monumental 19th century american interior solid quartered oak wood staircase landing lintel or architrave possibly fabricated by palmer, fuller & co. of chicago. the custom-built victorian era header was salvaged from the extant david c. cook mansion, located in elgin, il. the two opposed wall-mount grooved brackets or corbels are accentuated with intricately designed and deeply incised floral motifs. the header is divided into two sections containing equally spaced load-bearing blocks with unique profile. the double-sided recessed panels contain strongly geometric floral rosettes outlined in trimwork. the original varnished finish remains in great condition, considering age. the oversized header piece is exceptionally strong and sturdy. david c. cook, founder of a prominent religious publishing operation, built the high victorian queen anne chateauesque style mansion on the corner of gifford and division streets in 1885. in 1945 the grand residence was converted (i.e., modernized and expanded) into the mary margaret nursing home and later renamed the bowes retirement center. fortunately, interior elegant furnishings located on both the first and second floors were left intact from the time of mr. cook's occupancy. the fate of the house remains uncertain. measures approximately 119 x 30 x 7 inches.