Finke Building - California, MO - Frieze Art on Waymarking.com

County of building: Moniteau County
Location of building: 315 N. High St., California

"Buildings of this type are typically one to three stories in height with a street level storefront and upper facades consisting of sheet-metal panels stamped with decorative motifs. A cornice, sometimes with a pediment bearing the owner’s name and date of construction, defines the roofline. The sheet-metal elements may include a wide variety of decorative features, such as consoles, pilasters, scrolls, brackets, dentils, and finials, which feature design ornaments characteristic of each company. While the companies employed a certain number of ornaments, the combinations in which they were offered were many. As a result, it is rare to find facades that are exactly the same. Generally, both foundries employed stylized floral motifs. The “fleur-de-lis” was very characteristic of the Mesker Brothers Iron Works, while George L. Mesker & Co favored the “morning glory” motif

"Rarely intact, these building facades feature upper stories composed of elaborate sheet-metal panels and a storefront with cast-iron or steel columns, which sometimes still bear company nameplates, and milled woodwork. In case of one-story buildings, there is a narrow area of ornamental sheet-metal panels connecting the storefront and the cornice. These facades are of utmost significance, as they exemplify the design, manufacture, distribution, purchase and installation of an entire building front." ~ Meskers