Prussian immigrant Carl Kleinert and his wife, Marie (Wilke), moved to Bastrop in the early 1860s. One of many early German merchants in Bastrop, Kleinert built his grocery and mercantile on this site in 1868. The building has housed many businesses and retains its historic detailing, including pressed metal cornices, wood storefront and cast iron columns, much of which dates to the early 1890s, after the Kleinert and adjacent Kesselus buildings suffered a fire. The building remained in the Kleinert family until 1931 and, today, serves as a reminder of Bastrop's early commercial district. Recorded Texas Historic Llandmark - 2003