11 North 3rd Avenue

The west side of North Third Avenue begins with the three bays of the John J. Pinney Block, built in 1906. The Pinney Building, formerly the Fairfield Building, anchors this prominent downtown corner. The shops and other businesses in this block continue to define the character of the Third Avenue Historic District.

This large commercial block is only three bays wide at the front but extends back to the full depth of the lot. It is designed in a simplified, local interpretation of the Renaissance Revival style with the half-basement level finished with grey, local limestone set as rock faced ashlar. Two stories of grey brick top this and are crowned with a corbelled brickwork frieze which is, in turn, capped with a pressed sheet metal cornice. A shallow third story appears to have been added sometime after 1911. This addition does not detract from the architectural integrity of this highly visible corner building. It is an excellent example of a simply detailed, local interpretation of this style.

John J. Pinney was the editor of the Door County Democrat, a political and commercial rival to the present Door County Advocate.

The first building at this location was the John P. Graass building, erected on this corner of Cedar (3^rd Avenue) and Spruce (Michigan Street) in 1881. It was one of the first saloons located in the city. The Graass family lived there also. In 1906 it was moved to the northwest corner of Spruce (Michigan Street) and Court (4^th Avenue) to be replaced by a new up-to-date building (The Pinney Building) which will be utilized by the Wisconsin Telephone Co and others.

When this building was built in 1906, it housed a business college, the public library, the telephone exchange and the post office. By the 1920s, it was used in part by the city hospital. Leasum Hospital was founded in 1927 by Dr. Charles Leasum.

1. https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NRHP/83004282_text