barber shop, and a used furniture store in store fronts, apartments upstairs. Dr. Jitandar Kalia tried to repair this block but it was too far gone. He had it torn down and replaced with current 3-story block. Has a photo shop and nail painting place at street level, apartments above.
-- Harris Cohen's gas station. Couple of pumps in front of an old house painted bright yellow. Car stuff and office on first floor. May have had an apartment upstairs.
-- YD Diner. A built in Worcester diner tucked length wide on a narrow lot, and run by Pandely Muzea. Long gone, was on Route 16 in South Worcester for many years.
-- Fairly narrow building. Pratt's hardware. The gas station, diner lot and Pratt building torn down over many years ago and a one-story building built back from street. Houses a package store and an appliances and furniture rental place.
-- Three story wood-frame building on Main at corner to Pleasant Street. The Bazaar, a family shoe and clothing store owned by Max Lavine; and Alex Pappas & Son Market in store fronts. A small office add on just a few steps from Main on Pleasant. Standard Taxi run by Stanley Ostrowski parked car at curb side.

Pleasant Street:
This street can't be ignored because it was one of the most interesting in town. From west side to bridge at Dudley line a mix of legitimate, semi-legal and illegal businesses.
-- One-story Star Cafe building. Pinball machine and slots for entertainment. Torn down years ago.
-- Two-story building. Bastolla's Beer Garden at street level. Absolutely the best spaghetti in town. Family may have lived upstairs.
-- Two-story building. Ruggeri's Market downstairs, apartments upstairs. All apartments today.
-- Another two-story. Leboeuf's plumbing shop and Fred's Barber Shop in store fronts. Apartments upstairs. All apartments today.
-- Three-story building. Some kind of make shift store front with big time gambling out back. Noted for a type of Greek dice game. Flood damaged building and out-of-town owner walked away. Town eventually had it torn down. A vacant lot today.
-- Apartment block and then Webster Ice Co., housed in a big barn and with a storage shed, out to river edge. Apartment house still there. Ice company. buildings slowly destroyed by vandals, and eventually torn down.

From east side to bridge at Dudley line:
-- Two story building with Arthur Tanko's Restaurant. Kept late hours to accommodate after-hour gangs from the nearby bars. Machines, of course. Apartments upstairs. Building just went to pot and town had it torn down.
-- Big three-story building with Horton's used furniture store at street level, apartments to second and third stories, and a small street side add-on for Ted Chabot's Barber Shop. Still in place, rehabed somewhat, and now housing for several families.
-- Next a big block with Pleasant A.C., a bar and dance hall on first floor, and several apartments above. Polka orchestras, with mostly local kids, every Friday and Saturday night. Building another casualty of a disinterested, out-of-town owner.
-- Office, storage building, coal sheds and outdoor lumber storage area for Trull Coal & Lumber Co. The 1955 flood carried away just about everything on the big lot, and owners Horace and John Trull moved the business to West Main Street in Dudley. A one-story apartment complex on property today.
-- As an aside, Pleasant Sreet was made of cobblestones. It was like driving on a washboard. Town put a new street in about 1953. Just recently, in June (2001), street was prepared for resurfacing and some of the cobblestones were exposed.

Now Back To Main Street, from Pleasant Street easterly:
-- Another typical build-out from an apartment house. Little Mike's shoe store on corner, Apostal's Sanitary Barber Shop (Artie's father) and Falso's Good Luck Cafe at street level. Machines, of course. Several apartments upstairs. Top floor sealed off around 1960, and building town down around 1980. Replaced by one story building, now Rainbow Pizza.
-- Nap's Diner. Run by Walter Napierata. Others tried and failed. Building fell into disrepair. Bought and repaired by Artie Apostal, now his barber shop.
-- A real ramshackled place. Two stories with Dwyer Bros. package store and Wolf Yerowitz, clothing, on first floor. John B. Chauvin had a barber shop upstairs. Dwyer had a storage room in back of their store. Loaded it with wine one year and the corner split open during the night. Town winos had a field day. Wine bottles literally poured into the yard. Patch job followed but building burned down. James Pappas family, with six sons with middle names of James, had an open air fruit stand at location for many years. Now site of a Store 24.
-- New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad tracks, with a small building for the gate attendant near the street. Long, one-story freight house filled in west side of Davis Street, back to entrance of Belmore's Beverages building. Tracks still there, now Providence & Worcester; attendant's shack carted off after automatic gates were installed, and freight house burned down around 1978. Beverage building now part of Commerce downtown complex.

