1978 Dillingham Hardware

In 1978, the three-story building at the northwest corner of the main four housed Dillingham Hardware. Before that it had been a hardware store owned by the Sidells. The following three pictures were taken about a year before the building was sold to the Harmons and Lockwoods.Anyone who has been reading this website or read a copy of my book, The Fowlerville Chronicles, knows this corner has had an interesting history. This is the third structure at this corner -- the first one being a wooden structure that burned in the mid-1870s. It was rebuilt as a brick structure, a picture of which you can find on page 43 of my book, but that one also burned during a fire in 1891 that destroyed all of the wooden buildings on the northeast block. This current building was rebuilt similar to the first brick structure, completed in 1892, and still stands today. The second and third floors still look the same, but the ground level has gone through a few renovations through the years. So, my question for you today -- does anyone remember the green facade at the first floor when it was owned by Fred Dillingham?

As a side note, later this month I will be posting some more pictures and aerials taken in 1980, after the sale of the building was completed.