Cope Furniture, Alliance Hardware, Spring-Holzwarth

The 300 and 400 blocks of E. Main Street were historically significant for their retail establishments, including Cope Furniture, Alliance Hardware, and Spring Holzwarth on the north side of the 300 block. Cope Furniture's building at 314 E. Main Street, constructed in 1906 with Chicago School details, features a modernized first floor with all the upper floor windows filled with painted corrugated panels. Alliance Hardware at 318 E. Main Street, also built in 1906, boasted Jacobethan architecture with limestone details. "Toyland" was a popular attraction during the Christmas season. The building at 320 E. Main Street replaced the original Spring-Holzwarth Department Store, lost in a 1931 fire. The fire also damaged Alliance Hardware due to limited fire equipment at the time, resulting in the removal of its original elaborate brick point.

The 300 block of E. Main Street along with the 400 block, was always important for its retail stores. Cope Furniture, Alliance Hardware, and Spring Holzwarth were the anchors on the north side of the 300 block for much of the early to mid 20th century.

Cope Furniture occupied the building at 314 E. Main Street, a 1906 vertical block commercial building, with details from the Chicago School. The first floor was altered to include a contemporary glass and metal storefront while the second floor is concealed behind a wide sign band. A vertical block commercial building was typical of "high rise" or buildings with four or more floors and usually having a simple facade or having a patterned brick or stone cornice. All the upper floor windows on this building have been filled with painted corrugated panels.

The Alliance Hardware building at 318 E. Main Street, built in 1906, is a Jacobethan Vertical Block building constructed of red brick and steel beam construction with limestone details. Originally, the building was capped with an elaborate brick point, which was lost due to the 1931 Spring-Holzwarth fire at 320 E. Main Street. The building includes decorative carved limestone arches and floral motifs around the windows and a Tudor arch. A memorable feature of the Alliance Hardware Store was "Toyland" where every child would want to come for Christmas.

The building at 320 E. Main Street was the rebuilt store for Spring-Holzwarth. The original building was destroyed by a large fire on February 1, 1931, Due to inadequate fire equipment, the Alliance Hardware store next door received extensive damage losing the top floor of the building. The current building is a non-contributing building to the National District due to alterations to the construction.

Morning after the Spring Holzwarth fire. https://www.alliancememory.org/digital/collection/places/id/1389/

National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. "Alliance East Main Street Historic District." 2017.