Moore Building Celebrates 100 Years this Week

The building erected by early 20th century bike dealer and City Councilor Arthur H. Moore celebrates its centenary this week.

Moore Building on High Street (via Streetview)

September 1st, 1923

September 1st, 1923

Nine months earlier he'd purchased the lot(s) and a couple months later announced some design details. (The TG Bligh Building on the corner also went up at the same time, frequently linked in stories, and that might be for another time.)

January 9th, 1923

March 13th, 1923

Except for old City Hall, the area was still mostly housing and wood-framed construction. The Moore Building was second generation redevelopment. In a pin or brooch the Mill published a few years back, you can see some houses in the approximate location of the Moore Building.

Old City Hall (notes added, WHC 2014.082.0655)

The Downtown Historic District listing suggests the modern lot lines don't correspond exactly to the older ones. Moore may have purchased parts of two lots (the white bracket on the map).

The block on 1895 Sanborn Map
(Notes in white added, map via LOC)

On the block (and things to revisit another time!) you can see also an older WCTU reading room and the "old Court House in poor condition," used in part as a junk store. That would be the Court House of 1854, replaced by the more ornate one of 1873. The WCTU moved in 1903. The current state of the block shows great change!

The Moore Building was well underway by summer.

July 4th, 1923

At the end of August Moore announced his move.

August 29th, 1923

The Downtown Historic District Nomination lists a completion of 1924, and the plaque on the building also shows 1924, but 1923 is a better date.

Moore died in 1949 and the obituary led with his stint on City Council.

May 2nd, 1949 (Also May 3rd)

The story of his bike business, as you can see in the obituary, publicly was said to have started in 1912. It was older. In fact, Arthur took over an existing business from his brother Frank J. Moore, who had died from injuries after a motorcycle crash with an automobile that year.

Just as true today!
Frank J. Moore Ad, April 1910

Over the years this was a curious and consistent erasure. Grief was likely a part of it, though there might have been weirder reasons also. Apparently he was often known by his dead brother's name? Did he not only absorb the business but also absorb the identity? Probably we'll never know.

Oct.11th, 1938

Previously on Moore see:

• "Arthur Moore Building Built by Bikes" (2013)
• "More on Arthur Moore! A 1948 Profile" (2013)