606 Shelden Kroll
606 Shelden Ave. Houghton, MI 49931
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606 Shelden Avenue

Built 1899-1900 as Krolls Drug Store
Housed various drug stores for over a century
Four Seasons Tea Room since 2002

Kroll’s Drug Store and Stationers sold “Drugs, Toilet Articles, Stationary, Kodaks and Supplies, Magazines and Newspapers.” Polk Directory, 1916-1917 - In Progress

Despite the "1897" date emblazoned on its upper story, this two-story sandstone building is believed to have been built between 1899 and 1900 and designed by the Charlton, Gilbert, & Demar architectural firm. Its arched windows and classical pilasters suggest the Romanesque style.

A drug store occupied the street level throughout its first century and various tenants inhabited the second floor. The initial and longest lasting pharmacy business was Kroll’s Drug Store and Stationers which operated from 1897 until 1946. According to the 1916-1917 Polk Directory, Kroll’s sold “Drugs, Toilet Articles, Stationary, Kodaks and Supplies, Magazines and Newspapers.” Proprietor Frederick Kroll lived nearby on Isle Royale Street with his wife, Elizabeth Hattick, and their three sons Frederick, Harold, and Walter.

At the time of this circa 1910 photo, Dr. William Preston Scott’s medical offices were located upstairs. Dr. Scott was a general practice physician. He graduated from Detroit Medical College in 1884 and was at one time the president of the Houghton County Medical Society. He and his wife, Francis Hanna, a Michigan College of Mines’ librarian, and his daughter Edith, lived on Hubbell Street.

Ware’s Drug Store followed Kroll’s and then Roy’s Pharmacy in 1973. In 2002, after 105 years of housing a pharmacy, the Four Seasons Tea Room bought the building and opened their tea and sandwich shop.

Sources: Buckmaster et al. (2000, Spring) City of Houghton Block 3; Image: MS042-063-Z-618

Style:
Romanesque
Architect:
Charlton, Gilbert, & Demar