East Main-Mechanic Streets Historic District

Springville's commercial core along East Main Street, together with two buildings on Mechanic Street, forms a district of about 5.5 acres on flat ground. It contains 24 contributing and 2 noncontributing buildings, built between about 1850 and 1924. Most are two- to three-story attached brick blocks, many in the Italianate style, with cast iron, stone and pressed metal ornament. Similar scale, materials, rooflines and setbacks give the street a cohesive look, even though many storefronts have been modernized. The earliest styles include a Greek Revival former residence at 31 East Main Street. The Leland House, a frame Second Empire hotel of about 1879 with a mansard roof and tall tower, is among the most striking buildings. The R. B. Waite Building of about 1912 housed the Antidolar Manufacturing Company, a maker of local anaesthetic. Together the buildings record the growth of the village's business life, including its hotels, shops, fires and improvements. The district is still used for commerce, with shops, offices and restaurants.