The Highley Building 

🧱 Highley Building


 Address:  501 and 503 North River Street, Hot Springs, SD


 Built:  1906


 First Occupant:  Unknown


 Current Occupant:  Unknown


 Architect:  Unknown


 Contractor:  Unknown


 Sandstone Quarry:  None


 Architectural Style:  Early 20th-century commercial structure featuring a stamped metal façade with simulated rockwork and a flora-and-fauna–decorated cornice — one of the best surviving examples in South Dakota.


📜 Historical Overview

During the early 1900s, stamped metal building fronts gained popularity in South Dakota for their versatility and decorative potential. The Highley Building, constructed in 1906, is one of the finest surviving examples in the state. Its façade incorporates two common design features of the style: simulated rock surfaces and a cornice decorated with intricate plant and animal motifs.


These elements, while mass-produced, were intended to give small-town commercial blocks the ornamentation and refinement of larger city buildings. Today, the Highley Building stands alongside other River Street structures that together form a visual record of Hot Springs’ architectural transition from the ornate sandstone of the Victorian era to the decorative metal and brick of the early 20th century.


🔍 Research Notes & Requests

Save Our Sandstone is still seeking:

  • Original builder and architect information
  • Early photographs showing the storefront in its original configuration
  • Documentation of the first tenants after completion


QR Code Info: Built in 1906, the Highley Building features one of South Dakota's finest surviving examples of a stamped-metal façade. With simulated rock surfaces and a cornice adorned with plant and animal motifs, the building reflects the early 20th-century trend of decorative metalwork in small-town commercial architecture. It stands as a testament to Hot Springs’ transition from Victorian sandstone to early 20th-century ornamental styles.

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