Dykeman Block, 830-832 South Main Street; 1891; contributing
This three-story two-part commercial block building is of brick construction and is located on a corner lot. The storefronts have been altered; the upper façade of seven bays defined by brick pilasters. Fenestration is flat-topped, with window units set singly and in pairs within the bay spacing; windows rest on rock-faced stone sills and are capped with corresponding stone lintels. The façade is finished in ornamental brick trim and corbeled brickwork and terminates in a simply-detailed metal cornice...
Built for the C. W. Dykeman Company, depicted in an 1896 newspaper as a grocer, feed dealer, and purveyor of “provisions.” Dykeman was also a civic leader and Jasper County judge. The 1896 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map indicates that Charles Dykeman’s business also sold engineering supplies, likely associated with the extraction of zinc in the area. In the 1920s the first story housed the grocery business of J. B. Dodson & Son and the upper floors were occupied by Dr. M. H. Evans and by furnished rooms operated by Abe Duff. For many years the first floor was occupied by the McGee Drug Store, operated by Charles and Grace McGee. Grace McGee is credited with being the first woman registered pharmacist in Missouri. The building was originally built by local contractors Leonard and Osborne.
The building is in good condition and the first floor is now used by tax preparation service.