The building at 25 Mattoon Street, seen around 1938-1939. Image courtesy of the Springfield Preservation Trust.
The building in 2015:
This building is a little different from the rest of the houses on the south side of Mattoon Street. It was built in 1891, making it the newest on that side of the street. Unlike all of the others, it was built as an apartment building, and its Romanesque architecture is very different from the rest of the street. It is also known as the Yadow Building, because of the somewhat enigmatic “Yadow” inscription in the center of the parapet, and it is part of the Quadrangle-Mattoon Street Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Yadow building was built by William O. Day who was treasurer of U.S. Envelope. “Yadow” is W. O. Day spelled backwards.