Cherry and Second Sts.

Walking towards Cherry Street:

Ahead of you on the right is the Mankato Post Office and Federal Office building.  What is it constructed of?  What does it say about the natural resources of this area?  An addition was made some time in the twenties.  Can you tell which is the original and which is the addition. (Ignore the loading docks on the back).

 On the corner is the Multi-Church Center.  How does this fit into the context of the street?  How do you know it�s a church?  Yes there is a spire on top of the roof.  Could the roof be painted with red stripes and an image of the Colonel be put on top(as a weather vane) and then turn the whole thing into a KFC?  Have you ever known of another facility that served multiple congregations?  (St. Peter Lutheran-Catholic Church?)

Behind you on the left is the Chatham Square Apartments, once the Inn Towne Apartments. This structure was originally a motel built in the 1950�s.  It was unsuccessful because the rooms were too small relative to modern hotel designs.  In the 1980�s it was converted into apartments rather than being torn down.  Another good example of adaptive reuse.

On the opposite other corners across the street are the Earl Johnson Furniture stores.  The red brick building with the limestone accents and green awnings was once a tractor repair and machinery sales operation.  The long low one-story building was once the Greyhound Bus Depot for Mankato. 
Now turn left onto Cherry and notice the bus stop across from Bagel Brothers.  You have now entered what was once the �Downtown Commercial Core".