1912 W. J. Zorn Building, #1 - West Plains, Mo.
Posted by: 
iconions
N 36° 43.624 W 091° 51.150
15S E 602465 N 4065209
This red brick two-story building is located at 102 Leyda Avenue in West Plains, Missouri.
Waymark Code: WMKNZF
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 05/08/2014
Views: 1
From the National Register application:
(
visit link)
"1911-12.
A two-story corner-entrance commercial building with red brick walls and stone and beige brick detailing, which is one of the most architecturally distinctive buildings in downtown West Plains. The corner bay of the building has a recessed entrance flanked by marble columns set on stone bases. The three-quarter-view door is early or original as is the transom above it. The conical tower above the entrance extends above the roofline. It has three curved 1/1 windows on the second floor. The windows have a continuous stone lintel and lugsill. Above and below the windows, there are decorative panels of beige brick and a beige brick belt course. Stone coping from the north and west elevation rooflines wraps around the tower as a stone belt course.
In addition to the corner entrance bay, the original portion of the building has two bays that face Leyda Street and eight bays that face Aid Avenue. Six of the eight bays that face Aid Avenue are part of the original residential portion of the building. The original commercial section of the building has two bays that face Leyda Street and two bays that face Aid Avenue. In each of the bays that immediately flank the corner entrance, there is a large storefront window with transom windows and a concrete bulkhead. Each storefront window is flanked by brick pilasters with stone capitals and stone bases. A wide stone lintel tops the storefront windows and wraps around the corner entrance. The storefront window opening on the west elevation has been infilled with glass block and the transoms are not original. The storefront window on the north elevation does not appear to be original, but it replicates the original design. On the second floor, each bay flanking the corner entrance has a double-hung window with modern 1/1 aluminum sash. Each window has a stone lugsill and is outlined with beige brick, which contrasts with the red brick walls of the building. The outer bay on the north elevation and the second bay on the west elevation are of identical design. On the first floor, each bay has a large window opening with a hooded stone arched top and a stone lintel. The opening on the west elevation has been infilled with glass block, but has original arched transom windows. The window opening on the north elevation has a pair of newer 1/1 aluminum sash and newer arched transom windows. On the second floor, each bay has two, closely spaced double-hung windows with newer aluminum sash. Like the second floor windows in the bays flanking the comer bay, these windows are outlined with beige brick and have stone lugsills.
Beginning with the third bay from the comer on the west elevation, the southern portion of the west elevation is distinctly different in design. The third bay from the corner has a doorway with an arched transom and sidelights. This doorway is topped by a stone lintel and is covered by burglar bars. Above the doorway is a stone panel in which the word "Zorn" and the date 1912 are inscribed. Flanking the doorway are two small double-hung windows, which have stone lintels and lugsills and are early or original. The top sash of these windows is divided into eight triangular sections. On the second floor above the door, two very small single pane windows flank a set of three double-hung windows. The other five bays to the south of the door are identical in design. Each has a double-hung window with an arched transom on the first floor, a larger double-hung window on the second floor, and a decorative brick panel outlined with beige brick between the first and second floor windows. Each window has a stone sill. The arched tops of the first floor windows are outlined with a double row of beige bricks. The second floor windows are outlined with a single row of beige bricks. Brick belt courses connect the windows on each level and a small, hipped awning runs the length of the west elevation above the second floor windows.
On the south end of the building there is two-story addition, which is brick on the first floor and frame on the second floor."
More information about W. J. Zorn from the National Register application:
(
visit link)
"Two of West Plains' most notable buildings, built by two of the town's most prominent businessmen, were constructed in the 1910s. In 1912, W. J. Zorn, the owner/editor of the Howell County Gazette, had the building at 102 Leyda Street constructed to serve as the offices of the newspaper. The building's corner entrance which is topped by a conical roofed oriel, and its elaborate stone detailing make it one of the most impressive and most memorable buildings in West Plains."