Photograph as originally submitted to this page in the Historical Marker Database www.HMdb.org. Click on photo to resize in browser. Scroll down to see metadata.

Photographer: Courtesy Howard Bernatz
Caption: Marker detail: February 22, 1911 ad for the Decorah Steam Laundry
Additional Description: A February 22, 1911 ad for the Decorah Steam Laundry operated by F.N. May announced the purchase of a new collar and cuff machine that was purported to “finish off shirts to perfection.” The laundry continued in business for many years under different owners at this location. The photo of WWI veterans marching in the May 30, 1921 Decoration Day parade shows the new façade installed by owner O.J. Ness and mentioned in a March 1916 Decorah Republican article. The façade’s style, Tapestry Brick, was a common vernacular style popular from 1900-1930. Bricks of contrasting colors, types, and configurations were set in patterns that were strongly geometric with accents in stone and concrete commonly used. The Decorah Hatchery façade also done in the Tapestry Brick style remains while that of the Decorah Steam Laundry (now two separate store fronts) has been remodeled.
Submitted: February 20, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Database Locator Identification Number: p775092
File Size: 1.386 Megabytes

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