The Brewster Building, designed by William H. Hamilton, is the best and oldest 19th century commercial building in Galt. No other commercial structure of this age in Galt possesses the excellence of design quality, degree of physical integrity, and the elegant presence of Brewster Building.

The building is a good representative of the many two and three story commercial structures built in small towns and cities throughout the state during the latter part of the 19th century.

The building was a major retail source in a town isolated from multiple retail markets. It was a gathering place for Masons and then for the International Order of Odd Fellows. These organizations successively occupied the upper floor of the building.

The building is also a fine example of the 19th century use of brick to form patterns and textures which enriched surfaces and dramatized structural elements.

The Brewster Building employs a variety of Italianate and classically derived elements such as the brick corbels that extend across the upper facade beneath the frieze and the smaller metal dentil course beneath the projecting metal cornice. The shallow pitched gabled roof concealed by the projecting parapet and the segmented arched windows also suggest classical and Italianate derivations. The form and proportion of the building, roof shape, and arched windows are among the most reflective elements of the Italianate style.

Adapted from the NRHP nomination submitted in 2000.

The Independent Order of Odd Fellows (I.O.O.F.) is an altruistic fraternal organization derived from the similar English Oddfellows service organizations which came into being during the 1700s....Although in Britain the Odd Fellows tended to meet in pubs, in the U.S. the lodges often built their own facilities. Many of these are now on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places....

From Wikipedia entry for Independent Order of Odd Fellows