Our Building's History

In July of 1929, a permit to build a four-story steel and concrete department store at 2906 University Avenue on the northeast corner of Kansas Street was issued to Edward W. Newman and William E. Gibb.

Newman, who had purchased the four corner lots in 1926, was a pioneer builder in University Heights, Normal Heights, and Kensington, as well as North Park.

Mr. Gibb, an early house builder, had greater experience in design and construction of small, reinforced concrete commercial buildings in the vicinity of Thirtieth Street and University.

The building was planned in June of 1929. By early autumn, a full basement with reinforced concrete and steel foundation had been completed to support a four-story structure. Then, sometime during the later weeks of construction, plans were changed and the building turned out to be a two-story one. Why the change was made is unclear; however, it is reasonable to suspect a loss of financing following the October Wall Street crash as the cause.

The exterior of the building, a modified Spanish Revival style, featured a prominent series of round arched windows mimicking a glazed Roman arcade with towers and red tile roof. Modernization in the 1950s covered over transom windows in the arches, and other original features were also lost.

However, the full arches and decorative features re-appeared in the restoration design of Richard Bundy and David Thompson, a Main Street sponsored project of the mid-1990s.

The preceding building description was excerpted from the manuscript North Park As It Was, 1896-1956 by architectural historian, Donald Covington.

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