124 North Howard

124 North Howard. . At first glance one would never guess this is the oldest two-story building on the square. The all brick face of the building was added when Harrison's moved here in 1956. (The grand opening of the store is shown in the photo above.) The variety store was previously located a few doors down the block at 112 North Howard, but when fire destroyed the second story of that structure in 1941, the crown of "tallest and oldest" was turned over to this double front. , While Harrison's has enjoyed a lengthy stay here it is not the building's longest resident. That title belongs to the E. W. Perry Clothing Store which constructed the building in 1874 and remained here until 1922. Other notable inhabitants have been the Richmond Shoe Company, which resided here from 1922 until 1938, and the Hyde Food Service Company (now known as Hy-Vee) who set up shop here for 18 years prior to moving off the square entirely. , Lawyers, dentists and doctors alike made the upper story home for nearly 100 years until the new brick front was added. Under the facade are large windows for the offices on the second floor to have natural lighting. Remnants of these windows can still be seen on the north side of the building.