Latest Structures Page 95

Dr. Oliver Bronson House and Estate, Hudson New York

Dr. Oliver Bronson House and Estate, Hudson New York

The settlement and growth of the city of Hudson, known in the eighteenth century as Claverack Landing, commenced fully in the final decades of the eighteenth century. Thomas Jenkins, acting in association with other speculators, purchased extensive tracts of land bounding the east bank of the river in 1783 from Peter Hogeboom, Jr. and the Hardick and Van Alen families. A street grid was proposed the following year and in 1785 Hudson was chartered as a city. An account published in the New York Journal in 1786 indicates that the settlement grew quickly, and by that year counted several wharves, warehouses, upwards of one hundred fifty dwellings, and fifteen hundred citizens, primarily from Rhode Island and Massachusetts. In 1811 Samuel Plumb

Red Men Hall, Reading Pennsylvania

Red Men Hall, Reading Pennsylvania

Red Men Hall was designed by Muhlenberg Bros. Architects, of Reading, Pennsylvania, in 1909, for the fraternal organization, the 'Improved Order of the Red Men'. The Red Men occupied the building from 1910 - 1938, and in 1949 sold the property to the Grand Army of the Republic. Red Men Hall was dedicated in 1910, and served as the main meeting hall for several local tribes of the Improved Order of Red Men, until the late 1930's. The Improved Order of Red Men was a fraternal society founded in Baltimore in the 1830s with interests in patriotism, American history and temperance. It was a descendant of the Society of Red Men and other organizations of post-revolutionary America which employed patriotic and

Tuberculosis Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania

Tuberculosis Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania

Abandoned TB Hospital in Pittsburgh PA Vacated in the 1980s

The Tuberculosis Hospital of Pittsburgh was the headquarters for tuberculosis treatment and research performed by the Tuberculosis League of Pittsburgh. The site, the setting and the buildings themselves are representative of the efforts to treat this infectious disease prior to the development of effective drug therapies. The building complex is close to neighborhoods where large numbers of people lived in crowded and often unsanitary conditions. Along the rivers, steel mills and other industrial complexes were the focuses of high-density row house communities. In contrast to the dense residential neighborhoods nearby, the Tuberculosis Hospital complex is park-like, with a broad lawn in front of the main hospital building. The hilltop site above the Allegheny River maximizes natural ventilation to the buildings. Early

Fort Wayne Printing Company Building, Fort Wayne Indiana

Fort Wayne Printing Company Building, Fort Wayne Indiana

The Fort Wayne Printing Building is located on the north side of Washington Street, in the middle of the block between Calhoun and Harrison Streets, in downtown Fort Wayne. Washington Street was a residential area until about 1910, when the downtown commercial area centered along Calhoun Street began to grow to the east and west of that street. Today Washington Street is one of the city's main thoroughfares. The Fort Wayne Printing Building is a four-story 1911 Neo-classical style commercial structure. The building's red-pressed brick facade is trimmed in white terra cotta, which is used for the window sills and lintels, as well as the decorative panels of festoon motifs that adorn the spandrels. Though it is now covered by a

Kresge-Groth Building, Fort Wayne Indiana

Kresge-Groth Building, Fort Wayne Indiana

The Kresge-Groth Building is one of the largest commercial examples of the Spanish Colonial Revival style to be found in Fort Wayne. The original 1926 design, built by the S. S. Kresge Company to house its downtown dimestore, was the work of Harold Holmes, a Detroit architect. Both the Embassy Theater/Indiana Hotel and the Chamber of Commerce Building were built in the same style two years later, and they remain its largest local exemplars. But the majority of the other local commercial structures in this style were on the much smaller scale used for neighborhood stores and service stations. When the Kresge company sold the property in 1933, the building became the quarters for the Earl Groth Company. This was a

Ira Apartments - Cleo's Apartments, Toledo Ohio

Ira Apartments - Cleo's Apartments, Toledo Ohio

The Ira Apartment building is one of a pair of similarly designed and appointed apartment buildings completed in 1929 for prominent local businessman, civic leader and philanthropist, Sam Davis (b.1883-d.1945). The Ira Apartments, named after his youngest son, and the Ann Manor, which is named in honor of Davis's wife, were designed by Polish born local architect, Sidney L. Aftel (b.1880-d.1933). Construction of a planned third apartment building named after his daughter, Leora, likely also to have been designed by Aftel, was apparently canceled possibly due, at least in part, to the nation's deepening recession. Architect, Sidney Aftel came to Toledo shortly after the turn of the century and was connected for a number of years with the firm of Mills,

Virginia Tillery Round Barn, Whitehall Illinois

Virginia Tillery Round Barn, Whitehall Illinois

The relatively small size of this barn strongly suggests that it was a general-purpose barn rather than one for a large specialized dairy operation. The adaptation of the round form to this small scale farm documents the extent to which promoters of the form attempted to make it general for barn building. The closest living descendant to the farmer (Virginia Tillery, daughter) for whom it was constructed (Harry C. Price) noted that it proved inefficient, although a detailed explanation was not available. The 36'6 diameter of this barn makes it one of the smallest, well below the 60' median diameter of Illinois' round barns but not the smallest, the Burkett-Round Barn (Clay. County) with a 30' diameter. The Tillery Barn's ground

