3,000 Meskers found worldwide!

Another milestone has been reached. Mesker facades #2,997 through 3,000 come from Lebanon, Kentucky. Two of the buildings are brick fronts with galvanized sheet-metal window hoods and cornices by George L. Mesker & Co. (126 West Main St. and the adjacent Clark Building). Another brick front at 215 West Main St. features a cornice by Mesker Brothers Iron Works. The best is a two-story corner building with a galvanized sheet-metal upper story by Mesker Brothers along the main elevation and cornice with window hoods on brick side elevation. Manufactured in 1887 for “Hilpp Brothers & Goodin” (name in the pediment), it is one of the earliest Mesker Brothers fronts in the country, and with excellent integrity above the storefront. None of the four buildings appear to retain storefront column nameplates (most columns are gone or hidden) so the attribution is based on the motifs.

Lebanon, KY. 126 West Main St. and the adjacent Clark Building feature galvanized sheet-metal window hoods and cornices by George L. Mesker & Co., Evansville, IN. Image courtesy of flickr member Tourismguy.

Lebanon, KY. Corner view of the Hilpp Brothers & Goodin Building at 202 West Main St. The second story is a galvanized sheet-metal facade manufactured by Mesker Brothers Iron Works in 1887. The brick side elevation features a cornice and window hoods, also by Mesker. Image courtesy of flickr member Tourismguy.

Lebanon, KY. At left is the Hilpp Brothers & Goodin Building with a Mesker Brothers upper story. Image courtesy of flickr member Tourismguy.

Here are additional statistics regarding the 3,000 buildings that make up the database:

• 1,634 by Mesker Brothers Iron Works (MB)
• 1,343 by George L. Mesker & Co. (GLM)
• 18 by both
• 5 by J.B. Mesker & Son (JBM)
• 931 complete fronts, i.e. facades with sheet-metal panels above the storefront (731 MB, 196 GLM, 4 both)
• 297 buildings demolished (198 MB, 96 GLM, 1 both, 2 JBM)
• 1,246 communities (649 MB, 409 GLM, 188 both)
• 49 states (except Hawaii)
• 2 countries (USA and Canada)
• Top five states are Illinois (875), Indiana (458), Texas (227), Missouri (204), and Kentucky (126).

Thank you to all who have contributed to this identification effort. Special thanks go to Roger Waguespack who has provided many of the last 1,000 identified locations and even more importantly has been communicating with the local building owners, officials, and historians regarding these discoveries and the historic significance of the buildings.

How many more are out there? 4,000 anyone?