We visited the town in the Clippings feature recently. Now let’s see what it looks like.

The home of the Muffler Man and the Tilt-O-Wheel, right? Few cities have given so much to American culture.

It’s nice they left a space for the prisoners to look out and see the street below.

I like it, as these things go.

You know, guys, you don’t have to do this.

R. S. Dodge.

Here’s his house! Rufus Dodge, co-owner of Dodge and Davis Department store. Says the history site, anyway.

I’m sure it’s Mid-Town, and I don’t doubt that it has offices, but I’m not sure it’s a complex.

Nice front, though.

“We build the second floor with the expectation that professional basketball players would need a place to set up an office some day."

Nice piece of work, in its simple ways, but it seems to moire like a TV sportscaster’s plaid suit.

It was a meat market.

Waymarking says:

Built in 1905, this was the result of the success the Youngmann Brother's Meat and Sausage Factory had in Sparta.

Well yes, I suppose so.

Proof of prosperity. Aside from the craptalicious rehab on the right side, which should be issued as a reprimand in the architect’s eternal record.

We forget that UNION had extra value in those days. A reminder of the thing that was sundered, then repaired.

I pity everyone involved in this.

Yes, Fancy Fab Funky! Three words that naturally come to mind when beholding this theater.

But it’s not a theater. It’s a clothing store. Get a gander of how they ruined it in the 70s.

’m pretty sure this is original. The arches weren’t glassed in. It was just a way of articulating the side.

IOOF! Joined with its neighbor by a coat of paint, whether it wanted to be conjoined or not.

An opposite example: one building cut by paint.

Ah, but it’s not one building, is it? There are two entrances to upstairs, I think, and you can see some janky brickwork at the seam.

Classic bar facade rehabs, and crappy jobs in both instances.

You know there’s a nice bank under all that. Right? If we’ve learned anything over the years, it’s the likelihood of finding a bank.

Horrible job. The man who did it was probably proud of it, too. Modernized the old block! Brought a fresh note of today to Main Street!

Our middle name, by some strange turn of events, happens to be music! Therefore we are very good at what we do and you should come here.

This sets a new standard in OUMBs, as it expresses the faux-stone mashed up aggregate like few other buildings I’ve seen.

It’s odd how the banks of the era were avant-garde, but in ways we don’t always recognize today.

1896. Third Century. That’s fantastic. Makes me wonder if Mr. Williams added that part on the left.

Shifty’s Shack.

Proud and somewhat overcalled top, with its needless ornamental stone balls. But it was the developer’s way of saying “yep, I’m swimming in dough. I can afford touches like that. This is the premier address downtown.

It’s like three guys built these, and two of them asked the first for the address of the company that sold those decorations. You might if we put up something similar, Frank? Make a united front. We’d all still be different.

No statues of the Muffler Man, though. I’m actually surprised .