Today you can see all the way across Broad Street. What is there now? Mostly parking lots. Should these churches, apartments, and other businesses be allowed use up this much land for parking? What else could be done?
On the corner of Warren and Second Street is the Cray Mansion which now is the home of the YWCA. What does this house tell you about The Cray's? Is it appropriate for the YWCA to have this house?
Now look up Warren at the Hubbard House, the beautiful white house on the corner of Broad St. Have you ever been in it? If you haven’t you should definitely take a tour. The house is furnished and completely done in the period of the turn of the century (1900, not 2000), and it will give you a chance to share in history. What kind of roof structure does the building have? Is this important to our community—this building?
Across from the YWCA on the corner of 600 South Second is the Johnson and Moonan Law
Office. Notice what a
beautiful example of Queen Anne it is. But look at what
an impact filling in the old porch with limestone facing has had on the
appearance of the house.
What would you have done?
Look between the YWCA and the little stone church. This is the last street in town that we know of that has wood pavers under the asphalt overlay. Do you have any thoughts on what could be done here so that the past and present could come together?
526 S. Second is now KSA Architects, but was
once a very fashionable home. Notice the porch here has
also been filled in but contrast this infill with the one next door
at Johnson and Moonan. Large
old homes are often too large to accommodate a modern family with
children for a variety of reasons but they still inform us of the time period
in which they were built and what life was like then.
Therefore
it may be very justifiable to have professionals use
these buildings in order to keep the character of the community intact.
What would Mankato be like without its Historic Buildings? Have we lost a lot of them? Do you know? Do you care?
If we told you that the former City Hall was going to be made into a parking lot, would that offend you? What should we do to prevent this type of activity?
Who helps preserve buildings and where can you find out more? Why not start with the National Register of Historic Places (http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/).
526 S. Second Street
