This building was owned by Joseph A. Hergenrother (1865-1917) and his wife, Elizabeth, prior to Joseph’s death. While the exact built date is unknown, it is known that the building existed when Joseph A. Hergenrother signed his Will in 1917 in which he bequeathed this property to his two sons and their spouses. Joseph was also the proprietor of the Eagle Hotel at approximately 200 St. John Street (no longer standing).

In 1922, the brothers and their spouses (Joseph N. and Gertrude Hergenrother and Aloysius “Loach” and Blanche Hergenrother) sold the building to Frederick L. Cobourn (1885-1962) and his wife Annie. Frederick was an attorney-at-law and later became a Judge in the Third Judicial Circuit Court. They owned this property for almost 20 years before selling it to their son, George Howlett Cobourn (1911-1984), and his wife, Eleanor in 1940. George Howlett also was an attorney, served in WWII and, like his father, became a Judge in the Third Judicial Circuit Court. Between 1940 and 1987, ownership transferred between George and Eleanor Cobourn a few times until, after George’s death, Eleanor sold the property to John and Patricia Roberts in 1987. A few other owners followed until it was bought by Charles A. Maslin III in 1994. He operated a small restaurant/ice cream parlor called “Ice Dreams” for a few years on the ground floor here.

Charles and Lori Maslin sold the building in 2003 to Bruce and Sherifa Clarke, who opened St. John Gourmet, a deli with gourmet sandwiches. After the Clarkes purchased the adjoining property at 205-207 North Washington Street in 2006, they opened the Laurrapin Grille and Laurrapin Catering, and redesigned the interiors as one large restaurant.

In January 2017 the Clarkes sold the Laurrapin Grill restaurant business to two of their employees. The new owners named their restaurant, Lagom, but to the surprise of many customers, Lagom closed its doors in May 2019. The Clarks continue to own the buildings and Bruce opened the “River City Public House” here in spring 2020 while continuing to run Laurrapin Catering.

County Records
Built 1930. 3341 sq. ft commercial restaurant, 3026 sq ft lot.