At first glance, this brick commercial building in Wray, Colorado, looks a bit awkward. Closer inspection reveals that it is only half of of building; the left hand side was once the center (or near-center) of the structure.
The brick building not only has no door, but its ornamentation is asymetrical.
The right hand side has a vertical band of ornamentation which one would expect to be mirrored on the left. The buff brick corbeled cornice is stepped at the right and terminates abruptly at the left. The ground floor window has been shortened as evidenced by the non-matching brick below it, but the width of the opening is original. To the left of the window is a cold joint which extends to the sidewalk; this may have been the original entry to the building when it was wider.
A little bit closer…
Today the building appears to be utilized by the business to the right. And now, a view of the side and cornice corner:
The rough edge of the corbeled cornice is good evidence of surgery.
I don’t know why this building was cut in half, but my best guess is that it was done to make room for the adjacent theater building which is about 20 years newer. The theater appears to have been built somewhere around 1940; I would like to know the story behind this interesting architectural quirk. Anomalous buildings like this not only add interest to their communities but add an additional layer of history as well.