Shearer Building
The Shearer Building at 327 Brinton Ave was built circa 1903 by John W. Shearer (1861–1928) & Anna Tilbrook Shearer (1862–1919). This building is included in our list of Trafford’s 250 oldest buildings.
If Anna’s maiden name “Tilbrook” sounds familiar, it comes from one of the oldest families to settle in Patton Township (present-day Monroeville). Her grandfather William settled in Patton Township in 1818. Anna’s father, also called William, coincidentally was killed near Stewart Station (present-day Trafford) in 1883 by a flatcar when he was working on the railroad.
This photograph was taken by E.E. Bandy in the 1940s after the Ohio Poultry brick advertisement was painted over. The old advertisement, referred to as “ghost sign,” has survived on the present building for the past 100 years because it was common to use oil-based paints directly onto the porous brick. Even after painting over the sign, the original advertisement remains like a ghost of our past, a relic to offer a glimpse into our commercial past and serve as a reminder of our local heritage. The sign would have been paid for by Italian immigrant Emilio Vincenzo Cairo (1881-unk) who operated the Ohio Poultry Market at 327 Brinton Ave from 1924-1927.
During the Great Depression, the space served as the local unemployment office. In the early 1940s, it became Rade Mixinotch’s Bar, and then in the early 1950s, it became the first location for the V&M Lounge. Victor & Michael Mastroianni would later move their operations across the street into Vee Colangelo’s building.
