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: Winneshiek County Historical Society
Caption: Marker detail: Relf Building, 1913
Additional Description: Originally mentioned in records as the site of Hank Gerde’s saloon in 1860, the building across the street at 128 W. Water was built in 1868 by James Relf upon his return from the Civil War. Its Italianate style, popular from 1840 to 1885, is evidenced by the roof brackets on its cornice, the arched windows with keystones on the façade, and the segmental arches on its oriel windows. When the panoramic photo below was taken in 1913, the first floor of the Relf building housed a Greek candy company and lunch room operated by brothers George and Theodore Costakos. Their business was begun on November 27, 1911 and, as the sign in their window proclaims, they served “steaks, chops, eggs, fancy ice cream and candies.”
Submitted: February 23, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Database Locator Identification Number: p775600
File Size: 0.982 Megabytes

To see the metadata that may be embedded in this photo, sign in and then return to this page.