04/17/2026
It's FUN 👏 FACT 👏 FRIDAY! 👏
Today we're heading to Angola, Indiana, to take a look at the historic building at 200 W Maumee St, now home to Then & Now Antiques! 🏛️
The story starts in 1903, when the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) Lodge No. 180 broke ground on a brand new brick building at the corner of Elizabeth and Maumee Streets. 🧱 Designed by Fort Wayne architect Charles R. Weatherhogg, the building cost around $20,000, and it was built to impress.
From day one, the IOOF rented the lower levels for commercial use, keeping the upper floors for the Order. Enter Leopold Stiefel, an established merchant who made arrangements with IOOF to relocate their store to the first floor and basement. 🛍️
By 1910, an addition doubled Stiefel's Department Store's size to 37,750 SF, earning it the title of "The Largest Department Store in Northeastern Indiana." 🏆
After 60 years in business, the Stiefel's stock was sold to JCPenney in 1929. Penney's leased the store from IOOF and stayed for nearly 60 more years.
Fun tidbit: shoppers back then experienced a wire and pulley (or pneumatic tube!) system where cash was sent upstairs and change came back down. 🪙
After JCPenney moved out in the late 1980s, the building found a new life as an antique mall, and Then & Now Antiques was born in the late 1990s. 🕰️
The building was renovated in the 2000s with windows repaired, the original awning recreated, and lighting updated to honor its historic character.
Today, Then & Now Antiques is a multi-awarded, multi-level treasure hunt that continues to draw antique lovers from all around! And the building itself remains the earliest example of Classical Revival architecture in Angola. 👏
The building is now available for sale, so bring your vision for this historic property! Please note, Then & Now Antiques is not closing its business.
Call Ian Smith today for more information! 👇
📞 260 424 8448
🔗 https://sturgesproperty.com/properties/then-now-antiques