926/930 G Street

Address: 926/930 G Street

Legal Description: Lot 83 West ½ 

Building: First Courthouse/Gambles

DATE State of Nebraska sold Lot 83 to James F. Loghry.

1872 James F. Loghry and wife sold Lot 83 to Fillmore County.  The county built a temporary courthouse and jail at this location.  The building was to be 24’ x 48’ and two stories high.  (Fillmore County Story)

1873 The temporary courthouse and jail were completed.  The first floor had three rooms and a hall, the upper floor was the courtroom.  The County Clerk, Treasurer and Probate Judge occupied the first floor. The jail was 12’ x 14’ and one story high.  Apparently the Sheriff had his office there also.  (Fillmore County Story)

1875 In November, Mark Neeves came to Geneva.  He took his press and other material up the stairway into the courthouse.  There he published Geneva’s first paper the “Fillmore County Review.”  He remained there until Feb. 1876, when he moved to the west of the square into a building that was built for him.

1880 The courthouse and jail moved directly across the street south to the new site on Courthouse Square.  The buildings were located east of the center of the block, facing north and closer to the street than the brick courthouse that replaced it in 1893.  The jail was about 50 feet south of the courthouse.

1881 The county apparently leased the lots to businesses who built their own buildings.  No deeds were filed until 1900, so occupants before that time are unknown.

1882 The West ½ of Lot 83 was vacant.  

1883 J. Jensen and F. H. Briggs leased Lot 83 from Fillmore County.  

1883 F. H. Briggs moved his store building out into the street where it stood until the new building was ready to move into.

1883 W. H. Cooksey  purchased the building formerly occupied by Briggs’ grocery and moved it to his lot just east of Macks’ restaurant.  

1883 In June, Jensen and Briggs moved the buildings from the site of the proposed new building and work began.  The builder was O. P. Lacy.

1883 Jensen & Briggs new Opera House block was completed.  The ground floor had two spacious business rooms and a commodious cellar underneath.  The second story was entirely devoted to a hall which was fitted up for theatrical purposes. 

1883 In July, F. H. Briggs moved his store into the east room.

1883 In July, Jensen and Briggs built a balcony in front of the new Opera House to be used by the bands.

1883 In October, Voris & Reed sold furniture, buggies, wagons, and farm machinery in the west room of the Opera House.

1884 In November, Voris & Reed advertised their furniture and undertaking business in the west half of this building.  A large storage building located at the rear of the building housed the undertaking business along with furniture.

1885 In January, Oliver P. Locey left Voris and Reed and started a cabinet shop at 151 So. 10th.

1887 George Wintersteen and J. H. Ward bought the Voris & Reed furniture, carpets and undertaking business.  They put up a building for agricultural implements on the lot east of the Fillmore House.

1887 In February, F. H. Briggs sold his grocery interest to M. V. King and J. D. Hamilton.  (In December of 1886, M. V. King had planned to open a grocery store in one of the buildings east of the square.)

1888 J. H. Ward bought out George Wintersteen’s interest in the firm Wintersteen & Ward.  G. P. Wintersteen left Nebraska and moved west. 

1888 In January, John Darrow purchased M. V. King’s remaining interest in his store.  The firm name was Flory (Flora) and Darrow.

1888 In August, Frank Flory retired from the grocery business.  Mr. Darrow continued alone. 

1889 In January, John Darrow sold his stock to David Griffith.

1889 Blind Boone gave a concert in the Ward Opera House and drew the largest crowd ever in the building.

1889 In December, Sheriff W. I. (Kit) Carson bought an interest in the grocery business of David Griffith.

1890 In February, Griffiths and Carson built a large warehouse in the rear of their building and renovated their business room.  They also began running an oil tank line in connection with their grocery business.

1890 In September, Griffiths and Carson quit selling boots, shoes, hats, and gent’s furnishings.

1890 In December, J. B. Shickley bought the interest of David Griffiths in the grocery business.  It was then known as Carson and Shickley.

1892 In March, Carson and Shickley moved to rooms in the Fillmore. (942 G)

1892 In October, the Sanborn maps showed a furniture store in the West ½ of Lot 83.  This was probably the furniture store of J. W. Ward.  

1894 In February, John R. Ballard, Shoeman, was located in the east room of Ward’s Opera Block.

1894 In August, E. K. Cobb bought J. H. Ward’s furniture and undertaking business in Geneva.  Mr. Ward purchased an interest in Palma Root Soap Company in Denver.  Roy Cobb took charge of the business.

1894 In August, E. O. Lemmon was employed by E. K. Cobb to run the furniture store that he purchased from J. H. Ward.

1894 In November, E. K. Cobb sold his furniture store and undertaking business to A. E. Atkins & Co.  The two stores were combined in this location.   E. K. Cobb was connected with Citizens Bank and served as cashier.

