J. C. Schobes Bakery and Confectionery

25 W. Superior St.

This small two-story orange Roman brick building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Duluth Commercial Historic District. Modifications to the original storefront took place in 1921, 1928, and 1984. In 2006, Global Village owned the building, but for fiscal year 2023, the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Legacy Fund awarded $200,000 to a non-profit entity, Children’s Dental Services, to make necessary repairs and open as a dental clinic for children, mothers, and young people, regardless of income. These modifications are now almost complete.

The prominent architect John J. Wangenstein (1858-1942) and his junior partner, William E. Baillie (1862-1897), conceived the original structure in the Renaissance Revival style. This type of nineteenth-century architecture is also sometimes called “Neo-Renaissance” or “Italianate.” Wangenstein designed many commercial, residential, and religious buildings throughout St. Louis County—especially in Duluth—into the 1930s. Wangenstein and Baillie were partners from 1892 to 1895, when ill health forced Baillie to leave the business. He died only two years later.