The Morrison Historic Preservation Commission (MHPC) is applying to nominate an appropriate portion of the community’s commercial district to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. With the assistance of our consultants, the MHPC has spent months researching and writing the substance of our application. In the hopes that the community will find the information contained therein both interesting and informative, we will be running, one at a time, in no particular order, over the next year, the architectural and historical description of each building included. We hope you enjoy installment #15.
Note: The National Register of Historic Places is literally a listing of spaces, structures or areas recognized to be of National historic, cultural or architectural importance. It is kept by the United States Department of Interior, but the program is largely administered by an individual state’s preservation authority. In Illinois, this is the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. The term “contributing” means that the structure lies within an historic district and adds to the architectural or historic significance of the same as a whole. If it is within the boundaries of the district, but does not so supplement, it is deemed “non-contributing.”
112 E. Main Street, A. V. Viner Building, Date: 1892–“Contributing”
Description: This is a two-story brick building with unpainted red brick exterior. The storefront of the main elevation (south) is asymmetrical, with a large, angled display window (aluminum, center mullion), recessed glass and aluminum door (transom), and a rectangular display window at the east corner. To the east is an historic wood door to the upstairs (single light, two carved panels), with an aluminum frame and transom. This door is a shared entrance with 114 E. Main Street. The storefront is clad in random-coursed ashlar. The transom area is covered with vertical aluminum panels. Spanning the storefront and the upstairs entrance is a shed-shaped, striped fabric awning with returns and valances. The brick upper story, with decorative coursework, spans the adjacent building (114 E. Main. In the center is a semi-hexagonal, galvanized sheet-metal bay with decorative panels. The bay has three windows, the largest (single light) in the center and double-hung replacements at sides. The transoms, including a semicircular one above the center window, are blocked. At the top of the bay is a dentiled cornice, with a frieze of small recessed panels above. The cornice and top frieze continue past the bay onto the brick parapet. To either side and above the cornice are stone blocks with carved floral motifs. To the east of the bay, above the upstairs entrance, are three stacked, very narrow, windows (single light, wood.) They are separated by limestone sills, with the bottom continuing west as a sill course. The smallest top window has a segment top and a semicircular, carved stone arch. The rear elevation (north) has a deep setback and is unpainted brick with segmental arch openings, historic double-hung windows, and decorative wrought iron window guards.
History: This building was built by A. V. Viner for his clothing and yard goods store, concurrently with 114 E. Main Street. Historic tenants included DeVany’s Dry Goods (1892-1898), T. H. McCallister & Co. Dry Goods (1898-1910’s), and Blass Clothing Store (1931-1950’s.) The current tenant is Uniquely Made Gifts.