The Finch Block

09/20/2026

We’ve been behind on our updates but work hasn’t stopped! Working on laying out the pressed metal ceiling tiles for reinstallation - not a simple task. My grandpa always said if you could hang wallpaper with your spouse, you had a strong marriage, this is next level.

06/28/2026

Send a message to learn more

06/27/2026

Sometimes, in restoration work, the best kind of construction is deconstruction! The storefronts were covered up with metal/painted sometime between the early 1960s and early 1970s - over 50 years since they’ve seen the sun! 😎

06/09/2026

🎶🔜🎺🪊🥁🎷🎹🪗☀️💃🕺

✨Excited to share the lineup for our 2026 Music in the Park Summer Concert Series! See you at the park! ✨

🎵Tues., June 9th at 7pm: Humboldt Community Band

🎵Fri., August 7th from 6-8pm: The Nedd Freeley Funn Band

🎵Sat., September 12th from 5:30-7:30pm: The 515 Big Band

A HUGE Thank You to our Sponsors and those that make this event possible: Bank Iowa, Lofty Lou, Night Owl Books, The Protea Collective, City of Humboldt, Power Co-op Employees Credit Union - we’re so grateful for your support!

06/06/2026

Finally, all that time spent tracing comic books as a kid pays off! Among the unique challenges presented by the limestone construction of the Finch Block are areas where stone meets wood. Once painted these trim boards (themselves salvaged during our deconstruction of the building’s interior), will blend seamlessly into the old stone wall, but the path to get there is one of careful tracing and then repeated cuts to get the piece to conform as neatly as possible to the face of the wall. Thanks again to .tuckpointing for making such a difficult task just that much simpler to accomplish.

05/12/2026

🤔 Remember any of these? Share in the comments!

Businesses that have occupied 623 Sumner (west storefront):
• Hubbard Drug Store (1904 - 1941)
• Tigges Drug Store (1941 - 1963)
• Clemenson Drug Store (1963 - 1970)
• Humboldt Pharmacy (1970 - 1975)
• Village Kobbler (1975 - 2001)
• Humboldt Screen Printing (1992 - ?)
• The Cottage (2002 - 2007)
• Long Term Medical Supply (2007 - 2018)

04/28/2026

Cannot get over how skilled these masons from TNT Tuckpointing & Building Restoration, LLC are - in awe! Proper before/after coming soon!

04/21/2026

Lots of activity in the last few weeks!
✔️ Drywall at ceiling (don’t worry, the pressed metal panels will be reinstalled!😎)
✔️ Framing
✔️ Sistered floor joists to increase structural capacity

03/18/2026

⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ Just like Johnny Cash built his car.

03/05/2026

😵‍💫 Any guesses on how many pieces of pressed metal tile are on the ceiling of 621? 😵‍💫

Phil is carefully removing each one (meticulous labeling/mapping included) to be reinstalled after we get a fire-rated ceiling assembly put in place.

Fun fact about pressed metal ceilings - pressed metal ceilings are nowadays viewed as a purely decorative element. However, they were originally marketed as a fire barrier between floors, and often unornamented. Customers wanted the fire barrier but didn’t want a plain ceiling. The earliest panels were sold with aftermarket moldings that could be applied but soon enough companies developed ways to stamp designs into the tiles, making them both decorative and functional elements. Fire was a major problem in developing towns and cities when The Finch Block was constructed (1904) — in fact, the lots on which it stands only became available because the previous structures had burned down. So it stands to reason that someone like Parley Finch would want more than just a pretty ceiling in his fine new building.