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The Nye Block, also known as the Johnson Landmark Building, was a historic commercial building at Main and Railroad Streets in
Johnson, Vermont Johnson is a town in Lamoille County, Vermont, United States. The population was 3,491 at the 2020 census. The town is home to Northern Vermont University-Johnson, a part the Vermont State Colleges system. The Vermont Studio Center is locate ...
. Built in 1868, it was an elaborate example of
Second Empire architecture Second Empire style, also known as the Napoleon III style, is a highly eclectic style of architecture and decorative arts, which uses elements of many different historical styles, and also made innovative use of modern materials, such as ...
, occupying a prominent position in the town center. It was destroyed by an arsonist in 1986. It was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...
in 1977.


Description and history

The Nye Block stood prominently in the center of the village of Johnson, at the southwest corner of Main and Railroad Streets. It was a long -story wood-frame structure, capped with a mansard roof that provided a full third floor in the attic. The building physically dominated the area, as it was the tallest and most ornately decorated structure in the downtown. Its main facade faced Main Street, and it extended over along Railroad Street, its rear section decreasing in width due to the curvature of the road. The mansard roof had a bracketed cornice at both the steep and shallow-angled portions, and windows recessed into it. An ornate porch extended across the front and partially along the left side, and there was a recessed porch bay midway along the long left side. with The block was built in 1868-69 by Leonard Knight, a local businessman, as a speculative venture in anticipation of the railroad being routed nearby. It was at the time of its construction the most ornate building in the town, and was rare in the state as a particularly good example of vernacular Second Empire architecture. It was destroyed by a suspicious fire in 1986; the building had stood vacant for some time, and rehabilitation possibilities had been under discussion in the town.


See also

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National Register of Historic Places listings in Lamoille County, Vermont __NOTOC__ This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Lamoille County, Vermont. This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Lamoille County, ...


References

{{NRHP in Lamoille County, Vermont Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Vermont National Register of Historic Places in Lamoille County, Vermont Second Empire architecture in Vermont Buildings and structures completed in 1868 Buildings and structures in Johnson, Vermont