We visted Whapeton yesterday, looking at the clippings of its newspaper. Now let's wander through the town and see what remains from the early part of the 20th century.

Welcome to the Women’s Hygiene Supplies Museum:

I really, really want to know the explanation for that.

Welcome to 1958, where things will be calm and modern and stylish forever:

That’s not an OUMB.

This is an OUMB.

Again with the pseudo-columns. People will think we’re a solid financial institution if we reference the architectural motifs of a dead empire, however poorly.

I’m sure it is:

For those unaware with NoDak terms, On-Off meant you could buy liquor to drink on site, or you could buy it to take away. Or both!

This was in the news recently, for a fire.

Hope it survived. It’s odd, and unique.

Oh stop it

Jam a big hat on an short guy and call him king, I guess.

I’m guessing something from the Unadorned Era got a makeover, and the pediment was intended to give it Historical Class.

Speaking of Historical Class:

The most rote Roman bank ever. I’ll bet they build a thousand of those.

Four brothers that knew how to get along . . . almost.

One had a growth spurt right before the family photo.

On the third floor they trained midget bank robbers; one stood on the other’s shoulders and they wore one long trench coat. The guy on the bottom peeked through the coat to see where he was going.

When they paint buildings like this they turn into old men sitting in a wheelchair in the corridor of a nursing home, looking at the wall.

I will be damned if I know.

Doesn’t look like a firehouse. Civic purpose? A bay for cop cars? Telephone repair trucks? What?

The architect apparently did a control-I and reversed everything so the windows came out the opposite.

Groovy 60s / early 70s sign, carefree and happy!

It’s like a lodge-cult where they worship DaVinci’s study of man:

Context: quite an eclectic collection of last-gasp downtown design.

I just imagined a sudden whiff of urinal cake.

Then:

Now.

The top shows some pride.

From a history page:

Pauline Worner had extensive roots in the Wahpeton area.  Her grandfather and uncle settled in Wahpeton in the early 1880’s and formed the “Schuler Brothers”, a company that sold farm machinery.  Later the two Schuler brothers started the Northwest Construction Company where they designed and constructed many well known buildings in the area, including buildings in the Schuler Block (Penneys), old gymnasium at the State School of Science, old post office, Wahpeton City Hall, and the original St. John’s Catholic Church. Later her grandfather and father practiced law in the area. 

Gone. But they made sure they weren’t forgotten.