531 Shawnee - Leavenworth Downtown Historic District - Leavenworth, Kansas - NRHP Historic Districts - Contributing Buildings on Waymarking.com

Building Date: 1867, 1930
Style: LATE 19TH AND 20TH CENTURY REVIVALS: Mission/Spanish Colonial Revival
Functional Use/Type COMMERCE: Two-Part Commercial Block

This two-story, symmetrically massed, painted brick building reflects Mediterranean Revival influences of the early twentieth century. The building has a low, red tile, hip roof. Large brackets support the wide eaves. Between the brackets is an entablature containing painted panels of a contrasting color. Carrara glass panels, popular from the 1920s through the 1950s, cover the front elevation of the first story, extending to the window sills of the second story, and around the corner to decorate the end bay on the west elevation. Flanking the two slightly recessed arched entrances are rectangular casement windows with metal mullions and muntins. Wrought iron fretwork decorates panels below these windows. The second story on the Shawnee facade has three bays. In the central bay, two windows flank a wider, rectangular, double-hung sash window with eight-over-eight lights. Flanking this ensemble are bays composed of two rectangular windows with double-hung sashes and eight-over-eight lights. Brick piers separate the bays. The side (west) elevation contains seven bays. Brick piers separate the bays. The south end bay has no openings. The next five bays consist of recessed spaces created by brick piers that contain, on the second story, single rectangular windows with 10-over-10 light, double-hung sash windows. Below are slightly recessed brick walls. The end bay on the south has a large cast iron door surround with a pair of rectangular, eight-over-eight light, double-hung sash windows. The classical door surround incorporates cast iron panels coupled with slightly recessed fluted columns resting on piers. Above the lintel is an elliptical arch with supporting brackets. Flanking the door are brick pilasters capped with dentils. The door surround rises to the height of the second story. Recessed within the larger surround is a modern entrance door. A three-story addition to the rear has three bays created by single segmental arch windows with double-hung sashes on the upper stories. Below is an asymmetrical arrangement of a single entrance door with a segmental arch and a modern garage door. All of the second-story windows and the windows in the rear addition are replacement windows with snap-in muntins.

The appearance of the building dates to the c.1930 remodeling of an older building. Because of the retention of the character-defining elements such as the tile roof, wide bracketed eaves, brick piers, fenestration, as well as the original building materials, this building contributes to the District. The later application of Carrara glass panels has achieved significance as a historic alteration.