1895 Frank Held, tailor, was located under Atkins & Co.’s Furniture Store.

1896 In June, T. S. Francis, Furniture and Undertaking, successor to A. E. Atkins & Co. was selling goods at cost for sixty days to reduce stock.  Mr. Francis was from Beaver City.  He had been in the hardware in Geneva in 1889.

1897 O. C. Houchin moved his music store into part of the area occupied by T. H. Francis Furniture store.

1897 The Sanborn maps showed this to be a furniture store.

1897 Mrs. Flora Houchin of the Geneva Music Store went to Chicago to purchase a car load of pianos.  The music store moved to the east side of the courthouse (119 South 10th Street) later in the year.

1898 T. H. Francis sold his furniture and undertaking business to C. W. Hrubesky of Schuyler.  The room was located on the first floor of the Opera House building.  The stairway to the second floor was closed.  A new stairway was built inside and the Opera House on the second story became storage space.

1899 Arthur E. Atkins returned to York to live.

1899 C. A. Jarvis purchased the building from J. H. Ward.  The following day, Mr. Jarvis sold the building to C. W. Hrubesky.

1900 C. H. Hrubesky purchased the West ½ of Lot 83 from Fillmore County.

1900 A room was partitioned off in one corner of C. W. Hrubesky’s furniture store for the use of O. A. Merrill as a barber shop.  The basement in which Mr. Merrill had been located was used by Mr. J. B. Sexton for his office.

1902 The Sanborn maps showed this to be a furniture store.

1905 C. W. Hrubesky moved his furniture stock into the room at 135 North 9th Street, south of the post office.  He tore down his building preparatory to the erection of a new business house on Lot 83.

1905 The buildings occupied by Hrubesky Furniture and Undertaking and the Frank Wight Butcher Shop, the next door east, were torn down. Hrubesky built a two-story building and Wight a one-story building.

1906 The new building was completed and C. W. Hrubesky Furniture and Undertaking moved back into their new quarters.

1909 The Sanborn maps showed this to be a furniture store.

1915 Frank Hrubesky joined his father in the furniture and undertaking business.

1916 Hrubesky Undertaking purchased their first auto hearse, but retained the horse drawn hearse for several years for emergencies.

1920 Frank Hrubesky took over the operation of the business.  

1920 Hrubesky Undertaking moved to 120 North 10th Street, the second door south of the alley.

1922 The Sanborn maps showed this to be a furniture store.

1923 Hrubesky Undertaking moved into the building at 115 South 10th Street, the second door south of the Jameson Hotel.

1939 Frank Hrubesky moved his undertaking business to 242 North 10th Street, the present site of the Farmer & Son Funeral Home.  He and his brother Chan continued the furniture business at 930 G Street.  Chan assisted in the operation of the funeral home.

1951 Vaughn Fulton, owner of the Gambles Store in Geneva, purchased the Hrubesky Furniture Store stock and prepared to move the Gambles Store from 860 G to the Hrubesky building in the east business block. A new front was installed, new light fixtures were installed, a new stairway was built to the second floor.  The building was 24 x 112 with a 70’ warehouse to the rear.  There was an elevator to the second floor.

1964 Andrews Electric rented space in the basement for one year.

1984 The Fulton Gamble Store celebrated its 50th Anniversary with a 10-day sale extravaganza.

1985 Vaughn Fulton sold his Gambles Store to Gylon Inc. a corporation formed by Lawrence Loontjer and two of his children, Glen Loontjer and Yvonne Carson.

1986 The Gambles Store stock was expanded into the building next door to the east (936 G Street).  

1993 Gambles How-To and Rent-it-Center was located here.

1995 Paul’s Video Store moved to this location from 1006 G Street, Deb Culp was the manager.

2001 Paul’s Video Store vacated the space.

2001 Gambles rented this space and added men’s work clothing, jeans, shirts, jackets, etc. to the stock at this location.  These items had been carried at Wheelers on South Highway 81.  Wheelers had closed in 2000.

2007 Gambles now encompassed the original location of the following stores:  Hrubesky Furniture, 930 G Street

  Walgreen/Thrifty Drug, 936 G Street

  Vogue Clothing, 942 G Street

  Rialto Theater, 948 G Street

  Maryland Café (Vogue Clothing/Jacox Jewelry), 954 G Street.

2012 Gambles built a new building at 1121 G Street.  Their business was renamed Geneva Home Center.  It was owned and operated by the Loontjer family.

2012 Royalty Gifts was located here.

2017 Mylah Rose Boutique, Nicole Schoenholz, was located here.

2023 In November, Mylah Rose closed and Road 8 Boutique opened here.  Danielle Herman was the owner.

2024 In September, this became the Uplift Dance Studio.

This was ongoing as of the last posting.