Jacksonville Architecture

Businessman Israel Putnam purchased this site shortly after the 1901 Fire and had this three-story building erected to serve as office and retail space. Jacksonville architect Mellen C. Greeley, who at that time was employed as a draftsman by the building's architect and assisted in its design, described it as representing "the architecture of the Hanseatic Lowlands." The stepped gables, numerous dormers, and arched window openings on the Herkimer Block give it an unusual profile that adds greatly to the varied texture of Downtown Jacksonville architecture. The barrel tiles on the dormer roofs were removed many years ago and the original second-story sash windows, bordered with curved panes, were replaced with incongruous reflective plateglass windows during remodeling in 1981. Otherwise, this building has been skillfully restored to its 1902 appearance.