Lee's Downtowner Cafe Building - Ottawa, Kansas - Victorian Style Architecture on Waymarking.com

Date of Construction: 1887
Style: Italianate
Historic Name: Lee's Downtowner Cafe

This is a two-story brick Italianate commercial building. Thin cast iron pilasters divide the first story into four bays. The three-bay storefront features wood-framed plate glass windows resting on paneled wood bulkheads flanking a central entrance. The entrance has a single non-historic door with sidelights. Wood-framed transom windows top the storefront and entrance. At the south end of the building, the fourth bay contains a paneled wood entrance door that provides access to the upper story. The two-light transom window above this opening remains visible. The first-story pilasters terminate in an ornamental metal belt course between the first and second stories. The second story has three single double-hung wood sash windows with a one-over- one light configuration. Each window has a stone sill and an ornate hood with a peaked profile. The cast iron storefront, the window treatment, and the projecting cornice with large and small brackets convey the building's architectural style.

This building is a contributing element to the original Downtown Ottawa Historic District, which was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. It retains a high degree of architectural integrity and clearly conveys its historic associations. It contributes to the significance of the historic district.