| Additional Information: | The Swartzloe Building was erected sometime between 1867 and 1869 and this building had two occupants. The major occupant was the George D. Dunn Dry Goods business. The dry goods business of George Dunn began in 1861 and operated at least until 1916. Dunn came to Sparta with considerable experience in the dry goods business, having worked in stores in Elmira, New York and Janesville, Wisconsin. Seven years after he arrived in Sparta, Dunn in connection with two partners, M. Erickson and W.H. Blyton built this three-story brick building (46 x 80 feet) at 113 South Water. Thereafter this building became widely known as the Dunn building - the south half of the building of which he occupied. The first floor of Dunn's half of the building was devoted to dry goods and coats, while the entire second floor was taken up with carpeting. The north half of the building was occupied for a time by the Blyton-Erickson Wholesale clothing store.
The George D. Dunn Dry Goods Store continued in this building until at least 1916.
The occupants of the north half of the buildings changed frequently, and included A. Grossman's clothing store, a jeweler, and a Y.M.C.A. on the second floor in 1889; a confectionary store replaced the jeweler, by 1894, and by 1897, Flock's Plumbing replaced the confectionary.
By 1900, a notions store replaced the plumber and there was a Knights of Pythias Hall on the third floor. By 1904, Moss' clothing store, and A.A. Anderson's dry goods were in the building, and in 1911, the occupants were a clothing store, and a boots and shoe store. By 1916, going from south to north, they were the Austin and Hillier clothing store, and a vacancy. And in 1922, there was an unnamed variety store, a clothing store, and a millinery.
The Swartzlow Building gains local historical significance under Criteria A in association with Sparta's General Merchandise, Dry Goods and Furniture Stores under Sparta's Commerce Theme. The regional trade that dry goods establishments like the George D. Dunn Dry Goods store engaged in accounted for much of Sparta's economic growth in the ninteenth century. Therefore, the history and buildings related to these commercial businesses are very important. The building's period of historical significance ranges from its erection and initial business occupation in 1868 to 1916, when the George D. Dunn business was last documented in this building.
This brick two-story, five-bay buliding is characterized by a flat brick facade ornamented mainly by geometric patterns created with contrasting terra cotta and cream colored bricks. A cornice of terra corra brick and a freize area of cream brick with contrasting narrow outline in terra cotta and terra cotta accented panels on the ends ornaments the top of the facade. The plain rectangular windows filled with replacement metal sashes and wood panels are accented by terra cotta sills. A metal and glass storefront with three recessed entranecs and a door to the second floor stairway between the south and the center entrances is located on the lower story. A transom covered by metal siding extends across the facade above the storefronts and a metal canopy extends over the entrance.
This early brick commercial block was reconstructed in 1921 while under the ownership of the John Swartzloe building. The suoth store of the building was rented initially to George Little to house his business known as the Variety Emporium. This building, based on its 1920s reconstructed form, has been altered by the addition of replacement windows that are smaller than the original and by the alteration of at least part of its 1920s storefront. The north two storefronts [113-115 South Water] were remodeled for the J.C. Penny Store in 1973 and the south storefront [117 South Water] was added in 1968.
Originally, this building was a three-story, five-bay commercial block constructed in 1867-1868 with a one-bay, two-story annex on the north end constructed in the 1870s. This early Romanesque-Italianate styled building was reconstructed in the form of a two-story block with a new early 20th century Commercial style influenced facade after the south three bays collapsed into a pile of debris one-story high in mid-September of 1920. The Knights of Columbus occupied the third story lodge room at the time of the collapse and Geo Little's Variety Emporium occupied the lower story. The original red brick 1867-68 buliding was characterized by a wide arcaded brick cornice featuring two levels of round brick arches, and a compartentalized five-bay facade with round arched windows on the second story and segmental arched windows on the third story as well as the characteristic iron storefront. This historic building was built as a double store by Hiram Rivenbury and Frank Foote for George Dunn [south store], who owned a dry goods-general store, and W.H. Blyton and Martin Errickson, who operated a wholesale clothing business on the premises [north building]. By 1875, the Blyton and Erickson store was used by the historic Grossman Clothing business, which later evolved to the Pickwick Clothing chain with offices in Chicago and New York [Grossman's was established as the Chicago clothing Store on North Water in 1869]. Originally, the third story was rented to the I.O.O.F. for lodge rooms.
The John Swartzlow Building, reconstructed in 1921 from the remains of the three-story brick block built on the site in 1868, is an important vernacular exampl eof early 20th century architecture in the early modern Commercial style. This building does not meet the criteria of the NRHP for architectural significance because of a lack of architectural integrity particularly because the windows have been removed. However, this building retains sufficient integrity to contribute to the historic character of the Water Street Historic District. |
|---|
| Bibliographic References: | (A) Sparta Herald June 1, 1869; Aug. 31, 1875; Sept. 21, 1920, photograph Sept. 28, 1920; April 5, 1921.
(B) Sanborn Insurance Map 1884, 1889, 1894, 1900, 1911, 1922, 1931.
(C) City of Sparta Tax Records, 1868-1930.
(D) City of Sparta, Community Development Office, Building Permit File.
(E) "Sparta-Up-To-Date," Monroe County Democrat, photograph June 30, 1899, p. 44. |
|---|
