Location
Photo Gallery
IMG_3677
A Brief History
Dehn’s Ice Cream Parlor
132 South Main Street
Shawano, WI
132 S. Main Street in Shawano was a pool hall operated by John M. Keohane. The building was razed and in 1948 a store building was erected by Henry Dehn at a cost of $85,ooo. The structure originally housed an A. & P. Supermarket and Dehn’s Ice Cream store. The building has a 49 1/2 foot frontage and depth of 145 feet. Office space was provided on the second floor.
From 1948-1981 Marvin and Dottie Kroenke managed Dehn’s and it was a popular business bustling with activity in the 1950’s, 60’s, and 70’s. In 1981 Marvin Kroenke retired and sold the business to Orv and Judy Wesphal, who operated the business until 1982. The business was sold to Willard Kriefall and operated Dehn’s until 1992. He sold to Marvin Popp, who operated the resturant as Popp’s Diner. In 1998, Angie Bistoff bought the business naming it, Angie’s Main Cafe & The Daily Grind. She retired in 2022.
From the 1999 National Register of Historic Places Registration application:
One of the district’s newer historic commercial buildings, this building is also one of the most intact. Although both sides were historically operated by the same dairy goods company, this building’s dual use is evident in the design of its storefront, which is original to the building. The northern and larger portion of the storefront area, which historically housed a retail store, has plate glass display windows set flush with the brick corner piers. The plates are framed with narrow aluminum strips and set on a black tile bulkhead. Near the entry, slightly south of the building’s center, the northern storefront’s display window turns away from the street at a nearly perpendicular angle and extends inward to the plane of the door. Between the interior comer of this display window and the deeply inset double doorway is a narrower display window with the same general features. This window is bordered on the edge adjoining the door by a wide aluminum pilaster with Streamlined-style vertical flutes or “speed lines.” This feature extends past the upper framing of the window to die ceiling of this inset entry way, a few inches above the windows. Over the double doors and aligned with these windows is a wide, plain transom light in a wood frame below an aluminum horizontal framing member that extends across the doorway area. The double doors beneath this transom are each simple wood frame with a large plate glass window and two round aluminum push bars set at a thirty degree angle; these appear to be original. Adjoining the southern edge of the south door is a wide aluminum pilaster identical to that described previously. The display window for the historic restaurant portion of the building to the south commences perpendicular to this pilaster and extends approximately three feet toward the street. At that point it is joined by narrow aluminum band identical to those described previously. The adjoining display window follows a ninety-degree arc and adjoins a single, flat plate glass window that adjoins a door leading to the second floor. The door opens against the building’s southern brick wall; it and the restaurant’s display windows are inset approximately four feet from the larger display window to the north and from the rest of the facade of the building. The upper facade has seven windows and no ornamentation with the exception of a plain, narrow concrete band that encircles all seven windows across the facade. The upper windows have no distinguishing characteristics but appear to be original. As a result, this building may be seen to have exceptional overall integrity. It should also be noted that the interior of the historic restaurant portion of the building has an intact, built-in, diner-style seating and a cooking area with an undulating bar and stools that is either original to the building or dates from within a few years of its construction. Such interiors are uncommon in the Shawano region.