Dietz-Luette Building 424 East Market Street New Albany, IN 47150
Listing Description:
This site at the corner of East Market and East 5th streets in downtown New Albany has been home to a saloon, confectionery and restaurant as early as 1870. It appears as if the original building was either drastically remodeled or completely rebulit sometime between the early 1910s and the mid-1930s to the current appearance, although portions of the original stone foundation remain.
John Dietz was the proprietor of the first documented saloon in this location. Others following included Joseph Waibel, August Ruhr, Charles Friebner and Arthur Luette. By 1919 Luette had turned his operation into a confectionery shop, likely due to Prohibition on the horizon.
After the 1923 repeal of Prohibition, Edward Leaf operated a restaurant/bar here. A series of similar businesses followed through the ensuing years, including the Irvin Weber Restaurant, M & M Restaurant, Potts Cafe, Mike Steinert Cafe, Moody's Cafe, John's Cafe, Close Quarters Restaurant, Sports Page Pub and K and Z Drinking Place. Past Time Grill & Pub has been in business here since about 2000.
The c.1960 photo below, from the collection of the Indiana Room of the New Albany-Floyd County Public Library, shows the building as Moody's Cafe, with its original storefront, siding and windows.