Facades (p1)
Calumet was built up around a narrow north-south road lying just outside C&H property. We now know that road as 5th street, and by the end of the 19th century it was the center of the Copper Country. Up and down its four blocks sit once of the largest collections of turn-of-the-century mining town architecture in the country. While time and derelection has left it mark, there is still a lot of jewels to be found if you look closely. For the next couple of weeks we’ll take a look at thos jems - starting today with this beauty in the 400 block - the J.W. Isakson Building.
Today this building houses the Omphale Art Gallery; a fitting tenant for such a extravagant building as this. Like most buildings from the time, the lower floor held a business while the upper floor was taken up with apartments. Most buildings along 5th street follow this general design. This is just a more elaborate version. ( View the big picture )
A closer look at the cornice shows this flower design above the buildings nameplate. This motif is repeated through the rest of the cornice and throughout the building as a whole. Its a design we’ll see again and again along this street.
At either end of the cornice are these large brackets. I’m not sure if they are helping to hold the cornice up or are just a decorative element.
Along the second floor facade are a series of pillars (known as either engaged columns or pilaster I think) on either side of each window. This seems a little out of place on a building of this size, and I found only one other example along this street - although in a much larger scale.
Another close look at the cornice details. Remember this design, because you’ll see it again as we move along.
Tomorrow: The Reding Building…
I used to do yoga the art gallery. Unique building for sure.
xamox | October 31, 2007