One of the earliest brick buildings in Old Webster was the Allen Building, It was so large it was described as a whole city block. It was built by Nathan D. Allen and completed in about 1888 on Gore Avenue at the Missouri Pacific Railroad tracks (SW corner). On the third floor was the Allen Music Hall where fine music and theater productions were held. The Missouri Pacific trains would run special cars from St. Louis for the productions.

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It housed a drug store, a grocery, hardware store, barber shop, a notions store and a bakery run by his son, Harry Allen. On the second floor there were offices and a kindergarten school.

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The Bredall's Meat Market was directly to the South on Gore Avenue. (see picture below)

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The building burned on Friday, February 10th, 1899 in a horrific fire that threatened to burn all of Old Webster. The bucket brigade was augmented by a horse-drawn water wagon from the City of St. Louis which saved the day.

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While N.D. Allen stated publicly that he was going to rebuild, his delay in demolishing the buildings walls became a public nuisance and he never rebuilt. The property was acquired by The Webster Groves Trust and they built a one story building in 1901.