Union Block
Eames Meat Market
Built: 1877
Architecture Style: Italianate
Currently: Hanisch Bakery and Coffee Shop
Depending on the year, catching a whiff near the Union Block you would find a sweet aroma… or the smell of blood. For nearly a century and a half, the Union Block has been known for two things: pastries and meat.
It was designed by Ambrose L. Clum, who designed other buildings that still stand in Red Wing, including St. John’s Lutheran Church at the corner of East Avenue and Fifth Street and the Eagle House at 325 Plum Street. The longevity of the structure parallels the longstanding family ties of the businesses within it.
Starting the day the building opened its doors, Captain H.T. Eames operated the meat market inside. For all but a few of the next fifty years, the Eames family would be in charge. For the first 90 years of use, the majority of ownership was with the Eames family who operated the meat market inside. Captain H.T. Eames (one of the original owners) with his brother Paul, ran the business from 1897 to 1925. His son, Paul Eames Jr. briefly followed in his father’s footsteps and co-owned the business in the late-1920s. It was at this store that Clara Lillyblad and her St. James Hotel kitchen staff did a lot of their meat shopping, likely providing a significant portion of the business’s profits.
The butcher era of the Union Block ended when the Pirius family began occupying the space in 1968. The prominent baker in the Pirius family was Bill, who learned his craft at the William Hood Dunwoody Institute in Minneapolis. During World War II, Bill was tasked with training 2,000 bakers in Paris. These 2,000 were then sent on to the Pacific front where they provided food for allied troops.
The Braschler family took over in 1972, and thirty-five years later the Hanisch family bought it from them.
Speciality butcher shops and bakeries have largely given way to modern grocery stores, but you can still buy Swedish Limpa Bread, a Pirius recipe, at Hansich Bakery as they continue the long, food-centric legacy of this Third Street building.
