This might be the saddest thing I’ve seen on Google Street View in a long time.

Or not. I don’t know. Ask yourself: is that the side of the building, or the front? One building constructed at the same time, or in stages?

Fantastic little diner, high-60s, damned near perfect:

Maid-Rite sells loose-meat sandwiches.

I think the taller one borged the one on the corner.

		Its makers' mark.

I suspect the scar from the previous signage was not the original purpose:

Probably a chain variety store, or perhaps the town's proud department store.

nexplicable moments in Google Street View, con't

"Spinal solutions” for battleship plates flung from an explosion:

That’s hideous - and you can tell there was an interesting piece of 50s signage on the spot originally. They just had to buckaroo it up.

CLARKSON

The Buckaroo Revival shingles really look like the poor country-cousins to the old slate accents.

The small-town newspaper building.

There’s an addition, which is unspeakably dull, but at least it’s still around.

As I like to say, Caesar would be pleased to see that this had survived and spread to the other side of the globe:

Caesar might also ask why the pediment was empty - did it have the works of a politician who had fallen out of favor? Who now claimed his conquests?

Another piece of Rome, done dirty by renovating architects:

At least Caesar would be relieved here that Iowans apparently preferred a full pediment.

A bit too Greek, he might say, but better than nothing.

Ah, this must be your Ceres. Charmed to meet you.

Across the street:

That . . . is one hell of a county-seat building.

The incorporation of theaters into office / residential structures is one of those 20s innovations that didn’t deserve to perish.

That’s the Maytag hotel, built by Mr. Maytag - yes, the washing machine company founder. Frederick Louis Maytag. The washer-drier company was started in Newton.

Remodeled and back in business!

OUMB, but not that bad:

I like it, aside from the needlessly gloomy entrance area. In a similar vein, and much more crisp:

God Bless Iowa.

The lamentable total-entombment style put up wood facades, intending to be “natural,” I guess.

A sad old citizen from a prosperous era:

Could be brought back without a lot of facade work, though. We've seen worse.

Finally: let's go back to that first picture.

Odd. But it works.