137 Fifth Street

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Evaluation:

This is a contributing Fifth Street building within the historic district and is individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is of the Classical Revival style.

District Characteristic	Yes	No	Findings/Recommendations
Two-story brick with narrow mass	X
Larger, broader massing		X
Other key façade features	X
Architectural style	X		Classical Revival style
Prominent location	X		It is prominent by function and its proximity to larger buildings in the north half of this 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 brick Classical Revival style public building is laid up with a distinctively light brown toned brick. The contrasting darker ground level brick tracery is unusual to the district. The simple functional design reflects its original purposes. The storefront has the double-door fire doors with flanking smaller 1/1 lights and a left-and entry. The lower brick trim work that frames the openings projects beyond the wall plane as do side wall pilasters. The facade is otherwise a recessed panel. A brick-bracketed stone belt course set at the upper sill level divides the facade. The semi-circular window jack arches are made up of soldier bricks. The high parapet has the aforementioned brick band, a corbelled base, and a centered elongated name stone and a curved pediment with the date "1905" which curiously post-dates the building completion by four years is a recent addition. The comparable upper facade to this one with its distinctive mirror image serpentine brick band is 216-18 Fifth, the IOOF Block, the two being of comparable dates. The core measures 25 feet by 51 feet, and a single-story rear garage section adds 23 feet to the depth.

Documented Alterations:

The firehouse doors were placed on rollers in early 1919 to speed up fire response time (Express, January 16, 1919). The water office moved downstairs and the interior stairs were removed (Express, January 9, February 13, 1947). Larger fire engines forced the widening of the entrance to the south, removing a pilaster. Permits note remodeling, plumbing, electrical and heating work in 1985-87. The building was completely remodeled to house the Valley Junction Foundation in 2010 at the cost of $750,000. RDG were the architects, and Weitz Construction the contractor. This work restored the enlarged front door although photos show it always in place.

Commercial History:

Business	Owner	Start	Stop	Notes of Interest
Historical Valley Junction Association, Main Street VJ, WDM Human Services, Visitor Center and Public Meeting Space		2011	current	City buys in November 2007 from Betty Hill-Swander, rehabs in 2010
The Irish Shoppe		2007
Salon Gazzo		2003	2006
Consignment sales			2006	January
			2006	For lease, 1,680 sq. ft., January
Drew’s Chocolates	Pat and Jason Adams	2004	2005	Founded in Dexter in 1927, from Maple Street in April 2004, closed October 2005
Ooh La		2002	2003	December 2002 to October 2003
Uncle Wendell’s Bakery	Wendell Garetson	1997	2000	May 1998 to December 2000
5^th Street Deli			1990	First floor with salon upstairs
5^th Street Bakery & Café/The Bakery on 5th		1990	1995	Occupies both floors
			1986	For lease office/retail, $400/mo.
Quality Interiors			1985	Carpet, vinyl flooring
McIntyre Furniture warehouse		1960	1980	Owned by Barbara Joan McIntyre
City Hall		1900	1953
		1914		The completion of a taller building to the north necessitated a higher hose tower and bell tower in early 1914 and metal ceilings inside are first noted at that time (Express, April 9, 1914).
Construction of second story, city hall		1901		Express, February 1, 1901
Construction of two-story front section, fire house	Valley Junction	1900		The town purchased a half lot in late September 1900. J. F. Martin designed the whole building and the ground floor was first built, by contractor H. J. Roush (Express, September 21, 1900; Des Moines Gazette, September 27, 1900).