22 March 2009

st. olaf, iowa



Contrary to what one might deduce from the photos I've posted on here, not every building in Iowa is run-down and abandoned. The derelict buildings do tend to be the ones that fascinate me, however. 

This one sits on Main Street, in the tiny town of St. Olaf. Population 136.

the kann building, #2




My favorite building in Guttenberg. I don't know the story behind it, but it is flanked on either side by Kann Manufacturing, so I've come to call it the Kann building. 

It has obviously been abandoned for a number of years, and lies right next to the railroad tracks that run through town. The side facing the tracks consists of four very large, tall doorways that would conceivably welcome newly-arrived train travelers. One could guess that whatever the building was, it was probably of some importance (read: more than just someone's house), and was probably related to its situation beside the railroad.

Two smaller stone buildings sit behind it.