A group of warehouses in Fort Wayne that played a role in the transition to the era of supermarkets is now listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
The Pennsylvania Produce Terminal Historic District in the 400 block of East Brackenridge Street is the second property in the East Central Neighborhood to receive such a distinction from the federal government, the city said.
MKM architecture + design and local historic preservation nonprofit ARCH Inc. worked with the city’s Historic Preservation Commission and the state’s historic preservation office to nominate the area to the National Register. The property is the home of MKM architecture + design and is owned by a group of MKM owners.
“This National Register designation of the Pennsylvania Produce Terminal Historic District – Fort Wayne was the final step required to complete our rehabilitation project,” Dodd Kattman, principal of MKM, said in a news release. “Modern interior building improvements complement the exposed brick and concrete manufacturing character of the building, creating a high-tech work space that enhances our own creativity.”
The produce terminal was built in 1929 by the Pennsylvania Railroad, whose design combined four large fresh produce warehouses into one unit. The architect was Fort Wayne’s Alvin M. Strauss.
The terminal was significant for its role in the evolution of the grocery business from neighborhood markets of dry goods, fresh produce and meats to what ultimately would become supermarkets. Cold-storage warehouses allowed the grocery industry to provide fresh food to customers year-round.
The warehouses were used for their original purpose from 1925 to about 1960, the city said.