City Library (Buena Vista Offices)

This Second Empire brick building was constructed for the headquarters of the Buena Vista Development Company, the land speculators largely responsible for the community's creation. In 1892, the newly formed city purchased it for use as the city hall, a purpose it served until 1971. The ground floor housed the courtroom and offices for the clerk of the court, the mayor, and the treasurer. The second floor was rented to various lawyers for offices and to the telephone exchange. The third floor served as an Odd Fellows lodge. When the city offices moved out in the early 1970s, the building was threatened with destruction but was saved by a local citizens' group and refurbished as the city's public library and Chamber of Commerce. Its most distinctive architectural features are the mansard roof, central tower, and decorative roof tiles. On the interior, much of its factory-made, East-lake, wooden trim survives, including the open-string staircase and mantels in the offices. The building is important as one of the few surviving boom-era public structures.