H. C. Pitney Variety Store Building

The H.C. Pitney Variety Store Building is a two-story brick structure with two side-by-side commercial storefronts on Main Street in Tampico. Both units feature flat-topped window openings, stone lintels above them, and a metal cornice running along the roofline, with the left storefront spanning three bays and the right spanning four bays.

Ray McKenzie constructed this two-story brick building in 1900 as a commercial structure for Tampico's business district. The H.C. Pitney Variety Store operated from the ground floor from 1911 until 1920.

The upper floor served as a residence while the ground level remained active as a retail space, reflecting how merchants lived above their businesses. This arrangement connected family life directly with the rhythm of commercial activity on Main Street.

The building sits prominently on Main Street and is easy to locate due to its distinctive pair of side-by-side storefronts with contrasting widths. Visitors can view the exterior and appreciate the architectural details from the street without restriction.

A family member who would later hold high political office lived on the upper floor as a child for roughly a year in the early 1920s. This residential connection adds a layer of personal history to what appears as an ordinary commercial building on Main Street.

Location: Tampico

Part of: Main Street Historic District

GPS coordinates: 41.63139,-89.78583

Latest update: December 11, 2025 11:00