The Schulz family's business served tourist and locals.
After Henry Ford introduced the affordable Model T in 1908, American car ownership skyrocketed. As automobile travel increased, businesses catering to car owners grew. Roadside service providers offered travelers fuel, food and lodging. Automobile drivers arriving in a new town pulled into a general or hardware store to fill up their tanks at curbside gas pumps, grab a bit at a local diner and stay overnight in tourist cabins, rented rooms or roadside motels.
William and Rose Schulz ran a combination filling station, corner grocery store and restaurant in the 1920s and 30s. Their Riverside Restaurant was locally famous for its steaks, baked ham and chicken. They also offered rented rooms for tourists. Their corner location on the edge of downtown Naperville was accessible to passing motorists traveling from any direction. When the restaurant closed, the building was turned into rental apartments. Today, it serves as museum administrative offices.
The Schulz Building was constructed on the corner of Aurora Avenue and Webster Street in the 1920s. The second story was added in the 1930s. In the 1990s, the building was moved to make way for Naper Settlement's re-creation of the Pre-Emption House.