There were several sections to this large property. It was built originally in 1899 as an agricultural implements storage area. And in 1916, the necktie business of Adolf Schreter was operating in #504. He was a Hungarian immigrant who moved his tie-making business from New York City to Havre de Grace and then Baltimore and is listed in The American Jewish Year Book 5679 of 1918-1919. His son, A. Harvey Schreter (1917-2008), was born in Havre de Grace, joined his father’s tie-making business in 1934 in Baltimore, and expanded it greatly. Through the years since, this building has housed an auto mechanics garage, a garage for 50 cars in 1930, a restaurant twice, a grocery store, and more.

There was a popular seafood restaurant named “Kelly’s” on part of this property in the 1930s and 1940s. The restaurant adjoined the Amoco Gas Station at the southwest corner of Warren Street and North Union Avenue. Not only popular for dinner, Kelly’s did a good business with The Graw racetrack goers by selling them sandwiches to take for lunch during the races. Rev. Marcus Stansbury, Sr. remembers working here as a cook after graduating in 1937 from the Havre de Grace Colored High School. Kelly’s had to close due to a fall-off in business when the double-decker bridge closed and the Route 40 Hatem Bridge opened. The Kelly family were related to those of the Kelly Beverage Company on Lewis Street. The Texas Grill was located somewhere here (with the address of 510 Warren Street) for a time after Kelly’s closed and “Bill and Dave’s Restaurant” was here after that. In 1960, the Quick Service TV Company was here.

In 1991, the studio of sculptor Tom Silveroli was on part of this property; he cast small and life-size human figures in bronze, plaster, and fiberglass. He had graduated from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in 1988 and was beginning his career of designing and sculpting sports figures for Maryland and Philadelphia companies.

In the early 2000s there was a kayak rental and supply store, Stark Moon Kayak, in the front building on Union Avenue and in 2006 part of the building became a local branch of Curves for Women. A couple of years later, it became the Maryland Conservatory of Music, with Dr. Duke Thompson as its Director. Also on the west side of the complex is New Beginnings Christian Church.

In 2008, the Arts by the Bay Gallery, managed by Havre de Grace Main Street’s Arts and Entertainment Committee, found a new home at 500 Warren Street. The gallery space underwent a major renovation, thanks to the building’s owners, Allen and Pat Fair, Bill Putland and several other local friends of the arts. As part of the renovation to transform the space into the gallery, these friends organized contractors and painters who gave their time and materials as a donation to the gallery. In 2015 Arts by the Bay Gallery moved to St. John Street and this building is now part of the property of Harford Property Services of North Union Avenue.

County Records
Built 1928. 7192 sq ft, commercial retail store, 7440 sq ft land.