In 1878, Solomon Newmeyer (1846-1908) who had immigrated from Germany moved his family and fine ladies’ and men’s clothing business from Baltimore to Havre de Grace. He and his wife, Hannah, had six children—Emanuel, Metu, Myron, Carrie, Morton, and Alvin. Sol Newmeyer began his business at 112 North Washington Street with a partner, Michael Blumenthal (whom he later bought out).

In 1895, Sol bought this parcel of land from the Estate of Minerva Denison Rodgers (widow of Commodore John Rodgers of Sion Hill) and had this building constructed. He hired Eli Sentman, an architect and builder for other grand buildings in town, to erect a structure with a store on the first floor and a two-story family residence above. Sol Newmeyer died unexpectedly in 1908 at age 62, when their youngest son, Alvin, was only 9.

The Newmeyer son, Morton, was 25 years old when he was inducted in April 1918 into the Army for WWI. He served in the 154th Depot Brigade and in Company G 33rd MG BN until he was honorably discharged on January 31, 1919. Pvt. Newmeyer is listed on the Honor Roll at Tydings Park.

In March 1930, during Prohibition, when a tenant on the third floor of the adjacent three-story building (212-214 North Washington Street) was operating a whiskey still, it blew up causing a major fire that destroyed that building. The fire also caused severe damage to this building, particularly to the third floor. A local contractor, C.A. McCommons, rebuilt next door but with only one floor and had to reduce this building to two floors—a store with a one-story residence above it.

Hannah Newmeyer continued to operate the store until she died in 1945. Her children operated the fine apparel business until 1964, when the American Development Corporation, with S. Myron Newmeyer (who was on the Board of Directors of Citizens National Bank), took it over as Deane’s Apparel into into the 1970s. Myron Newmeyer also owned a couple of racehorses in the early 1970s, “Kintla’s Folly” and “Balu Mike.”

The building was notable for projecting plate glass display windows surrounded by panels of dark green marble, which had been quarried in Cardiff in Harford County. The panels below the windows now are of a substitute material, however—the original marble was replaced some years ago after being hit by a car. The large plate glass windows of the building have a decorative band of copper with a shell-pattern edge around the top.

In 1976, a new owner (Allen J. Fair) named the ground floor business, “The ThoroFair,” a mini-mall with several vendors and a driving school on the lane outside the rear. Among the shops people remember were a Christian Science Reading Room (where Dan Bailey’s Mom and Phyllis Evans worked); the Beauty Hut (where Alice Boyd cut Dan Brinkman’s hair and Bonnie Kampes loved when Carmella Cianelli brought her a sub); a mini Mexican restaurant with great tamales (says Pat Mergler); The Record newspaper; Snick’s Snack Shack; Tinkerbelle card shop (with Bessie and Robert George); A.J. Fair Realty (where Mary Elliott-Armstrong worked in 1978); a flower shop run by Richard Tome, and Steve’s Sub Shop owned by Michael Ladas. By 1984 one of the shops was Blue Earth Leather Boutique, owned by Shanna Smith; in 1986 The Dandy Duck, owned by Nancy Kinder, was also there; and in 1996, The Golden Halo and Katydids Crafts & Collectibles were in the mall, the latter owned by Linda Kreidel.

In 1977, Allen and Delores Fair opened their apartment on the second floor over the mini mall to the Annual Candlelight Tour. The foyer doors contained the original leaded stained glass transoms. Ten-foot ceilings created the elegance of a former era in the living room and dining room. Pete Pasqualini of Havre de Grace had created the Venetian plaster bird and flower frescoes in the dining room walls and ceiling. The spacious kitchen with its pecan wood cabinets, blue counter tops and tile floor led to the den at the rear. One wall of the den-sunroom was of rare English oak flooring.

The ThoroFair later became an Antique Center, owned by Joseph Reece; then Gallery Roca, with fine art; then E-Moxie Data Solutions. When renovated as Gallery Roca in 2006, this property received an award from the Havre de Grace Historic Preservation Commission. In 2017, Robert Buden, the building owner since 2003, opened the Artists’ Emporium on the ground floor, a large gallery showcasing the creations of many artists.

County Records
Built 1896. 8264 sq ft, retail store, 6600 sq ft lot.