The two structures, Dow Hall and the Blind Department Building, were significant components of a system of state-administered special education for the physically and mentally disabled segments of the population.

[2] Both buildings have been demolished, and their listing was removed from the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.

[3] Alexander Faribault moved into his impressive Second Empire home on the east side of the Straight River in 1856.

[4] Dow Hall (1883) was built specifically to house the School for the Blind.

[5][6][7] The building was demolished some time after 1996 due to potential safety hazards.