Approximately half of the total basement's area has this higher floor level, which means that the ceiling is much closer to the top of your head. It's this way at both the front and the back of the basement. In fact, the beam shown below is located under the entrance to the store (under the tile floor and display windows). Not only are these beams huge, but they are installed in pairs.
The original building had a smaller footprint, and this wall, which shows the thickness of the foundation, was the rear wall of the basement at that time.
Bits of the 1927 remodel are still present, like the door handles on the doors leading from the main room to the higher levels in the back and front basements.
Then there's this lovely handmade vernacular wooden door. It's very sturdy, which is a good thing. We believe that this is where the bad dreams and nightmares were kept, and we don't need any of those!
3 comments:
Nice! Does any of it extend under the sidewalk? I worked in a jewelry store in Burlington in the 60s that had a similar look, and I'm sure the gloomiest parts were under the sidewalk.
WOW!
My name is Sue Ellen (Dawson) Hegstrom. I am a Washington, Iowa native (class of '87 grad) and I didn't know this blog even existed until today. (I found your link via Monte Asbury's blog.)
I remember the JC Penney store quite well, as well as the Dollar Store that came after it. I am just totally amazed at the treasures you've found so far underneath all the remodeling.
I would like to link to this in my own personal blog and also refer to this blog in an entry I'm writing for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. I hope it's all right. Please go ahead and take a look at my blog to see that I'm on the level...the address is http://musingsofachick.blogspot.com.
I'm DEFINITELY going to keep track of this project.
"Does any of it extend under the sidewalk?"
Not really, except that there is a sidewalk trapdoor on the north side, but that's obvious.
The entrance to the store front, the part with the tile floor, has basement below it, but that's actually inside the building as it was originally constructed, and the second floor remains above that area, so it's inside/outside.
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