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Virginia: Valley, Piedmont, Southside & Southwest » Piedmont » Bedford County » Bedford (Independent City) and Vicinity » North Bridge Street Commercial Buildings

North Bridge Street Commercial Buildings

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1880s-early 20th century. 100 block of N. Bridge St.
  • (Photograph by Tim Buchman)
  • 102 N. Bridge (Photograph by Mark Mones)
  • 108 N. Bridge (Photograph by Mark Mones)
  • 110 N. Bridge (Photograph by Mark Mones)
  • 112-116 N. Bridge (Photograph by Mark Mones)
  • 115-117 N. Bridge (Photograph by Mark Mones)
  • 119 N. Bridge (Photograph by Mark Mones)

This block of tightly packed mostly two-story commercial buildings on the rather narrow street has a pleasing urban scale. The buildings are of varied styles, including Romanesque Revival as at 102 N. Bridge (1890s) with a canted corner entrance. At number 108, the one-story frame building has a pressed-metal facade with Ionic colonnettes and a false front with fake second-story windows to help maintain the street's rhythm. The three-story building (1890s) at 110 N. Bridge has motifs similar to those at number 108 but with the addition of a fleur-de-lis frieze topped by a pediment. Nine bays long, the impressive storefront (1880s) at 112–116 N. Bridge has a pressed-metal cornice and pressed-metal decorative window caps that add richness to the building's second story. The building at 115–117 N. Bridge (early 20th century) employs the yellow brick popular in the early twentieth century, a modillion cornice, and second-story brick pilasters. Romanesque Revival blind arcading is a popular motif for Bedford's commercial buildings as demonstrated at 119 N. Bridge (1900).

Writing Credits

Author: 
Anne Carter Lee

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