Benson Block

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Benson Block is a historic building at 109-112 North Market Street in downtown Ottumwa, Iowa. It is part of a larger building that was originally constructed in 1883 and damaged by a fire in 1923. The damaged section was rebuilt as a theatre, but it was never used for that purpose because there weren’t enough exits. The façade is notable for its decorative Neoclassical white terra cotta cladding, which allowed the owners to change its appearance. The Benson Block was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985, and in 2016 it became a contributing property in the Greater Second Street Historic District.