03/21/2026
History of 200 N. Main building and apartment.
Current building built by Letcher for Jesse Logan 1920
1926: Larrison Drug store, photo store on second floor
1946: Martin Osterhaus
1950: Den Beste Drug
1955: Fashion City
1965: Political headquarters
1966: Stevenson's Clothing Store
1971: Sold to Pizza Pub
1973: Re-possessed
1974: Political headquarters
1974: Reven Industries
1975: Political headquarters
1975: Ed's Pet World
1981: Vacant
1996: Cottonwood Canyon Coffee
2002: Dakota Sue
2019: Crane Realty…....
Sources:
Mitchell Republic
Mitchell Area Historical Society Archives
Jeff Logan
History of 200 N. Main building and apartment.
According to the original party wall agreement, the building was built in 1887. George Logan acquired the building in 1900 as part settlement when he sold out his interest in the Security Bank of Mitchell. In 1916, shortly after building the Branson Bank building directly to the east, he tore down and rebuilt the second floor of the building for new offices. He had the famous Minneapolis architectural firm of Purcell and Elmslie design the new second floor. They modernized the appearance of the building redid much of the second floor brickwork moving windows and replacing them with larger modern style windows. Purcell and Elmslie specified the stucco exterior of the building to cover the various styles of brick that didn’t match that had been used in the various remodelings. In the 1920’s George Logan named it the Essex Building.
The second floor housed offices for a dentist and attorneys. Just prior to World War 2, the attorneys had moved out and Nelson and Lorraine Logan remodeled the back four offices into an apartment for themselves. Being the apartment wasn’t designed to rent and make money, they included large closets two half bathrooms, large kitchen and other features meant for comfort. Logan installed one of the early air conditioning systems in the early 1950’s. He also ran a private intercom line across the alley to the Roxy Theatre. Nelson and Lorraine had one child, Jeff who grew up in this apartment. Lorraine lived here on and off until she passed away in 2007. Jeff and Linda lived in the apartment when they were first married.
The first floor has housed many businesses including Larrison’s Drug Store, Den Beste Drug, Fashion City and Stevenson’s dress shops, the Pizza Pub, Dakota Sue’s Gift Shop, Ed’s Pet World, and most recently Abacco who processed medical billings and claims
Nelson Logan built an announce booth with large speakers on the roof of the building in the 1930’s. It was removed during the war years. The booth was used to announce to the large crowds on Main Street during Corn Palace Week what movies were playing at the Roxy, one block east of Main. Joe Martin was an usher and did his first announcing from this booth. He would go one to work for WNAX in Yankton and KOOO in Omaha. He was known as “Jolly Joe Martin” during his broadcast career. He had a bit part in the TV mini-series “Amerika.”
From the late 1930’s through the mid 1960’s, there was also a large neon sign with the word ROXY and an arrow pointing to the theatre on Lawler Street.
The basement of the building housed a barber shop from its construction until the late 1960’s. The barber shop included a shower for gentlemen who had traveled to town on railroad, horseback or in those newfangled automobiles on the dusty dirt roads.
Rev. April., 2015
