Update: Destroyed in the summer of 2021, possibly by strong storms in early July.
This alley house, whose front house was never built or demolished at the corner of Keokuk and Virginia, is far older than 1895, which is when the City says it was built. You can tell because the brick doesn’t match. I suspect the 1870s, and the 1895 refers to when this building was altered along Keokuk. What an intriguing house.
It clearly once had a wooden front porch, and even a large wing out the back.
What is the point of the dormer on a building like this?
The dormer faces south, so I assume it was to bring more light into the loft/second floor of the flounder. Also, it is pretty typical to have dormers on flounders elsewhere in the City.
That makes sense. There are a few flounders near me but I don’t remember dormers.
This flounder would make a good restoration project. It is small. It still has most of a roof, which means one would likely not have to rebuild all the framing. The masonry is in mostly good condition; the brickwork around the alley side windows appears to need some work. If someone is lucky, there might even be original trim, mantles, and windows left to restore.
This structure appeared in Compton and Dry Pictorial View. What a shame it was allowed to fall. When Kristofs Market owned the property they did some maintenance however when it was sold the, new owners apparently cared little for the building. I seem to recall reading somewhere, perhaps the occupancy permit, that maintaining that structure was mentioned. That of course would depend someone enforcing it.