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Central Block

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1881. North side of 1st St. E. between Maple and Sycamore streets

Most two- and three-story commercial blocks such as this elude any style designation based on specific historic precedent. The bold, brittle angularity of parts in a design like this reflects an approach similar to the one taken by the Philadelphia architect Frank Furness and other “major” designers in the East. The Central Block has gained or suffered, depending on one's opinion, by the remodeling of the two storefronts; the one on the left has acquired a wood-shingled roof above its display window, while the one on the other side is newly sheathed in cast stone.

Writing Credits

Author: 
David Gebhard and Gerald Mansheim
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Data

What's Nearby

Monticello State Bank Building
Monticello Public Library
House
Cottage
House

Citation

David Gebhard and Gerald Mansheim, "Central Block", [Monticello, Iowa], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/IA-01-ME310.

Print Source

Buildings of Iowa, David Gebhard and Gerald Mansheim. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993, 125-126.

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