Johnson Building, 532 Sumner Avenue, Humboldt, Humboldt County, IA

Significance: The Johnson Building was constructed in 1898-1899 at the direction of A.B. White, who operated a department store in the building until 1950. The construction date is verified by a completion photograph in the January 4, 1900 issue of the "Humboldt County Independent" and grand-opening advertisements in the October, 1899 issues of the same newspaper. A.B. and Esther White purchased the building site on September 1, 1898 and construction began shortly thereafter. The primary construction material was native limestone blocks quarried from Kelder Quarry located approximately two miles west of the building site and adjacent to the North Fork of the Des Moines River. (In 1985 Kelder Quarry was a part of Sheldon Park, owned and operated by the Humboldt County Conservation Commission.) The blocks were transported down the frozen river to the construction site on horse-drawn sleds.
Survey number: HABS IA-156