The Broh Building

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Erected in 1889, the Broh Building remains in use, making
 it the oldest commercial building in the city.

Postcard courtesy of James E. Casto

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Family legend has it that when 17-year-old Adolph Broh (1840-1923)
 landed in New York from his native Germany, he was penniless.
 He’s said to have given all the money he had in the world
 — $2.50 — to a sick passenger he befriended
 during the Atlantic crossing.

A talented tailor, Broh quickly found work and later opened
 his own shop. When the Civil War erupted, he enlisted
 in the Confederate Army. Wounded in the battle
 of Shiloh, he moved to Cincinnati, where he
 met and married his wife, Henrietta. The
 couple would have 10 children.

In 1887, the elder Broh dispatched two of his sons,
 Mike and Julius, to Huntington with instructions
 to open a men’s clothing store in the young city.
 Their store immediately prospered.

In 1889, Adolph Broh built his sons Mike and Julius
 a handsome building on the southeast corner
 of 3rd Avenue and 9th Street, the first
 brick store building to be
 built in Huntington.

Today, the building — one of several downtown structures
 restored by Dr. Joe Touma — remains in use, making
 it the oldest commercial building in the city. After
 the brothers became established in business,
 they brought their parents and several of
 their siblings to live in Huntington.
 Over the years, the Broh family
 name would become one of
 the best known in the
 community.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Note:  This Article and picture appeared in the Herald-Dispatch Newspaper on Jan. 7, 2025.

-----------------------------------------------------------

[ Back ]