Kirk Modern Apartments
Name of Building
Kirk Modern Apartments
Town or City, Country where the building was originally established
Mason City,Iowa
Date the building was designed and/or first built
Completed: 1903
Demolished: 2023
Name of Architect, Builder, or Primary Patron Responsible
J. H. Felt
Geo-Location
43.15401238739781, -93.20127579993117
Materials
copper (metal), panel (wood by form),metal, brick (clay material)
Size and/or Scale of Building
3 stories tall
Architectural Type
Public
Formal Style
Richardsonian Romanesque
Building Description
This historic apartment complex is quadratic in its makeup. Viewed from above, it is a simple square with morphed edges. It was a three story building, and served several entrances on its bottom level. From here, it unfolds like a typical apartment. The materials here are somewhat similar to those typically found in Richardsonian architecture. There is brick material similar to stone, granite and rocks. In addition there is typical glass material found in these projects. However, there are other materials, such as copper and panel wood, that helped make up the structure. This goes to show the idea that the popularity of Richardsonian began to fade just a bit as we entered the 20th century. This in addition to the fact that the construction method, specifically the arches, were combined with other classical styles. Despite this, the structure represented as one of the last installments from the most popular period of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture, with it still being in use until very recently, unfortunately being demolished in 2023 after a fire accident.
Creative Commons or other copyright information
Image 1: Creative Commons
Image 1: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/TheKirk.jpg
Student First and Last Name
Julian Forster
Bibliographic references for the item
David Gebhard and Gerald Mansheim, "Kirk Modern Apartments", [Mason City, Iowa], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/IA-01-NO208.
Demolition on Kirk Apartments planned to start Wednesday morning
Citation
J. H. Felt, “Kirk Modern Apartments,” World Architecture, accessed June 28, 2026, https://www.worldarchitecture.artinterp2.org/items/show/255.
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