Stipps’s Restaurant a Mainstay in Calftown for Decades

In the 19^th century, many German farmers migrated west to develop farms and settle in small communities, while others moved to larger cities. Using the river system of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, Germans immigrants populated cities throughout the Midwest, such as Cincinnati, St. Louis, Milwaukee, and Quincy. Skilled German workers came to American cities looking for opportunity and security and they found it in places like Quincy.

Many of the German immigrants who came to Quincy settled in the southwest part of town which became known as “Calftown.” This area of the city was filled with German churches, stores, and markets.  Quincy was growing and developing, and the family-oriented German neighborhoods began to thrive, particularly in Calftown.

German immigrant Herman Stipp purchased two lots from John Wood in 1868 near 6^th and Adams Streets. The following year his brother August Stipp bought the land from Herman and constructed a general store and saloon at that location. The Stipp family became a fixture in Calftown and operated the corner store for decades.

A few generations later in 1933, George Stipp opened Stipp’s Restaurant in the family building at 6^th and Adams Streets. The restaurant was decorated with walnut paneling and the wooden booths which were made by Huck’s Manufacturing of Quincy. The Grand Opening was on Thanksgiving Day in 1933 in the “Walnut Room.” The meal was a complete turkey dinner with all the trimmings, a beverage, and choice of homemade mince, apple or pumpkin pie.

Throughout the 1930s the restaurant was referred to as Stipp’s Hoffbrau. Stipp’s was open every day except Monday from 11am to 10pm and offered noon luncheons, an early bird menu, and evening dinner specials. In the 1930s, the dinner menu included a roast goose dinner for 50-cents, a roast chicken dinner for 40-cents, and broiled steak for 50-cents.  Stipp’s also offered homemade chili and turtle soup, as well as roast beef and pork sandwiches each for only 10-cents. A roast beef sandwich with a side of turtle soup, and a Pabst Blue Ribbon to wash it down appeared to be the quintessential Calftown lunch.

At that time Stipp’s was certainly the place to be, even during the tough times of the Depression. On New Year’s Eve in 1938, Stipp’s Hoffbrau was open all night. They offered baked and fried chicken and turkey dinners, and served up a breakfast of ham, bacon, and eggs to the party goers as they welcomed in 1939. During the Second World War the restaurant remained a destination for a great meal. After the war Stipp’s customer base began to grow.

In 1953, Stipp’s Restaurant built an addition on the north side of the building. The new addition included a large banquet room called the Cypress Room which could hold 150 guests. The walls in the Cypress Room were decorated with large color images depicting Quincy. The new building also had a cocktail lounge called “The Shadow Box.” The small cocktail lounge was advertised as a “cozy place” and a “friendly rendezvous.” The improvements at the restaurant also included a state-of-the-art refrigeration and air conditioning system.

In 1954, Stipp’s opened the “Steak Pit” on the lower level of the restaurant. Steaks were cooked over a large open charcoal pit that was positioned in the center of the dining room. The steak dinners were served up by classy waiters wearing red jackets and black bow ties. The tables were adorned with a red rose in the center of each table. The Steak Pit had expanded hours and was open every night from 5pm to 1am.

As one might expect, operating a large open-flame pit inside the building could present problems. On October 26, 1957, a fire was ignited when grease from the grill splattered on the canopy above the pit and caught fire. Employees sprang into action and used hand-held fire extinguishers to contain the blaze. By the time the Quincy Fire Department arrived the fire was extinguished, but there was significant smoke damage.

Without question 1957 was a tough year at 6^th and Adams Streets. That same year the owner and operator, Arthur Stipp, Sr., died of a heart attack at a hotel in Springfield, Illinois. His son Arthur Stipp, Jr. would eventually take over operation of the business.

Arthur Stipp, Jr. was a 1943 graduate of Quincy High School and served as a bombardier and navigator for the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. Following the war, he worked at Stipp’s Restaurant for a time but also owned Quincy Homebuilders. His construction company built the Ridgewood, Edgewood, and Payson Heights subdivisions.  Arthur Stipp, Jr., took control of the restaurant in 1963.

The same year Arthur, Jr. became owner and operator of Stipp’s Restaurant, it was destroyed by fire. In less than a year a new building was built at 6^th and Adams. This is the current building at that location. The restaurant reopened on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, 1964. The new building was slightly smaller to accommodate the construction of a courtyard on the south side of the building. The lower level was used for parties and receptions.

By the middle of the 1960s Arthur Stipp, Jr. and the Stipp family operated one of the finest restaurants in the Gem City. The establishment won many awards and recognitions and became known throughout the Midwest. It was featured on the cover of the National Restaurant Association Magazine and the travel editor at the Chicago Tribune praised the menu, especially their signature grilled pork chops.

Sadly, by 2000 the old German neighborhoods of Calftown were not the same. Much of the commerce shifted to the eastern part of the city and it became exceedingly difficult to maintain a restaurant at 6^th and Adams Streets. On January 16, 2000 Stipp’s closed its doors for good. It was the oldest restaurant in Quincy at the time. It was an amazing and historic journey for Stipp’s that lasted 132 years.

Rob Mellon is currently the Executive Director of the Historical Society of Quincy and Adams County and a U.S. Army Reserve Officer serving as an instructor with the University of Missouri ROTC program.  He has served 27 years in the United States Army. He is on the Board of Directors of the Ulysses S. Grant Trail Association.

Sources:

Chamber of Commerce. Quincy on the Mississippi, 1965, 31.

Landrum, Carl.  Gem City: A Quincy Scrapbook. St. Louis, MO: G. Bradley Publishing Inc., 1992, 147.

“Stipps celebrating 130 years of service.” Quincy Herald-Whig, January 25, 1998, 43.

“Stipp’s continues 63-year tradition at Sixth, Adams.” Quincy Herald-Whig, June 12, 1996, 8.

“Stipp’s to close doors for good Jan.16.” Quincy Herald-Whig, January 9, 2000, 9.

Welcome Traveler, ILLIAMO Land, 1963, 33.