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Jim's Barber Shop

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c. 1935. 141 Main St.

This small shop building in the popular Moderne mode of the 1930s combines a little bit of the Art Deco with the Streamline Moderne. The decoration of the facade is carried out through patterns of glazed brick in black and white. A wainscot is in black glazed tile, and above this within the white tile is a pattern of black bricks suggesting, in a highly abstract fashion, a pilaster. The capital of the pilaster reaches a horizontal band that suggests a cornice. Above is additional decoration, including the usual pattern of triple horizontal bands at each corner. In a sympathetic fashion, the lower section of the showcase window has been painted with a multicolor “V” pattern. This is an excellent example of the way the surface of a building can function as a sign.

Writing Credits

Author: 
David Gebhard and Gerald Mansheim
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Data

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Citation

David Gebhard and Gerald Mansheim, "Jim's Barber Shop", [Moville, Iowa], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/IA-01-MW083.

Print Source

Buildings of Iowa, David Gebhard and Gerald Mansheim. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993, 487-487.

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