Perhaps it was the dream of owning his own business that inspired Joseph Paquette (1893-1971) to leave his bookkeeping job and open a restaurant in 1937. Whatever his motivation, he purchased the land, built a building at 411 Hancock and opened a restaurant he called The Hut. It would continuously be a popular gathering place for the next 68 years.
Joseph must have discovered that the business wasn’t for him: three years later, in 1940, he sold out to Norris Mannion, then a manager of the A&P grocery store. Mannion installed a neon sign on the roof advertising the restaurant as The Hamburg Hut but it was forever affectionally called The Hut.
Mannion gradually increased hours, from breakfast and lunch and then to breakfast, lunch and dinner. By 1946, it was open til 4 AM and just a year later, 24 hours a day. Sundays excepted. Waitresses were paid $25 a week.
Mannion was a civic minded man who was a member of the Fordney Club and who often helped to raise money for local organizations. In one instance, on St. Patrick’s Day in 1959, he got creative. Because the Salvation Army’s “New Dresses For Easter” drive was $200 short, anyone entering The Hut without wearing at least a touch of green had to buy a shamrock for a quarter. By 6:30 that night, the green jug on the counter contained $73.60. (Saginaw News, March 22, 1959)
On April 29, 1961, The Hut celebrated its 21st anniversary under Norris Mannion’s ownership. Just four years later, in 1965, he suddendly died. Mrs. Mannion continued to operate the restaurant for the next few years before selling it to Ken and Eleanor Hartwick.
By then the hours were 6 AM to 7 PM, and in 1971, the Hartwicks opened the Hut on Sundays for the very first time, from 8 AM to 4 PM.
Ownership passed to Bob and Nancy Haiser in 1981. The Haisers then sold the restaurant in 1987 to Nancy’s sister, Josie Sieggreen (right), who welcomed customers for the next 18 years. As in its earlier years, the regulars – and there were many - were hardly in the door before the cook was asking, “Your regular?”
Everything was homemade and by all accounts delicious. Breakfast specials during the ‘90’s included 2 eggs, choice of meat, fries, toast and coffee for $2.99.
Finally and to the sorrow of many, customers ate their last meals in August 2005 when The Hut closed for good. The building, along with its contents, were soon sold.
NEW LIFE FOR THE BUILDING
Though they are two separate parcels, we acquired the property in January 2018 as part of a package purchase with 118 N. Michigan Avenue. At the time, the old Hut building had been empty for 13 years. The windows were boarded up. There were cracks in the stucco. Part of the block wall on the west side was leaning in. The roof leaked and there was water damage inside from the leaks. On and on.
We wondered what the building could become and whether all the work it would take to restore it was worth it. After all, the building is small and simple and has no real architectural value. But what it does have is historical value: for 68 years, it was a much-loved gathering place in Old Town. Memories were made and camaraderie filled the walls of this cozy little building. And that was more than enough.
Work began in the spring, and from top to bottom, inside and out, the building was restored.
As renovation progressed during the summer, Mitch Delemeester reached out with a plan, and on October 18, 2018, he opened The Bread Guy. Four years later, on November 1, 2022, he sold the business to Maria Austin and the Bread Guy became The Bread Gal.
Today The Bread Gal is a wildly popular bakery. And just as The Hut did for so many years, The Bread Gal draws countless regulars and camaraderie continues to fill the walls of the cozy little Old Town building.
THE HUT SIGN
When Josie took over The Hu
t in 1987, she had a new sign made (left). After all, the original 1940 sign was old and the neon had failed.
Unbeknown to anyone outside her family, Josie had the foresight to save that 1940 sign and it ended up her son’s garage, in the condition shown in the right picture.
Knowing about the Old Saginaw City Historic Neon Sign Park located at the corner of Court and S. Hamilton, Josie’s son reached out to us to see if there was interest in adding the old sign to the park. We in turn contacted Tom Mudd who had started the park and who still maintains it.
When we first saw the sign, we were skeptical that it could be restored but Tom assured us that he’d seen worse. Indeed, Barrett Sign Company – which has restored all the signs in the park – did an amazing job.
Just a block away from where it drew customers for so many years, the Hamburg Hut sign was installed in March 2025 where it continues to evoke fond memories.
- Betsy de Parry