136 Fifth Street

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Evaluation:

This is a contributing Fifth Street building within the historic district. It is an example of the late Queen Anne style applied to a commercial building.

District Characteristic	Yes	No	Findings/Recommendations
Two-story brick with narrow mass	X
Larger, broader massing		X
Other key façade features	X		Twin bay windows, cast iron beam with rosette decoration above transom level
Architectural style	X		Late Queen Anne
Prominent location	X		By virtue of its placement amidst larger buildings on the north half of the block.
Original façade materials	X
Upper fenestration pattern	X
Sympathetic Storefront Infill	X
Brick corbelled parapet	X
Cornice/coping (not metal)	X

Physical Description:

This two-story purple-brown brick single storefront building is distinctive for its twin three-sided bays and its steel storefront beam with decorative rosettes. The only other brick ornament is a saw tooth parapet brick base that is singular to the district. The bays are boldly profiled in contrast to shallower examples found to the south of this example. The storefront retains a round steel column. A two-story concrete block addition represents a pre-1920 41 feet long addition and a more recent partial-width block addition is brick-faced on its west side and extends the core plan (20 feet by 40 feet) by 48 feet. A frame garden shed without foundation is not counted.

Documented Alterations:

The 1968 aluminum storefront with a left-and upstairs entry has been replaced (1978) with a wooden one, with broader transom area and a brick kick plate is now wood-faced. An antique entry door is not original. Permits note a barber shop conversion (1961), aluminum siding (1974), plumbing work (1977), demolition of a warehouse and storefront remodeling (October 1978).

Commercial History:

McConnell and Cahill's restaurant occupied both storefronts 1905-08. ***

Business	Owner	Start	Stop	Notes of Interest
Five Monkeys Inc.		2021	current	Established 2014 (as 134 Fifth)
Sassy’s		2016	current
Gourmet Kitchenware		2015	2018
Le Gourmet Kitchen & Food Emporium		2011	2015
That Irish Shoppe	Charlene Connelly	2006	2010	$30,000 fire damage Jan. 3, 2003 due to electric blower, sprinklers limit damage
Touch of Italy	Mark Pritchard, Paole Bartesaghi	1997	2006	To West Glen
Classic Collection		1995	1996	Women’s clothing
Portfolio	Debora Dickinson	1992	1997	Flooded 1993, remodeled in August
Classic Accents Ltd.	Kay Kunert and Jo Ellen Leworke		1990	“full design service”
Kitchen Tools	M. A. Knutson	1980	1985
			1978	Large tool auction at alley door in June
				Upstairs resident Steven Moser fires rounds from front bays, wounds one person, police return fire and rush Moser. Find broken rifle-Moser was drunk and due to join Marines in April (Register, February 13, 1968).
Universal Builders & Supply Company Ltd.	Larry Dunn, Russ Eriksen	1963	1970	siding
Opportunities Unlimited			1967
Rex's Barbershop		1966	1972	See 517 Maple
States Builders		1962
Skinner's Barbershop	Jim Skinner	1961	1965
Thrifty Market	Mr. and Mrs. Russell L. Anderson, Lyl Diemer (1960)	1955	1961
VFW Clubroom				Replaced by Thrifty Market April 1950
Anderson Grocery		1950
P& L Auto Service	Archie Hahn		1947	Sells garage equipment Oct. 1947
Sikking Restaurant (Square Deal Cafe)	Garret Sikking	1939	1950
Soltat Shoes		1937
		1936	1937	Well located storeroom, $40 a month, offered December 1936 to May 1937
Pollard & Thurtle Hardware		1927	1932
True & Pollard Hardware		1904
Vermeulen Billiards		1905	1910
Nabob Theater		1909	1914	District’s first movie house. The storefront was rebuilt with central ticket booth and flanking entries. It closed in August 1914 and its storefront was replaced (Express, November 18, 1909; February 24, 1910; August 20, 1914). Buyer G. A. Snyder sues Moehn & Craford Co. for over-valuing revenue, seeks $2,000 (Tribune, February 10, 2016).
Seyfert Hardware				Seyfert purchased the William Smith hardware stock and moved it here in December along with furniture stock.
Model Restaurant				In front area
Seyfert Block	Harry L. Seyfert	1905		Harry L. Seyfert bought the half lot in mid-1904 for $2,000 (Express, July 22, 1904). Contractor E. B. Rigler moved the existing building and built this block (Express, October 5, November 9, 1905; February 8, August 23, 1906). The finished building featured a golden oak staircase and the now lost rear wing contained the first and only freight elevator in town. Harry L. Seyfert moved the existing ironclad two-story frame O'Connell & Cahill's restaurant building (shown on the 1897 Sanborn) to the rear of this property where it stands today (Express, February 28, 1896).