Over 14 thousand souls. Motto: “A Colorado Treasure.” The entirety of its Wikipedia history entry: “A post office called Sterling has been in operation since 1874.[9] The community was named for Sterling, Illinois, the native home of a railroad official.”

So . . . form follows function, you say?

I wouldn’t be surprised if it was a religious structure; for a while, they loved this sort of abstraction, severed completely from traditional expressions.

The thin-window phase made for some truly awful OUMBs:

Did the architects really think “eh, no one likes sunlight and views much anymore.”

Doesn’t appear to be a bank now, but it has OUMB mojo in its soul

If indeed it has one. It’s not bad bad; it’s preferable to the previous one, if only because it has some remnant 60s style.

So I’m guessing this is the banking center for the area

Compare the others with this utterly ordinary example of early 20th commercial architecture, and ask yourself which has more innate dignity and quiet appeal.

“Not sure what was there. Might’ve been the Big and Tall shop.”

Now restored. What was over the main door? What was removed?

A sign is the most obvious answer, but why did removal take the bricks with it?

While we’re at it: were the storefronts originally angled like that? Interesting.

Unusual window configuration. Based on my very limited knowledge, Id say that was for ventilation purposes, but the style of the building is younger than the older ones that relied on thin windows.

“Sure, I can do a logo! I have this cool program that does gradients AND embosses and bevels and chrome effects!”

“All at once?”

“You bet!”

The All-Purpose Crest of the Family Generica

"Our family traces its line back to a noble family of carrot farmers"

Can you design something a bit Georgian that nevertheless has sexual fantasies about the Dutch?”

"On it."

I am a sucker for a white-brick turquoise metal panel rehab, I’m afraid to say.

The late 70s and early 80s had an abundance of bad designs, but this was the one that seemed nationwide, ubiquitous, and persistent.

Nice, but it looks as if they ran short on funds and had to settle for an off-the-shelf cupola of diminished proportions.

The Statue of Liberty! Every town should have one.

“Why yes, we do worship the Sphinx here. How’d you guess?”

“Why yes, we do worship Jove here. How’d you guess?”

The tidy public library.

That was a big service station. If I’m reading it correctly, the left part was original, the middle part . . . was the bathroom? New office / merchandise room on the right.

I must have missed The Stubby Avengers.

Opened in 1938. Cinematreasures has a picture of the “Bodiform seating.”

Did you know that type of chair had a name? I didn’t.