pilaster design

This is an unusually ornate and intact small commercial building in the Fifteenth Avenue East business district. Residential development of this part of Northeast Capitol Hill flourished in the early years of the 20th Century, when the developer James Moore platted and sold lots around 15th Avenue North (now East). A streetcar line was built on 15th, and by 1910 several groceries and drugstores were located in his area. This is one of the second generation of buildings, constructed in 1927. It originally housed a Piggly-Wiggly Market. The extensive terra cotta ornamentation and decorative brickwork distinguish it from surrounding buildings, no doubt a method of attracting shoppers away from the numerous nearby stores. Since grocery stores consolidated into large facilities, this building has housed a variety of restaurants and small retail and service businesses.

Appearance

This small one-story building is clad in brown and tan brick, laid in a decorative X pattern on the south wall. The main entry is denoted by an arch in the terra cotta belt course above the transoms. The center storefront and the corners are delineated by ornate terra cotta pilasters with large finials. The pilaster design is repeated in the medallions descending from the terra cotta cornice. The storefronts have their original recessed entries, large display windows with transoms, black tile bulkheads and a suspended canopy.