Davis Street:
-- East side. Webster Cab Co. stand to rear of Dwyer's Smoke Shop, next to Eddy Building. Taxis gone, smoke place is now Chet's.
-- Two-story brick building. Jarosz Package Store and a vacant store (for years) at street level. Top part connected to building in front, and part of Gatzke Hardware. Ethan's just opened in former package goods store. Upstairs appears vacant.
-- Big three-story wood frame building. Built as Edmund's Opera House and used by different groups through the years. Polish National Alliance in residence at end of WW II. Polish Library Society there at one time but I don't know if it was there after WWII. Big bar room on first floor, hall with stage on second floor. This building badly damaged by fire and demolished.
-- Webster A.C. and Wishing Well Restaurant in three-story building. Restaurant and bar downstairs. Building was built as hotel and two floors were rented out as sleeping rooms. Later sold to Webster Aerie, F.O.Eagles. Fived people lost lives when a fire destroyed the building Jan. 14, 1974. Town took PNA and Webster A.C. lots and built back street that runs out to parking lot next to Dugan's Drug.

Back to Main Street and Eddy Block:
-- Eddy Block. Street level. Dwyer's Smoke Shop in little triangle to Davis Street. This was a bookie hangout. They worked mostly off the street. Slot machines and punch boards inside. Webster Curtain Shop, Parker's Restaurant and Gatzke Hardware in other store fronts. Parker's kitchen was in basement and orders came up a dumb waiter. Anastas Pappas had a popcorn and peanuts stand in driveway next to hardware store. A Mrs. St. John had a rooming house on second floor. Webster Bridge Club and Nalewajk Insurance Co. also had offices there. Top floor quarters for Webster Lodge AF & AM. Today, Chet's on corner, next store vacant, Telegram & Gazette office in restaurant space, Parkers basement kitchen is now a vociferous church group; and Bolio's occupies one-time hardware store. Top floors vacant.
-- Four-story brick building. Webster Jewelry owned by Chris Mike, and Waite's Hardware in store fronts. Albert's made to order tinware produced in quarters that cut across back of building. Mechanical dentist and Clark Insurance Agency on second floor, apartments and rooms on third floor, and a hall on fourth level. Redwings, a group of young fellows, met there. They had a pool table and card tables. The whole building, occupied by Webster Electric Co. is now jam-packed with electrical goods.
-- Three-story wood frame building. H.L. Green Co., a cheap version of Woolworths, had first floor. Apartments and rooms upstairs. Harry Selados's shoe shine parlor, a narrow addition filled in part of a driveway. Another cubicle on oppossite side of drive was office for Buick Cab. Taxis would weave through drive, turn around behind building and wait to take on passengers. Adjacent building gone so drive disappeared. Shoe shine and taxi stand went with drive. Another Webster Electric facility, all three levels.
-- Two-story wood frame building. Four stores and a canopy to second floor at sidewalk. In order, outlets were Vernon Drug, Gadoury's Bakery, Gale's Cigar Shop, and Bartolomei's fruit store. Canopied entrance led to world-famous Forest Club. Also town bookies had rooms over the fruit store. Card games ran around the clock. Now a parking lot.
-- Two-story Gilles Block. Nick Thornton's Market on first floor. Union group had second floor offices.
-- Four-story Tiffany Block, with J.C. Penney as prime tenant on first level. Long stairs to second floor because store was built to Penney specifications It was a big square store (floor space to height) with two levels at both ends. Display windows and overhead office in front and a shoe department and a women's hats and accessories shop overhead in back. Dr. Wilfred P. Bazinet, dentist, and John Hancock Insurance Co. had second floor offices. Five or six sleeping rooms on this level also. Best apartments in downtown on third and fourth floors. Now, the Party Planner store; a driving school holds classes on second floor but everything else is vacant.
-- Gilles and Tiffany buildings replaced blocks that burned down in January 1924.

