It owes its existence to the railroad, if you want to read the story. It was willed into existence by some farmers who wanted the train in a particular place, and its founding meant the death of the town of Shelbyville. I can't find any trace of it, or the railroad, for that matter.

Much curious brickwork on the second floor. The only explanation: they took out the tall old windows and put in new ones.

“New” being a long long time ago.

An absolutely normal sight for small Midwestern downtowns.

The town pride! Same thing with the windows.

It’s #97.

Wonder if they still meet. I doubt it.

If a fire took it down, it was neatly contained.

Again, we ask: a collaborative effort, or just the way things developed over the course of a decade?

Different developers, or one?

This has the look of something dreamed up by a local architect, consulting his ordering book of off-the-shelf ornamentation.

I like those numbers.

Aww, you didn’t have to go and do that, did you?

That must have been a nice space. Fit for a lawyer, or some one who wanted to be seen.

Expensive details. But a gift to the town.

Stolidity = prudence.

It wasn’t trying to impress, which suggests it didn’t have to.

I mean, anyone can order some columns.

More mismatched brick to indicate another example of second-floor window alteration.

I guess they couldn’t find that original brick anywhere.

Tidy Federal embassy, in a style they used into the 80s.

Our last look: the regrettable faux-stone on a style-free building.

But it’s occupied. In fact, if you look up and down the street . . .almost every storefront is occupied.

How about that.

That'll do. Now hit the road.