Construction on this two story brick business block commenced on September 25, 1905 with the laying of the foundation. Completion took place around the First of June of the next year. The original tenants were the Lewistown Bakery, operated by Francis Sullivan, and C. E. Shoemaker & Co., a mortgage company, while the Knights of Pythias met in an upstairs room.
Today the only tenant, on the ground floor, at least, appears to be the Lewistown Church of Christ. Their website indicates that they have recently relocated to this address, but their website doesn't seem to have been updated since 1911, giving us an estimate of when they came to this place.
While the upper floor of the block remains essentially original, the ground floor has been completely redone in brick and glass. The front wall has been set back several feet and the entry further recessed into the new wall. Interestingly, a single cast iron column from the original wall was left in place as a support in the centre.
MCDONALD & CHARTERS BLOCK
The beautiful blending of brick and hand cut stone in this 1905 business block serves as a fine example of Lewistown’s distinctive architecture. Romanesque Revival arches, Renaissance Revival wall layering, and an Italianate cornice speak to the exuberant eclecticism of the period. Built by local contractor George Wells for Charles McDonald and John Charters, the building originally housed a land office and the Lewistown Bakery whose specialty was “Mother’s Bread.” The Knights of Pythias met in the second-floor lodge hall. Now an integral part of a three-building unit, the narrow cut stone first-floor entry hall and upper-floor façade retain their 1905 appearances.
From the NRHP plaque at the building