MOTOR MART COMMERCE BUILDING

The Motor Mart (known since 1920 as the Commerce Building) was completed in 1912 as a four story automobile dealership and maintenance garage. In 1920 the automotive services were discontinued and the building was partitioned and converted to office space. In 1922 a one story dance pavilion was added to the roof occupying roughly one half of the floor plate. Since that time several low sloped additions have been added to the fifth floor dance pavilion. The two primary facades (north and west) consist of buff colored brick and cream colored terracotta ornamentation. The north and west facades will be cleaned, repaired, and repointed where necessary in accordance with the National Park Service’s Preservation Briefs. The membrane which covers the original gable roof of the former dance pavilion with be removed and replaced. The new roof material is approved by the State Historic Preservation Office and is intended to mimic the original concrete roof tiles which are being covered because they are not watertight.