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Oxford Annex - #7
1612 17th Street
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Architectural style: Twentieth-Century Commercial with Beaux Arts Influences Built: 1912 Architects: Montana Fallis and Robert Willison |
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Although it was built as an addition to the Oxford Hotel in 1912, the Oxford Annex, with its glazed terra-cotta - a white tile - on the exterior facade, is unique. It is the only white tile building in Lower Downtown. Architect Montana Fallis designed the building for proprietors Hamilton Brooks Company, who had their initials embossed on the tile at the lower corners of the building. The top five floors of the annex were devoted to hotel rooms, which added eighty-four smaller rooms to those already in the popular hotel. The first floor contained retail shops. The annex is connected to the main hotel by a passageway over the alley at the fourth-floor level and by another in the basement. Fallis was known for his use of terra-cotta in the detailing of his designs, but the annex represents his most elaborate use of the material. Terra-cotta was used as a building material in America as early as the 1880s, but became more popular in the twentieth century following improvements in production and increased variety in colors. Note the projecting center bay and the elaborate projecting cornice at the top of the structure. The structure has elaborate brackets with a floral motif. The annex was renovated with the Oxford Hotel and now provides offices on the top three floors. The Aveda Spa/Salon and Oxford Athletic Club are located in the basement and second floor, with an art gallery on the first floor. |
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