J. P. Schneider Store
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J.P. Schneider Store | |
 | |
| Location | 401 W 2nd St Austin, Texas, USA |
|---|---|
| Built | 1873 |
| Architect | Jacob P. Schneider and John D. Schneider |
| NRHP reference No. | 79003014 |
| Added to NRHP | January 29, 1979 |
The J.P. Schneider Store is a historic commerce building in downtown Austin, Texas built in 1873. Built along Second Street, the structure is the only remaining historic building in the immediate vicinity, and is today surrounded by Austin City Hall and an office building for the Silicon Labs Corporation.
The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
Texas Historical Commission Marker Text, with updates as of 2007
In the mid-1860s, shortly after the Civil War, Jacob Peter "Jake" Schneider (1852–1925) began working in William Brueggerhoff's general mercantile store, and part-time as a legislative page in the Capitol. About 1870, he and his mother, Margarita Schneider, opened a store on the corner across the street (north). Brueggerfhoff helped stock the enterprise in payment of a debt. In 1873, as the business expanded, and Schneider built this two-story brick structure, and converted the older building into storage space, called the "flour house". The Schneider residence was also across the street. The basement of the Schneider store contained meats, vats of wine and whiskey, and molding cheeses, the main floor housed large stocks of food and clothing, and the upper floor was partitioned with bedrooms for rent to travelers. Schneider also operated a wagon yard south and west of the store, complete with two camp houses for travelers. After Schneider's death the store was managed by a son F. Ralph Schneider, who added a saloon in the rear of the building after the repeal of prohibition in 1933. Business operations ceased in 1935, and the structure has since housed electrical and lumber companies and an art gallery. It has been damaged twice by fire over the years.[1]