Main and Lafayette Streets, Washington, Franklin County

Walking southeast down Main Street from Cedar Street and St. Francis Borgia we see a fairly intact stretch of Nineteenth Century streetscape. The photograph below, most likely from the church’s spire, shows the downtown area, including Main Street at the turn of the Twentieth Century.

Jaeger, J. F., Copyright Holder. Washington Mo. looking east. United States Washington Missouri, ca. 1908. Photograph. Library of Congress.

Edward G. Busch owned a hardware store along this stretch, as well, opening in 1882, constructing his building in 1887.

E.G. Busch Warehouse, Washington, Missouri, c 1885, Missouri History Museum, N37193
Interior of the E.G. Busch Hardware Store, Washington, Missouri, 1915, Missouri History Museum, N37186

I think these silos were originally part of his store.

Moving along, we see some of the typical German American construction, with the open gable roofs and simple stone lintels over the windows.

But there is plenty of Second Empire, as well.

Washington Bazaar and entrance to bank building. Main Street, Washington, MO. Photograph by Steffens, Chicago, ca. 1890. Photographs and Prints Collections. Missouri History Museum. Missouri Towns and Counties. N09169.

Some of those Second Empire buildings have been modified over the years, particularly with the size of windows and the first floor storefronts.

The influence of St. Louis architecture is particularly obvious, I think, in the corner store below.

Further down, this building still stands.

Henry C. Eitzen Store, Washington, MO. Photograph, ca. 1890. Photographs and Prints Collections. Missouri History Museum. Outstl 0282. NS 09166. Scan © 2008, Missouri History Museum.

Turning onto Lafayette Avenue, there are a plethora of those standard German housing, with the simple gabled roofs. They remind me of houses in Quincy, Illinois, and also Carondelet.

Particularly, the neighborhood of the South Side in Quincy reminds me of these streets.

2 Comments Add yours

  1. Mark Preston says:

    Chris, as always you do a yeoman’s job of memorializing our architecture and history. Bravo!
    Washington, I believe, is the home of the Missouri Meerschaum Corncob pipe. The City Fathers had to pass a law to permit a pipe smoking exception to the otherwise no-smoking-anywhere ordinance. Thank you for your efforts.

    1. cnaffziger says:

      Yes, I went by that building–didn’t get a very good photo of it, though!

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