The panoramic photo of downtown Independence serves us well again, as we can now look up and down First Street East to the east and west (where the Wapsipinicon Mill is visible to the far left).

You can see the mill to the left; its view would have been partially blocked if the east mill were still standing, just to the left of the Italianate storefront with black trim.

The streetscape improvements are done, and the pedestrian-friendly environment was conducive to walking down the busy First Street East,

There are very few vacant storefronts, and very few large surface parking lots. Interesting…

There are the little cast-iron details that make walking the street fun.

There is one three story Italianate building.

There are also some cool Mid-Twentieth Century storefront alterations.

At Third Street Northeast, we turned around and went back.

Update: New photography added from July of 2023.

I noticed this Greek Revival church just of First Street. It is an incredibly rare survivor from the period before the Civil War, or just right after. The windows must have been larger originally.

Just off First Street, the Buchanan County Courthouse was constructed in 1940, obviously replacing an earlier structure. Dougher, Rich & Woodburn of Des Moines were the architects on the project. Further down First Street the neighborhood becomes residential.