Schramm Chevrolet Company - Wentzville, MO
Posted by: 
YoSam.
N 38° 48.744 W 090° 51.108
15S E 686516 N 4298150
Built as an auto dealership, became a gas station when dealership moved into new building (still in use). Building was Wilcoxen Office Supply in the 1980s and 90s.
Waymark Code: WM16FXG
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 07/24/2022
Views: 0
County of station: St. Charles County
Location of station: E. Pearce Blvd. & Carr St., NE corner, Wentzville
Built: 1940Architect: Unknown
Architectural Style: Streamline Modern
Original Occupant: Schramm Chevrolet Dealership
When I returned to this area, Schramm and Cox Chevy dealer had moved west to another new building. This structure was the Wilcoxen Office Supply. This street was still US-40, but now it was called the Business Route, and construction of the interstate was just beginning.
"Built: 1940
Architectural Style: Streamline Modern
Built in 1940 according to the accessor's records as the new home of Schramm Chevrolet Company, a longstanding auto dealership and service garage business in Wentzville owned by Dutch Schramm which moved to his new building when it was finished in 1940. In one advertisement, for Schramm, it also shows a sign for "Standard Service" at the row of gas pumps on what is now the parking area of the building. Despite blocking in garage bays and the lower parts of the curved facade's original showroom window openings, the building still conveys its original use and appearance and its Streamline Modern design. Because of these infills, it is not currently individually eligible, but appears it could be contributing in the potential historic district along Perce related to the commercial developments when Highway 40 was routed along Pearce. ....
"This Streamline Modern commercial building is a one-story, L-shaped, buff brick, that has tan brick stringcourses spanning the interior walls of the L, one at the base of the wall (that is partially created by the orange brick sill of the display windows) and two more just above the window openings to create a visual separation for the parapet. The projecting wing that forms the base of the L-shape plan has a curved interior corner and was the original showroom area with a single display window that extending from the west corner brick pier around the curve (with only one vertical mullion at the apex of the curve) to where the current paired door entry is (see historic photo in the 1940 Plat Book). On the other side of a painted column (which appears to be the black painted column now), there was what appeared to be in that photo a "drive-in" entry, ramped slightly. This entry connected with the curved display window with the band of square transom windows. This display window system has been modified, replacing the original, huge pieces of plate glass with smaller aluminum framed, dark tinted glass windows with stone infills above the original orange brick sills and around the many windows as well as reducing the size of the old "drive-in" opening for the new paired, aluminum framed, smoke glass, doors. Because of the canvas awnings it is difficult to tell whether or not the stone filled in the transom above the display windows. At the interior corner, someone has painted cartoon-like murals the shape of doorways onto the surface of the brick. On the south facing elevation (east bay), what was originally a single masonry opening and a pair garage doors (wood with three rows of 7 lights in the upper half of each door) has a wood storefront system installed; at the wet end of this storefront is a full light wood door that appears fairly old but the door at the east end is a newer aluminum framed door and between are four display windows, with the entire opening spanned with wood framed transoms (boarded in) that ae obscured by the canvas awning. Original industrial steel windows on the east side elevation have been infilled and the wall on this side is painted concrete block. On the west elevation, he facade brick detailing extends to the back of the showroom space, including the tan brick horizonal banding. Beyond this by, the west wall is painted concrete block. The original display window near the facade on this elevation also has a replacement window with stone infill below and above the new window. Behind this display window is a highly placed, small window with two vertical rows of glass block, which may be original to this mid-century building.
"The south facing, L-shaped building is located at the northeast corner of Carr Street and East Pearce. The west end of the building is set back slightly beyond an east-west single lane drive. The east half of the building is set back beyond a paved parking lot that wraps around the east side of the building." ~ Wentzville Historic Survey PDF pages 43-46
Many business have been here, the Wilcoxen Office Supply was here the longest, over 20 years. Today, it is a tattoo parlor and U.S. Congressman Blaine Luetkemeyer's District office, and a smoke shop.