The Fillmore Block, now known as the Dows Mercantile Store, is a historic building located in

Dows, Iowa Dows is a city in Franklin and Wright counties of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 521 at the time of the 2020 census. The town was incorporated on May 3, 1892. History Dows got its start in the year 1880, following construction of th ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The Dows commercial district was destroyed in a fire in 1894. This building was completed for $12,000 in 1895 for D.H. Fillmore, a member of a prominent family in the community. The two-story Victorian

Romanesque Revival Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended to ...

style structure was designed by A.H. Conner & Co. It was one of 17 stores constructed in the commercial area. The building housed a variety commercial enterprises including a restaurant, ladies clothing and dress goods, boots and shoes, notions, groceries, flour, hardware, furniture and the like. It was acquired by the Dows Historical Society in 1987. It was reopened two years later as an antique mall that also sells Iowa-made products. The building was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1998.

References

Commercial buildings completed in 1895 Romanesque Revival architecture in Iowa Buildings and structures in Wright County, Iowa Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa National Register of Historic Places in Wright County, Iowa {{Iowa-struct-stub