Overview

The Concrete Block Rowhouse is an early example of using concrete to build houses. 

• Location: 300-314 1/2 26th Avenue North 
• Neighborhood: Hawthorne 

Historic profile

The Concrete Block Rowhouse is an early example of using concrete to build houses. It is one of nine concrete block dwellings built in the same neighborhood in 1885. During this period, concrete was typically used on industrial or commercial buildings. It was unusual to use concrete as an exterior material on houses. Concrete looked like natural stone but cost less. 

Real estate developer William N. Holway and others formed the Union Stone and Building Company. They worked with three architects to develop this group of nine dwellings. W.D. Kimball designed the Concrete Block Rowhouses. The rowhouses have 11 units and cost $30,000 to build. 

The rowhouses form an L shape and wrap around the corner of 26th Avenue North and 3rd Street North. The rowhouses’ design differs from the other eight concrete block houses. The rowhouses are two stories tall with flat roofs. Each unit has a bay window on the first story. On the second story, a concrete pilaster separates each unit. Along the roofline, there is a decorative concrete cornice with brackets.