Scales Mound Historic District - Architecture

Architecture

Most of the residential architecture in Scales Mound is of traditional 19th-century forms: I-house, gable-front, cottages or T and L shaped plans. Homes from the early 20th century also adhere to traditional forms with American Foursquare style being prevalent. None of the houses in Scales Mound appear to be architect-designed and generally contain scaled down elements of Stick style, Eastlake and Queen Anne styles, often on the same house. The most ornamented and architecturally impressive houses are found on North Main Street and are classified as Queen Anne style.

Concrete construction is prevalent among the homes and buildings in Scales Mound. Adam Rittweger constructed numerous distinctive concrete porches, garages, and foundations between 1908 and his death in 1933. There are several surviving examples of poured concrete constructed buildings in Scales Mound including the 1923 one story electrical generating plant, and Lewis Richard's 1911 restaurant. There is one surviving example in Scales Mound of a stucco clad and poured concrete construction combination, Louis Durrstein's implement dealership. It is presumed that Rittweger also introduced stucco finishes to Scales Mound between the late 1900s and early 1910s.

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