For many area residents, one of the fondest holiday memories is visiting the Wolf & Dessauer Department Store. Remembered most this time of year are the holiday windows unveiled each Thanksgiving Day. The brightly lit Santa with his reindeer and the Merry Christmas wreath are also a symbol of the holidays in Fort Wayne. The signs, first displayed on the Wolf and Dessauer building at Calhoun and Washington, have been restored and can now be seen today on One Summit Square and PNC Bank at Main and Calhoun.
Though many of the holiday window displays disappeared over the years some of those fond memories can be relived at The History Center this season. Animatronic elves and children once used in window displays now joyfully decorate The History Center for the Festival of Gingerbread along with the original Santa suit worn by Phil Steigerwald who appeared as Santa at Wolf & Dessauer from the mid 1950s- late 1970s. Other toys and Wolf & Dessauer treasures will be on display at The History Center but we'd like to share a few more here in our online exhibit gallery.
The Festival of Gingerbread opens to the public November 29, 2013 and closes December 15, 2013. For more information please visit our events page.
