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Louisville, Kentucky, circa 1906. "Columbia Building, Fourth and Main." An interesting look at the gritty environment of the urban horse. And maybe a record for the number of insulators on one tree in a Shorpy photo. View full size.
I imagine the owners of this property employed their own full time sign painter to letter each window and most likely all the interior doors throughout this huge building. Great work and not an easy task.
What a great picture for teaching the principles of perspective and vanishing points. All those straight lines ...
Note the lines running up to that little crossarm on the top floor. Oh to be a lineman back then.
Built 1890, razed 1966, replaced with BB&T Bldg, 1972.
That would be the Louisville, Henderson and Saint Louis Railroad, I do believe, though it's difficult to imagine why they would want their top-floor view blocked with their own initials.
Thomas Dufficy, Thomas Dufficy & Co., 512 W. Main, St. Louis, Died 1911.
Can someone explain why the businesses on the upper floors would paint the name of their company on the windows? Seems to me you'd have to be standing inside an equally tall building across the street or a bird in order to actually see these glass lettered signs.
[The building is on a hill, so whatever is up there would be visible from quite a distance. - Dave]
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