T.S. Martin And Company
Local architect William McLaughlin was hired to renovate 515-17 Fourth and neighboring 519 Fourth Street, and T.S. Martin and Company moved their whole operation in 1894. In 1901 they hired another local architect, Henry Fisher, to design an annex along Nebraska Street. The three-story building completed in 1902 features Beaux-Arts styling that includes a roof-line knee wall, and a cornice with acanthus leaf brackets and decorative swags. Martin's acquired 521 Fourth Street, a mirror image of 519 Fourth Street, in 1904. In 1911 they hired yet another local architect, William L. Steele, to design a completely new facade to unify 515–517, 519 and 521 Fourth Street. Designed in the Prairie School mode, it features white terra cotta, long decorative bands of terra cotta details of foliage and geometric patterns, and Chicago-style windows.
After T.S. Martin and Company moved into a new six-story building across Nebraska Street, no longer extant, in 1919 this facility was divided into multiple storefronts and occupied by a variety of commercial enterprises. The 515-517 portion of the Fourth Street facade was covered with a wood face and its cornice removed, before it was significantly altered to its present appearance. T.S. Martin and Company was bought by The May Department Stores Company of St. Louis in 1948. It was the last locally owned department store at the time. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ Gretchen E. Schalge. "T.S. Martin and Company". National Park Service. Retrieved 2016-12-21. with photos