The Karolcik Building was built and managed by Michael (Mike) Karolcik (1890-1978), whose parents came from Slovakia; his father settled in the Frick Company coal town of Leisenring, Fayette County, where he worked as a miner. Mike Karolcik worked at the Krell Store in nearby Whitsett as a boy. At 16, he began his own grocery business.
On Thanksgiving 1921, he opened the Karolcik Building, which, in addition to his meat market in the south storefront, housed the Perry Theater and the Hough Pharmacy on the first floor; a barber shop and a billiards and bowling hall in the basement; and a public hall and owner's apartment on the second floor. The theater, the billiards and bowling hall, and the public hall were all owned and operated by the Karolcik family. The cost of the building was $100,000.
The theater operated from 1921 to 1971. It contained 412 seats and hosted vaudeville and musicals in addition to movies. Special events at the theater included political rallies and community fundraisers for institutions such as the local high school and historical society. At the end of World War II, the public hall ceased to be used for its significant activity: dances. The bowling alleys operated until the 1980s, using pin boys. Following the death of Mike Karolcik and his wife, the family sold the building in about 1985.
Similar commercial buildings reflect Early Modern influences on regional retail architecture, particularly the craftsman and related styles. One and two-story red or yellow brick buildings have flat roofs fronted with low stepped parapets. Facades are often ornamented with glazed terra cotta ornament. Ground floors contain large plate glass display windows which sometimes return at store or theater entrances to form "traffic catcher" vestibules. Upper floors contain bands of two and three double-hung windows. The Karolcik Building is an ornate and well-preserved example of such commercial buildings.
