Kent Music Hall

This building at 20-26 Webster was built in two parts, the left half constructed in 1859, the right half in 1877. It was originally known as the Kent Music Hall or Kent Concert Hall, with the music hall on an upper floor.  The music hall was the site of the first Masses of the City's first Roman Catholic Church, Ascension, before its church building was constructed.  It also provided facilities for the first services of other churches getting established in the City.  Alexander G. Kent owned the building.  He sold it to Knapp-Cramer Hardware, which later became Cramer Industrial Supplies.  In more recent years, it was a D&K Store.  It is now privately owned and under renovation and restoration.  A wonderful mural was on one of the upper floors in the building's prime.

Cramer Hardware occupied the two buildings above at 20-26 Webster Street for decades.  The buildings originally were the property of Alexander G. Kent, of Kent & Riederer Lumber, who was village president in 1871 and one of the original village trustees when North Tonawanda was incorporated as a village in 1865.  The flat-topped building on the left is believed to have been constructed in 1859 and the portion on the right was constructed in 1877.  A number of North Tonawanda churches began with their first services in this building.  Cramer Industrial Suplies began in 1900 when John W. Cramer joined H. Jason Knapp, who previously had operated the Knapp Hardware Company in this building.  Soon after Cramer joined the firm, the company became known as the Knapp & Cramer Hardware Company, operating under that name until 1911.  In 1911, it became Cramer-Thomas Company.  During this early period, a branch store was also operated at the corner of Schenck Street and Payne Avenue, known as the Enterprise Hardware Store (The Cash Store).  The branch was closed in 1929.  They also had a commercial plumbing and heating department which operated until 1913.  In 1916, they formed the Cramer Hardware Company, when Mr. Thomas sold his shares.  The nature of the business changed with the times, and, as the tinsmithing, heting and plumbing businesses became less attractive, a commercial refrigeration business, along with electrical appliances, was established and operated until just prior to World War II.  During World War II, Cramer Hardware entered into the industrial supply field and on May 10, 1962, they changed the name of the business to Cramer Industrial Supplies, Inc.

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