Stop. Turn around. Walk back.

Just strolling down a street in St. Paul, Minnesota.  I walked past a building then told my wife I had to go back.  I had seen something but was not sure just what....

Big deal, just another patched up old building.  But something about it, perhaps the diversity of stone and brick types in evidence, suggested other than ordinary.

This bricked up area looks to have a smaller bricked up area in the middle.  Was this an original door converted to a window then covered when a second building went up alongside?

The front of the building does not give an obvious clue, although I did remember the name of the business.....

The building of course is far older than 1923, and jogged a memory from a newspaper article some years back.

This is actually the oldest commercial building in St. Paul, and was an armory during the Civil War.  Peeking upwards we find the confirmation....

Having dodged the wrecking ball that has redone so much of the city, the Original Coney Island Tavern is looking pretty good for its age.  Alas, no longer in day to day business but evidently available for special functions.