Higgins, Jung & Kleinau Building
Built: 1886
Architect: George H. Miller
About George H. Miller
George H. Miller (b. May 7, 1856—d. March 6, 1927) grew up on a family farm as one of eight children. His education began in the public school system, and by the age of 15, Miller began his career under architects from the Rudolph Richter firm, which at that time was the only one in Bloomington. In 1874, Miller traveled to Columbus, Ohio, working as a draftsman with the Chicago-based firm Fredrick and Edward Bauman, and working alongside architect John Harris.
Returning to Bloomington in 1875, Miller launched a successful career as an architect. He designed prominent buildings such as the Oberketter, Corn Belt Bank, and Livingston buildings, which established him as a leading figure in Bloomington architecture. Miller innovated by introducing modern side lighting systems in school buildings, a technique still in use today.
Beyond architecture, Miller contributed to his community, serving as Bloomington city treasurer, third ward alderman, and chancellor of the local Knights of Pythias chapter. He married Rose Stautz in 1887 and had three children: Kenneth, Raymond, and Sallie. In his later years, Miller faced health challenges, including paralysis from a stroke, leading to his passing in 1927. He is buried in Evergreen Memorial Cemetery.
Style: Victorian (or Richardsonian) Romanesque (1870-1900)
About Victorian (or Richardsonian) Romanesque (1870-1900)
Romanesque styles borrowed from the early European Middle Ages (ca. 900-1200) and are typified using modest columns, Roman arches, and massive masonry. Henry Hobson Richardson created a unique American style from these elements shortly after the Civil War, using large scale and heavily rusticated Romanesque forms.
Address: 227-231 E. Front Street
Brief History:
1886 - Built by Civil War veteran Hamer J. Higgens, the building served as the home to his monument making company Higgens, Jung & Kleinau Monument Co.
1956 - Monument/headstone production came to an end
1960 - Nybaake Vacuum became a tenant until 1992
1992 - Restored by Mike Temple to include apartments on the second floor
1994 - Pars Rugs occupies first floor retail space
2010 – Oriel windows and tin work are remodeled to present state.
Architectural Description:
Three-story brick and marble, Victorian Romanesque style building.
Large storefront aluminum windows grace the first floor, separated by four marble pilasters . Middle entry way graced by fanlight window repeating the overhead arch.
A brick string course and a string course of rusticated stone connect to a black marble cornice , delineating the upper floors from the first floor.
Oriel windows of wood and metal project from the façade and are fabricated with numerous amounts of detail and patterns. They are ornamented with the use of stained glass blocking along the top eave but were removed and replaced by very simplistic and stark installations.
Middle second floor windows are framed by two miniature granite columns in the Corinthian Order that appear to hold the weight of the archway above. The header above is engraved by the name of the store, H.J. Higgens & Co. Marble Works.
The second and third floors are separated by a rusticated stone string course.
Framing the third floor windows is a large Romanesque arch of marble, detailed by small marble tiling emphasizing the arch even more in its contrast to the miniscule and dark tile.Â
Interesting Facts:
The marble front of the building was designed by Hamer Higgens, who worked with architect George Miller to showcase his talents.
The monument company Higgens, Jung & Kleinau produced grave markers and kept records of all of them. These records were often used by local people to trace family histories.