George's Repair Shop - 825 7TH ST

 Print Listing Historical Name - C.L. Carter/Mann's Sport Shop
Style - No Style
Built Year - 1907-09
State ID - 5WL4106

Description - Long, one-story, rectangular commercial building. Flat roof, stepped down toward rear. Front wall has off-center, inset entrance, with metal frame glazed door toward east end and two large plate glass display windows; corrugated metal above and below windows and on piers at ends of façade. Hanging sign above storefront. East wall is stuccoed and has full-height stuccoed chimney and segmental arched boarded up openings. At north end is addition that projects out toward east. Addition has entrance on south wall and four windows (three segmental arched with 6/6-light double-hung sash windows). Rear wall is also stuccoed and has small window toward east end.

Historical Background - Sanborn maps and city directories indicate that this building was erected between 1907 and 1909, although the Weld County Assessor provides a construction date of 1889 and an inventory book in the City of Greeley Museums indicates a 1901-02 construction date. (NOTE: Alternatively, a City of Greeley building permit was located permitting L.B. Kilbourn to erect a one-story brick building with a concrete foundation worth $700 at this location in 1919 for use as a blacksmith shop.) City directories indicate that builders and contractors Wyman and Moss were located at this address (presumably an earlier building) during 1903-07. An earlier building is shown on the Sanborn map of 1906. C.L. Carter Produce and Implements was listed here in the city directory of 1909, and the 1909 Sanborn map shows the present building with a hay and feed business, presumably the original business in the present building. The hay and feed store was also shown on the 1918 map, while an unidentified store is shown on the maps of 1927, 1946, and 1968. During 1922-44, Mann's Sport Shop was listed here in city directories. A 1970 Greeley Tribune article reported that in 1919 George E. Eckhardt began repairing bikes for D.C. Muth and moved to his own shop at the back of Mann's Sporting Goods. In 1937 Mr. Eckhardt's son Ben joined the business, and they eventually took over the entire store, which became George's Repair Shop (the current occupant). In 1964, three generations of the family were involved in the business when Ben Eckhardt, Jr., joined the shop, and the family continues to own and operate the business here today.