444-446 ST. CHARLES STREET

HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE

444-446 St. Charles Street was built in 1890 as a grocery store for E. W. Loomis. It is one of the few commercial buildings in this area. Like many storefront commercial buildings of this time, an apartment where the proprietor lived was located above the store.

ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE

The building is considered an Italianate style commercial building due to its decorative cornice and the narrow, segmental arched window openings found at its side elevations. Originally, the building’s footprint was only this larger portion to the north. The setback portion was an addition built around 1910 to be used as a dwelling, likely due to the owner wanting more living space. The building operated as a store into the 1970s, when it was converted into apartments.

Sources: Audio: TextAloud