Tiffany Court, just an alley between Penny store and adjacent Woolworth's.

-- Five and 10 cent store, Woolworth's, in 3-story Cook Block. Tim Canty's bar in part of second floor with apartments to remainder of second level and all of third floor. Block damaged by fire a year or so later, and top floor was removed. Alleyway was used for addition when Woolworth's added a lunch counter. Now G1 Variety in store and small living quarters on second floor.
-- Four-story Racicot Block. Built with three stores at street level. All were occupied by W.T. Grant. Goodness Bros., herbalists; Jablonski & Siarkiewicz, lawyers; Dr. John LaBonte, dentist; Otto Warnke, fishing supplies, to second story. Apartments on third floor and Webster Lodge of Elks quarters on top floor. Commerce Insurance Co. built a big addition to rear of facility and made it its headquarters building.
-- Three-story Tiffany Block (built by same guy who constructed the same named building occupied by Penney's. Incidently, he also built the Cook Block, and named it for his mother). A. & P. store and Endicott Johnson shoe store at street level. Dr. Arthur I. Larochelle, dentist; Marie C. Authier, dressmaker, to second floor. Boyne sisters, Madeleine and Marion, ran a rooming house. Several T/G reporters, starting with a guy named Bob Breen, roomed there. Apartments to third floor. Now report follows next segment.
-- Three-story Tracy Block. Boston Store or the New York Fashion Shop. New York followed Boston sometimes in the 40's and I'm not certain of when. Liggett's Drug Store. Second floor, Dr. Joseph L. Vajcovec, dentist; Leboeuf & Genereux, lawyers; New England Institute of Music, and Harry Glass, chiropodist. Apartments on third floor. Now, this building and adjacent Tiffany Block purchased by Commerce Insurance when they bought the Racicot Block. Intent was to eventually convert all three building for offices. A roofer's tar-tank, hoisted to top of building, exploded while a new roof was being installed on the Tiffany building. No one hurt but the fire shot through the building, carried by a coil of tar. Structure had to be torn town. There had been a fire in the Tracy Block before Commerce bought it and a woman lost her life. Repair estimates made sense only if it could be knotted to the Tiffany. So the Tracy was also taken down. Commerce used the basement for a day-care center and ultimately built a one-story office at the location.

Tracy Court, alley-like way leading to town parking lot.

-- Larchar/Branch Building--Two stores and entrance to State Theatre at street level. Bob Gilbert-MacAn's shoe store and the Louise Shop in store fronts. Theatre lobby ran through middle of building, with an entrance to Ed Chabot's Bowling Alleys in basement; and a marble stairway to second floor. Oliva Morin, photographer; David J. Sullivan, lawyer; and Dr. Edward C. Westphal, dentist; and an apartment to second floor. Third floor was telephone exchange where operators followed "number please" routine 24 hours a day. Today, the building has Southbridge OB/GYN Associates in one of the store fronts. Tri-Valley Elder Services occupies the rest of the space. The theatre was torn down to expand the town parking lot.
-- Holden Block. Big two- or three-story building, with an arcade leading to Liberty Theatre. Store fronts had Rhuland's auto parts, Aline's Bakery, Roland's Cut Rate, a small sandwich shop that changed hands with the seasons; United Music Co., Theodore Michaels, jeweler; Bette Lee Dress Shop; and one store with two businesses, F. & M. Dry Goods and Standard Perfumery. The arcade had a diamond shape to its center, with stores at the front and back. The left side lead to a stairwell down to Dwyer's Bowling Alleys; and the right side led to a wide set of stairs to Holden Hall, to the second floor and two-stories high. It was a roller skating arena for decades. Art-Studio photographers, John Burns barber shop, Myrta Luft, piano teacher; and Grand Shoe Shine Parlor in arcade. There was also an entrance to second floor rooms of Club Gagnon, an organization for French speaking men. This building hasn't changed a whole lot. The arcade is still there, mostly vacant, leading to a theatre that has been shuttered for decades. The bowling alleys have an outside entrance and now houses Nautilus fitness center. The old hall has apartments, including 3rd level ones. Store fronts have a Pyramid Cafe, Melissa Larini photographer, Charter Communications, the United Way of Webster-Dudley, a Rob Roy Hair Salon, Citadel Co. Real Estate and Care 4 Nails.
-- The Patenaude Block, an old 3-story building with a brick facade. Jablonski & Gaynor, men's clothing; and Costello's, bicycles, toys, small appliances and auto parts, occupied store fronts. Jane Dufault had a dress upstairs. Apartments in rest of building. Biljac's in store front today. Somebody lives in what was designed as a law office and more apartments at upper levels.
-- Dugan Block. Dugan's Drug Store on first floor. Prudential Insurance Co. and the Vanity Box beauty shop on second floor. Apartments on third floor. Dugan's still there. Apartments to other levels.
-- First Methodist Church of Webster. A big wood-frame building with a high steeple and massive doors to west side. Had a kitchen and dining room in basement. Webster Rotary Club met there at noon on Mondays. Parish merged with across the street neighbors, the First Congregational Church of Webster as United Church of Christ, Federated around 1960. Built a new church on Congregational Church lot and Methodist building went up for sale. Town bought property for off-street parking.
-- Klebart Building. Stores built around an old mansion. Smith & Duffy, dry goods; Vels Beauty Parlor and jewelry store, The Stadium Candy Kitchen, hand dipped chocolates; John Chauvin's Market. William H. Tourtellotte photo engraver and The Photo Shop in rear of building with access from driveway next to Post Office. Upstairs apartment occupied by Anastas Velarides family. He ran beauty shop through 1930s and introduced a line of jewelry around 1940.
-- The United States Post Office. Built in 1912 of brick with marble floors and heavy oak doors, the office simply became too small for the volume of mail being generated. General Services Administration solved problem in 1960 by taking the Klebart Building through an act of condemnation, tore down this building and the post office and built the existing federal facility at the location.

