Of the ten brick lodging houses which remain in the district,
eight were constructed in the first decade of the twentieth century. The earliest, the Italian Renaissance Montvale Block, dates from 1899. This is another building which we suspect has had alterations on the ground floor reversed, its appearance now more in tune with how it originally appeared.
Three story in height and built of red brick, it matches the majority of its neighbors. The relatively narrow windows on the upper floors are mostly rectangular, with a few on the upper level given Roman arches. The major (front) elevation is divided into five bays by brick pilasters. A canopy protects the centered entrance, while directly above is a small square parapet. In the parapet is the word
MONTVALE and above are dentils of corbeled brick. At the cornice on the street sides of the building are strings of dentils, again built up of corbeled bricks.
No longer a hotel, the ground floor is occupied by several businesses, while the upper two floors hold apartments.
17. 1001-1007 West 1st Avenue
Historic Name: Montvale Block
Common Name: Montvale (Music City/Stark's Vacuums)
Legal Description: Railroad Addition, Block 18, Lot 5 and 6
Date Built: 1899
This large three-story brick hotel has been altered on the first floor, but retains a high degree of its original integrity on the second and third floors. It is rectangular with a poured concrete foundation. The major elevations are divided into recessed bays with symmetrically placed windows within the bays. Four of the five bays across the West 1 st Avenue facade have triple one-over-one double-hung windows which are original. The four large double-hung sash and transom windows in the central bay of this facade are also original. Windows in the outer bays of the third floor are arched; all others are flat arches with radiating brick voussoirs. Brick dentils decorate the bays. The details of the east elevation are similar, but there are four irregular recessed bays with different numbers of windows in each. The first floor on the east elevation has a variety of openings, some new. An original arched entry sits toward the south end of the building. There is a cornice line of corbeled brick above which rises a stepped parapet. The word Montvale appears in the parapet.
From the NRHP Nomination Form