Post Rock Architecture

Post Rock Architecture. An enduring legacy of community leaders. Wilson's distinctive limestone architecture is the enduring legacy of its early town builders. Many downtown commercial buildings reflect the subtle stylistic references typical of rural Kansas town centers. In addition to regional materials like limestone, contemporary mass-produced products like cast iron columns were also widely used., Several notable downtown structures were designed in the late Victorian Italianate style. However, the late 19th and early 20th century American Commercial Style is prevalent, incorporating limestone and brick facades of one - or two stories and lacking extensive ornamentation. Some newer structures display the Modern style. Prominent buildings that contribute to the city's architectural character include: ,

. Lang Memorial Library, a 1923 revival style gem that features Beaux Arts influences and Italian Renaissance stylistic details. , . Downtown Grade School, a 1916 representative of period educational architecture with Prairie School influences. , . First Presbyterian Church, one of the first brick structures downtown, built in 1910 and heavily influenced by the Romanesque style. , . Wilson United Methodist Church, built in 1888, an example of Gothic Revival influence. , . Midland Railroad Hotel, a three-story Late Victorian limestone structure was built in 1899 with stylistic influences that include Second Empire, Queen Anne, Italianate and Romanesque. , . Wilson City Jail, a notable 1907 round limestone structure that started as a water tower and later became a jail.

, Wilson's most notable building was probably the 1901 Turner Hall, also called the Wilson Czech Opera House, just to the west of your present location. Two-stories tall, it incorporated both Italianate and Queen Ann influences on its façade, combining architectural styles similar to architecture in other rural commercial districts. Unfortunately, the building was destroyed by a fire in 2009., Reading History in Construction , Most buildings constructed before 1905 were two-story, greenhorn limestone structures, quarried from local quarries. After 1905, however, brick began to dominate new development, breaking from the tradition of native stone. Later, commercial architecture changed in the 1920s with a shift to single-story buildings. By knowing this, the date of a downtown building's construction is revealed by its use of materials or height., Captions , Upper Left: Lang Memorial Library , Middle Left: First Presbyterian Church , Lower Left: Wilson United Methodist Church , Upper Center: Downtown Grade School , Upper Right: Midland Railroad Hotel , Lower Right: Wilson City Jail