Frederick Street:
Dead end way leading to what was long known as "The Bucket of Blood," a bar and dance hall, and God knows what else, at foot of street. Building still there. Now has a respectable name, The Maple Leaf Lounge.
-- The Kindler Block. Kindler's Hardware and Weisman's Clothing to first floor and Kindler Plumbing in basement and in an add on building to back of structure. Dr. D.A. Davis, dentist, on second floor. Apartments in rest of second floor and on third story. Building is still pretty much the same today, but the stores are vacant, there are no offices, and apartments are still there. Bet they haven't changed much.
-- The Vito Block, built around 1920. A long two-story brick block with open basements to the rear. There were eight storefronts. Tenants were The Webster Times, Franklin's Clothing, offices of The Worcester Telegram and The Evening Gazette, The Mill End Store, Ted's Radio Shop, Mike Cummings, used articles; The Campus, a soda and candy store; and Duffy's Lunch, soup and sandwiches, a pinball machine; and slot machines. Lawyer and State Rep. Charles J. Skladzien, Alma's Beauty Shop, and Dr. John Zurawka, dentist, had second floor facilities, and there were also several apartments. Stores vacant, except for Amigo's market in one time Campus and Duffy stores.
-- From alley way next to Vito Block, the Webster Times job shop and printing plant in one building. This apartments today. Tony Langer's Blacksmith Shop and Will's Garage in another building. Taken apart by someone looking for concrete blocks.
-- Three story wood-frame building. Webster Fruit or a paint store one one side, Benoit's Radio Shop in second store. Fruit store may have been there at end of WW II but paint store followed. A couple of apartments above. This building badly damaged by fire and torn down. Lot too small under zoning to build on and hasn't been used since.
-- Brautigan building. David's Clothing, Zalta's market, the Colonial Grille. Changed hands and store fronts in years that followed. Had been converted to a modern restaurant when fire destroyed building. Now a gasoline station.
-- Three-story building. Webster Furniture Co., also known as Sam Cowitz Furniture. Apartments above. Now a second hand furniture store and apartments.
-- Two-story building with Western Auto store on first floor and two apartments on second floor. Burned down many years later. Never rebuilt.
-- Place Motor Co. Ford dealership and Amaco Gas station. Building still there, occupied mostly by Pete's Tires. Peter Street.
-- Drive leading to Garden City in Dudley and to Dudley side of South Village Mills.
-- End of business district. As on opposite side of street, the street had mostly Slater South Village mill houses all the way to corner at North Main Street.
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