The Morrison Historic Preservation Commission (MHPC) has applied 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 #49.
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.”
201 W. Main Street, Taylor Building, Date: 1902–“Contributing”
Description: This two-story brick building has an unpainted red brick exterior. The corner storefront is a recent replacement (2012) consisting of an elevated, rectangular recess with a glass and aluminum door, multi-light aluminum display windows with stone sills, and a row of transom windows separated from the displays by several courses of brick. Above the transoms is a steel lintel with four-pointed star capitals (former column locations), extending along the main and side elevations. Above the corner entrance is a circular sheet-metal turret with three double-hung windows (non-historic, aluminum, applied muntins) and single-light transoms. The construction date “1902” is centered between the windows and the cornice. The main elevation (north) has an upstairs entrance door (fiberglass, unglazed, transom) to the west of the storefront. The upper story is red brick with blonde brick quoining and a pair of large windows (same as in turret), with a stone sill and quarry-faced stone lintel. A richly-embossed galvanized sheet-metal cornice with end brackets spans the main and side elevations and the turret. The side elevation (east) is similar to the main elevation but with three window openings per story. Two first-story windows closest to the corner are smaller but raised to transom level. The remaining windows match those of the main elevation sans transoms. The rear elevation (south) is likewise similar, with red brick, blonde brick quoining, and new aluminum windows within historic openings. A center glass and aluminum door is raised above a wood ramp. In 2014, a replacement metal cone was erected over the turret on the northeast corner. The original galvanized cone is seen in only a few existing photos and was torn down in 1958 due to rusting.
History: This building was erected for Mrs. Mary E. Taylor by contractor William J. Cook from Clinton, IA. Originally housing a harness shop, it housed a series of grocery store operations, including the Arnold W. Geister Grocery Store from 1902 to 1920; the Albert C. Schmucker Grocery Store (1923); the Corner Market Grocery and Meat (1925 to 1931); the Red and White Grocery Store from 1932 to 1947. Additional businesses included the Renkes Brothers Linoleum and Paint Store (1948-1950); the Cozy Corner Café (1951-1954); Pape’s Sunset Café (1955-1959); Bill’s Sport Shop (1961); from the 1961 to 2010, Brands Heating and Cooling. It should be noted in 1923, Dr. H. W. Mennenga, Chiropractor, managed a practice on the second floor. It has now been rehabilitated as a the Donnybrook Bakery Cafe, incorporated into its two neighbors to the west, and contains an apartment above.