Raymond Schultz Round Barn, Pontiac Illinois

Raymond Schultz Round Barn, Pontiac Illinois

The original owner of this barn, Matt Diemer, had this barn built by a local carpenter, E. J. McCoy after travelling to the University of Illinois to see the demonstration barns. It was one of the last round barns built in the state. This 60-foot diameter barn rests on a poured concrete foundation. Verticle wooden siding and asphalt shingles cover the barn. It is distinguished from Illinois' average utilitarian round barn by several architectural amenities: (1) a semi-circular shaped roof, (2) four transversely located dormers, and (3) ornate cupola. A centrally-located poured concrete silo provides feed from the second-floor loft to a ground-level manager for cows and horses. Entrance is through doors on the east and west quadrants. The cupola is

Robert Weber Round Barn, Durand Illinois

Robert Weber Round Barn, Durand Illinois

The Weber Barn was built in 1917 by two sets of contractors. Another contractor, whose name is unknown, laid the concrete foundation and the tile walls. The wooden roof was built by the Haas brothers. The Weber Barn is the last round barn on which the Haas brothers are known to have worked. They built the roof. Vitrified tile, like that in the Weber Barn, was preferred in the last period of round barn construction in the United States. Metal-clad entrances and windows complement the feeling of durability. The hipped roof with rafters braced at the hip joint by 4-inch by 4-inch pieces, 8 feet long, nailed on each side of the rafter and with a 2-inch by 4-inch piece extending

Green Island Lighthouse, Green Island Ohio

Green Island Lighthouse, Green Island Ohio

The Green Island Light was erected in 1864-65 to guide vessels safely through the South Passage around the Lake Erie Islands. It succeeded an earlier lighthouse completed In 1855 and destroyed by fire on New Year's Eve, 1863, the occasion of a dramatic rescue of the keeper and his family that has become part of Island lore. The Green Island Light was rebuilt on a new and more suitable site, and a light was exhibited from the new structure for the first time on July 1, 1865. The Green Island Light operated continuously until 1939 (the residence was abandoned in 1926), when it was superseded by an automated light on a steel skeleton tower erected southwest of the old lighthouse. Today

Wabash Railroad Station and Railway Express Agency, Decatur Illinois

Wabash Railroad Station and Railway Express Agency, Decatur Illinois

The Wabash Railroad Station and Railway Express Agency served as a division headquarters, dispatchers' offices, maintenance offices, as well as a passenger depot for the Wabash Railroad and later the Norfolk and Western Railroad. It was a functioning division headquarters and passenger station from 1901, the year the Station was built to the early 1980s when Amtrak abandoned the Station. A new era commenced in the history of Macon County the day first train of railroad cars ran into Decatur. The Great Western Railroad was the first railroad constructed through Macon County in April 1854. The first train arrived on April 21^st, 1854. The Great Western Railroad Company changed names several times through reorganizations and mergers. In 1865 it became a

Wheeler-Magnus Round Barn, Arlington Heights Illinois

Wheeler-Magnus Round Barn, Arlington Heights Illinois

Although no definitive date of construction, owner, or builder can be documented, it appears that the round barn could have been constructed circa 1910 for Mr. Elbert Bartlett Wheeler, a local farmer, civil engineer, and surveyor and county correspondent for the United States Department of Agriculture. Elbert Bartlett Wheeler (E. Wheeler) was one of eleven children born to Ephriam Bartlett Wheeler (E. B. Wheeler) and Emily Claugh on September 24, 1941, at the Wheeler farm in Elk Grove Village Township (just south of present day Arlington Heights). In 1841, land plats show that the land which is presently occupied by the barn was owned by his father, E. B. Wheeler. At the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, E. Wheeler

Hillcrest Hotel, Toledo Ohio

Hillcrest Hotel, Toledo Ohio

The Hillcrest Hotel was Toledo's last grand hotel built prior to the Great Depression. The building is also Toledo's largest and most intact example of a particular building type - the residential apartment hotel. Outstanding in the modern apartment house field as one of the finest examples of its type in America today (The Toledo Blade, October 12^th, 1929), the Hillcrest was unique because it catered to permanent as well as transient guests. The apartment hotel was a building type more common in much larger cities at this time, but unusual in Toledo. The Hillcrest existed as a testament that not every city dweller was anxious to abandon the dense urban environment for the spaciousness and privacy of the suburbs. The

Felton School, Columbus Ohio

Felton School, Columbus Ohio

Felton School was built in 1893 and designed by noted Columbus architect David Riebel. Felton School is an excellent example of the Romanesque Revival, which is a monumental style well suited to school and other public buildings. The masonry construction, small window to wall ratio, round-arched openings and arcading and tower are typical of the style. In addition, this building exhibits particularly fine and extensive decorative brickwork. Both interior and exterior features remain virtually unaltered, although the building was used until the mid-1970s. The monumental scale and central tower have made this an important neighborhood landmark since it was built. David Riebel began his architectural practice in Columbus in the early 1890's and was later joined by his sons. Riebel &

