Fletcher Block building may be designated historic landmark Posted 5/4/01 by Ida Steven Staff Writer Built in 1877, the Fletcher Block building in downtown Farmington may take on a new life of its own as a designated historic landmark. The Farmington Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC) met April 19 to discuss designating the Fletcher Block building, 345 Third St., as a Farmington Heritage Landmark. Karen Finstuen, administrative services manager for the city, said the City Council will vote on the historic designation of the building at the next council meeting May 7. The landmark will also be part of a program during Historic Preservation Week, May 13-19. The city is sponsoring the public program ìWhat Style is it?î at City Hall May 17 at 7 p.m. The free program is open to the public. Historic preservation planning consultant Robert Vogel will give a presentation, using slides and information gathered from a three-year research project of Farmingtonís old structures, including the Fletcher building. Vogelís program will include residential, commercial and agricultural neighborhoods. He will discuss architectural styles of buildings, such as the Fletcherís ìItalianate design,î and will point out the distinguishing elements for each style of building. Vogel said his talk will focus on ìhidden architectural gems and the buildings that reflect the history of ordinary people.î One such gem is the Fletcher building, known to locals as the ìFletcher Block.î The ìFletcher Blockî name was the way people referred to corner buildings in the earlier days. It was recently recommended for designation as a Farmington Heritage Landmark by the State Historic Preservation Office, said Vogel. The Fletcher building was erected in 1877 by Asa Fletcher, a businessman from St. Anthony who moved to Farmington in the fall of 1867, according to David Schreier, president of the Farmington Area Historical Society. Fletcher and John Knolls, who built the building across the street at Third Street and Oak, said Schreier, were competing to finish the first brick building in Farmington. Fletcher first opened a wood building on the Fletcher buildingís present site. The wooden building, which was moved to the back of the Fletcher property in 1877, housed Fletcherís dry goods store. During Fletcherís time, Schreier said, the building was significant for the hall on the second floor of the Fletcher Block. The hall was the official meeting place of the Civil War veteransí fraternal organization, the Canby Post #47 and Grand Army of the Republic, said Schreier. The organization was formed in 1883. The Fletcher hall was also used for political and community meetings, school board meetings in the 1870s, and the Womenís Relief Association meetings. Fletcher first rented the building to a businessman named Knight Record, probably during the 1880s and/or 1890s, according to Schreier. The Fletcher building has been remodeled into two apartments on its second floor. From 1903 to 1919, the Fletcher building was owned by Edward Garvey who ran a dry goods general store. Schreier said the building was sold to several people, and by 1929 was purchased by a group of farmers. The farmers named the business in the building the ìSquare Deal Grocery Story,î and George Schuler ran it, according to Schreier. ìItís one of the most historic buildings in Farmington,î said Schreier. ìThe hall upstairs was significant. In 1880 when the Exchange Bank was built with its music hall, then, the music hall became the placeî where the community gathered. Finstuen said she remembers the Fletcher building being a hardware store for a number of years. One of the present leaseholders, Linda Karline, said the building had been vacant a number of years before she and her husband, Melvin, set up their business, Heart and Home of Farmington, in 1989. ìItís wonderful to listen, as if the walls could talk,î said Karline. ìAll the people and life around them became part of this building.î Schreier said, ìThe Fletcher was the first fire-proof building in Farmington.î The State Historic Preservation Office, said Vogel, which is part of the Minnesota Historical Society, completed its review of historical building. Britta Bloomberg, deputy state historic preservation officer, wrote in a correspondence to HPC Chair Bev Marben that the Fletcher building ìis locally significant for its architecture as a well-conserved example of vernacular Italianate design.î Bloomberg also noted the buildingís significance as the ìoldest extant brick commercial building in Farmington.î The 43 by 83 foot building sports ìveneered Chaska brick walls, a flat roof surrounded by dentils and a narrow cornice with a low pedimented gable above the Third Street facade,î according to its description in a city document. The national theme for Preservation Week 2001 is ìRestore, Renew, Rediscover Your Historic Neighborhood Schools.î However, local activities will celebrate many forms of historic preservation. For more information about Preservation Week activities, contact the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Preservation Alliance of Minnesota. Both organizations host sites on the Internet. Currently, the Farmington Heritage Preservation Commission is seeking applications to fill a vacancy on the commission and to generate a list of potential new members to replace any retiring commissioners, who serve for three years. The HPC consists of a citizen advisory board that makes recommendations of historical sites to the City Council for designation as Farmington Heritage Landmarks. The HPC was established in 1992. ©Thisweek Newspapers