Workers inside Amrhein Bakery, circa 1935. First row, from left, Harry Monroe, Joe Koehl, Richard Kaylor, Gus Gerst, Fritz Shea, Al Zimmerman; second row, Neil Thomas, Stew Spencer, Cecil Thomas, Frank Renz, Fred Dehner, Russell Hines; third row, Frank Whitmore, Merritt Cherry. (Photos: Archives of Bob Krotz, former Amrhein driver)
Amrhein Bakery, founded in 1888 by Christoph Amrhein (1864-1935) operated first from a shop in downtown Springfield, but moved to Eighth Street and North Grand Avenue a few years later.
Business grew to the point that Amrhein built a large bakery building at 2001 Clear Lake Ave. in 1929. Amrhein became a distributor of Holsum Bread in the late 1930s.
Amrhein was sold to Purity Bakery of Decatur and closed in 1973. The Amrhein/Holsum building was demolished in 2012.
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Didn’t they make “butter cakes,” the long, buttery and gooey, incredibly delicious pastry that Catholic schools featured for sale on “First Friday” each month? Does anyone make those anymore? Wow, were they good.
Rechners bakery had the butter cakes.
My dad worked at Amrhein’s and it is pretty ironic that in ’77 I worked in the same building for Goffs Rental Service, and then I left there that business closed and Nelson Oil moved in and then around 1981 the place that I worked for after I left Goffs, I went to work for Springfield Bakers Supply and we moved from 301 No. 7th St an old Train Depot we moved to 2001 E Clearlake building and we were there until my boss closed it on March 13, 2000. I also have to mention that and older gentleman that used to be a head baker for Amrhein’s came and weighed up product for us, his name was Walter LaRue. So that building had a lot of Business History!!