O.P. Chaney Grain Elevator, Canal Winchester Ohio

O.P. Chaney Grain Elevator, Canal Winchester Ohio

The O. P. Chaney Grain Elevator is the last remnant of the once thriving grain business in Canal Winchester. Winchester (now Canal Winchester) was founded in 1828 in response to construction of the Ohio & Erie Canal. It is situated in one of the most fertile townships of Franklin County. Expanded markets for the surrounding region's crops were provided for by the canal, and later (1869) the Hocking Valley Railroad. As a result, the processing and handling of grain was a major enterprise of Canal Winchester. This resulted in the construction of an array of grain warehouses, grain elevators and mills throughout the history of the village. The first grist mill in the township dated to 1806-7. The first grain warehouse

Bradford Shoe Company Building, Columbus Ohio

Bradford Shoe Company Building, Columbus Ohio

The Bradford Shoe Company was founded in 1908 by Frank Bradford, a Columbus native. He acquired extensive experience in the shoe manufacturing and jobbing business through a series of jobs in the east and midwest. Prior to founding the company, Bradford served for several years as Vice-President of the C&E Shoe Company in Columbus. Upon its formation, the Bradford Shoe Company moved into an existing frame building at 232 Neilston but within a short time required more space. It appears that the firm used the brick building that was already standing at the rear of the site; then constructed a brick building in the open space between the two buildings; then demolished the frame structure and constructed the westernmost portion of

Antlers Hotel, Lorain Ohio

Antlers Hotel, Lorain Ohio

The Antlers Hotel is the largest and finest hotel ever built in Lorain. Since its construction in 1922, it has dominated the core area of the downtown, overlooking the one-block Memorial Park (the original Public Square of the former Village of Charleston which later became Lorain). Its site is particularly prominent in that it is located less than one block from Broadway and City Hall in the heart of downtown Lorain on U.S. Route 6 (West Erie Avenue), the major east-west thoroughfare through the City following the shoreline of Lake Erie. Until its decline in the 1950's and 1960's, the Antlers also dominated the downtown commercial and social scene with its stylish rooms for transient accommodation and a full schedule of

Central School, Martins Ferry Ohio

Central School, Martins Ferry Ohio

The Central School stands on ground that was given by Ebeneezer Martin in 1837 for educational use. The first school on this site was erected in 1853 but was demolished in 1894 to make room for the Central School. Since 1897, its date of completion, the Central School has served as a landmark. Its high clock tower is a prominent object that has been used by rivermen as a guide to their location on the Ohio River which flows past Martins Ferry. The school tower has also served as a focal point for the community due to its central downtown and elevated location. It has operated as a high school, grade school and junior high school thereby playing an important part

Egyptian Theatre, DeKalb Illinois

Egyptian Theatre, DeKalb Illinois

The Egyptian Theatre was designed by architect Elmer F. Behrens. It was the first theatre of Egyptian motif in Illinois. Mr. Behrens (formerly with Rap and Rapp of Chicago) designed theatres in St. Charles, Pekin, Elmhurst and Woodstock, IL. It was commissioned by the DeKalb Egyptian Theatre, Inc. whose officers were Dale Leifheit and John Miller, DeKalb, and E. A. Lucas and Charles Renick of Woodstock, IL. Plans were ready in September 1928 and contracts were let in November, 1928. Guldbeck-Eckstrom was the general contractor, Swanson Brothers the electrical contractor and T. W. Skelley the heating and plumbing contractor. All of these firms were from DeKalb. Construction was started April 30^th, 1929. By September, 1929 the furnishings were being installed. All

Clyde Leek Round Barn, Dakota Illinois

Clyde Leek Round Barn, Dakota Illinois

Before it was demolished in the late 1980s or early 1990s, this round barn was the oldest known survivor of the uncommonly large number of round barns built in Stephenson County. The barn was built in 1903 for Otis Garbrich by the team of Jeremiah Shaffer and the Haas brothers. It was demolished and a ranch style house was built in its place. This 45-foot diameter barn rests on a poured concrete foundation on whose south floor the construction date is inscribed. The barn is enclosed with drop-siding. The loft is supported by a centrally located tree stump on top of which joists radiate in spoke-like fashion. The roof is conical and is surmounted by a tall thin cupola. This roof

Book Title Lost Places: Images of Bygone America

Lost Places: Images of Bygone America

Book Title Abandoned Malls of America: Crumbling Commerce Left Behind

Abandoned Malls of America: Crumbling Commerce Left Behind

Book Title The Atlas of Abandoned Places: A Journey Through The World's Forgotten Wonders

The Atlas of Abandoned Places: A Journey Through The World's Forgotten Wonders

Book Title Abandoned America: Dismantling The Dream

Abandoned America: Dismantling The Dream

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