212-214 N. Main

The buildings at 212-214 N. Main were constructed between 1887 and 1891.

212 N Main

After the construction of the current buildings, Toevs Bros Groceries & General Merchandise called 212 N. Main home until 1913-1915.

214 N Main

According to the 1884 Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps of Newton, there was a small, wood frame building, identified as a drugstore, located at 214 Main. The building at 214 N. Main was a general store in1896, and over the years housed many different businesses.

In 1884, Thomas H. Sharits moved his barber shop to 214 Main for a short time. Tom Sharits was described as a "good barber, has a neatly furnished, pleasant shop and gives general satisfaction to his customers." He also had a reputation as "the great Jack Rabbit destroyer." The papers mention his hunting ability several times including successful coyote hunts. Throughout the 1880s and 90s, Sharits moved the location of his barber shop several times.

In 1889, the Badger Store, which carried a bit of everything, was located at 214.

On the second floor the earliest Newton City Directories indicate that this building also served as a boarding house with two boarders living at 214 Main in 1887.

The front facade underwent significant change between 1920 and the late 1930s to the current look of the building. The second floor bay window and the tin cornice were removed. The second story windows were also changed to a square shape. The general appearance of the front facade was more flat.

In the 1940s and 50s the building provided a space for one of several Newton movie theaters. First, the Rex, in the 1930s the name was changed to the Roxy theater. The Roxy theater closed in 1962.

The movie theaters in Newton played a part in the segregation of the town, with special sections in the back of the theater for Blacks and Mexican Americans until the 1960s.

Over the years these two buildings have housed many varied businesses as Newton changed and grew. The appearance of the two buildings also underwent changes with each decade.

(Kristine Schmucker)