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Show OMS No 1024-0018 . NPS Form United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section No. Z Page 1 Wales Co-operative Mercantile Institution, Wales, Sanpete County, UT Narrative Description The Wales Co-operative Mercantile Institution (Wales Co-op) building, constructed c.1894, is a one-story, brick, Victorian Eclectic, false-front commercial building. The fac;ade (east) is characterized by the rectangular storefront and recessed entry. Although currently covered with plywood, the glass storefronts remain intact, as do the original double doors. Victorian detailing includes the brick corbelling on the cornice, decorative metal pilasters around the windows, and the wood block dentils above the windows . The flat panel in the upper portion of the storefront is typical of commercial buildings of this era. Evidence of previous signage remains. Behind the fac;ade, the building is a simple painted brick gable roof building. According to tax records, the front portion is made of sand-rolled brick and the rear of pressed brick. Although not as visible painted, a c.1935 tax photo shows the c.1926 rear addition. The rear portion of the roof is hipped. There are no windows on the sides of the front portion of the building 1 , but there is evidence of a Levi-Straus advertisement painted in the south side. The rear has three four-pane clerestory windows and one double-hung on each side. There is also evidence of the basement windows, though some were eliminated during the recent stabilization of the building. The metal sheet roof replaces the original asphalt shingles. There are two chimneys at the rear of the building. There is also a 30 foot by 25 foot contemporary metal shed attached to the rear of the structure that will be removed during the upcoming rehabilitation. This shed replaced a wood lean-to that was on the rear at least through the 1950s or 1960s. The interior of the store is open except for a small enclosed portion at the rear, where the double-hung windows are. The walls are covered with white wood shelves reaching halfway to the top of the approximately 14 foot walls. The shelves are left from the building's most recent use, that of town library. The floors are the original wood. The building now stands essentially on its own with no adjacent buildings. A granary that once stood with the building until at Il3ast 1966 has been demolished. To the south is the town park, once home to the meetinghouse2 . To the north is a house that sits over fifty feet back off from the street, and to the east is the fire building. Despite, or perhaps because the building sits alone, the integrity is maintained. It is the only remaining commercial structure in the town and it retains its integrity. It will be rehabilitated into the town hall and library using CLG funds . 1 2 At least one window in the front portion was bricked over by the 1930s as seen in a c.1935 tax photo This former building can be seen in the tax photo . |
