Lewisburg's compact downtown mostly postdates an 1897 fire that destroyed thirteen businesses east of Court Street. One of the most ornate structures, the former Lewisburg Bank–Elks Building (1897) at 128 West Washington Street, was built immediately afterward. A florid three-story structure with an angled corner displaying cast iron balconies on the two upper floors, it is a tour de force of the brickmason's art.
Jefferson Street crosses Washington Street between Court and Lafayette streets and divides Washington into west and east designations. The hip-roofed brick building at 123 East Washington was built in 1815 to house a shop on the ground floor and residence above.