New to the National and State Registers
By Michael Bridgeman
Two years ago, I wrote about additions to the National and State Registers of Historic Places. Identifying and recognizing worthy properties is an ongoing activity, so an update is in order.
In 2020 and 2021, there were five additions to the registers in Madison and Dane County—two houses and three historic districts. Buildings and districts usually come to mind when most people think of the National or State Registers, though each encompasses more. They also list structures, such as water towers (in Oregon and Sun Prairie), and sites including farmsteads, shipwrecks (none in Dane County), and Indian mounds (abundant in the county).
North Hall
North Hall (1851), the oldest building on the UW-Madison campus, was the first Madison entry on the National Register of Historic Places. It was listed on Oct. 15, 1966. Photo: UW-Madison
The National Register is “the Nation's official list of historic places worthy of preservation” while the State Register “is Wisconsin's official list of state properties determined to be significant to Wisconsin's heritage.” So there’s no question that being listed is an honor. On the other hand, there can be tangible benefits for owners of historic homes and historic commercial buildings who do eligible work and qualify for tax credits.
Recognition on the National or State Register does not restrict what a private owner may do with their building, “as long as there are no federal or state funds, licenses or permits involved,” according to Daina Penkiunas, the State Historic Preservation Officer. “It’s local designation that requires review and a certificate of appropriateness for proposed work,” she said. In Madison, that work is managed by the Historic Preservation Planning office.
Governor’s Mansion Inn
The Governor’s Mansion Inn qualified for historic preservation tax credits as an income-producing property when the owners converted the Old Executive Residence (1854-1856) at 130 E. Gilman St. to a modern inn and café. Photo: Governor’s Mansion Inn
An important note: The Wisconsin Historical Society reminds us that most National and State Register properties are private and not open to the public. While there’s nothing better than seeing significant places in person, it is important to respect the owners' privacy and not trespass on private property.
. . .
Philip H. and Margaret Gray Jr. House
Madison: 6115 N. Highlands Ave.
Date of Construction: 1940
William V. Kaeser designed this house, “the largest and one of the finest Modern Movement style houses built on the west side of the city of Madison when it was constructed in 1940,” according to the National Register nomination. The design is Wrightian, though Kaeser had not studied with nor worked for Frank Lloyd Wright. Kaeser came to “organic architecture” by his own path, having studied at Illinois and MIT, and with Eliel Saarinen at Cranbrook.
Philip Gray came to Madison to teach in the English department at the University of Wisconsin. He and his wife were able to build a sizeable house in the Highlands because Gray had inherited considerable wealth; his grandfather had been president of Ford Motor Company. Time has been good to the house: “Nearly every original feature of the exterior is extant and in very good condition and the same is true of the interior.”
The Philip H. and Margaret Gray House (1940) was the first “modern” house in the Highlands, breaking from the popular period revival styles. This was architect William Kaeser’s largest project after opening his own office in 1935.
Photo: WHS Architecture & History Inventory AHI 237579
. . .
Sylvan Avenue-Ridge Road Historic District
Madison
Period of Significance: 1907-1960
The Sylvan Avenue-Ridge Road Historic District is one of two new National Register districts in Madison. There are 29 single-family houses in this small, near west side district between Resurrection Cemetery and Reservoir Park. While the district includes two Period Revival style houses, most of the houses “are excellent examples of either the International style or else they illustrate various manifestations of the Modern Movement style.” Most of the modern houses make the most of their hilly sites.
Some of Madison’s most active 20th-century architects designed houses for the neighborhood including William V. Kaeser (see above); Herb Fritz Jr.; Beatty & Strang, who designed seven houses; Weiler & Strang, and Donald Reppen. Marshall Erdman built seven houses in the district, more than any other builder.
This home for Helen I. Clarke (1935) was the first of five International style houses in the district, all designed by noted Madison architects Beatty & Strang. Prof. Clarke established the program in social work at UW-Madison.
Photo: WHS Architecture & History Inventory AHI 73323
Richard, an engineering professor, and Mary Heine engaged Donald Reppen to design their Contemporary style house (1956) at 30 S. Franklin Ave. Reppen was a designer, not an architect, which limited the size and type of building projects he could undertake. He ultimately focused on interior design.
Photo: WHS Architecture & History Inventory AHI 222467
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Coolidge Street-Myrtle Street Historic District
Madison
Period of Significance: 1943-1948
Madison’s second new National Register district is contemporary with the Sylvan Avenue-Ridge Road district above, but targeted to very different buyers. The Coolidge Street-Myrtle Street Historic District, just east of the former Oscar Mayer complex on Madison’s east side, contains 159 single-family houses. All are small, one-and-one-half story gabled houses made of pre-cut or prefabricated components. The first 40 houses, erected in 1943 for workers in defense industries, were designed and manufactured by the Gordon-Van Tine Company of Davenport, Iowa. The reminder were built by the Harnischfeger Corporation in Port Washington and assembled from 1946 to 1948 for sale to returning World War II veterans.
The houses are modest in size and simple in design, a type categorized by architectural historian Virginia Savage McAlester as Minimal Traditional. In Madison, the Coolidge Street-Myrtle Street district “is the physical representation of Madison’s efforts to solve the defense housing crisis caused by World War II, and the veterans housing crisis that followed the end of the war.”
Clarence and Lillian Schlough purchased the house at 2818 Coolidge St. (1943). Manufactured by the Gordon-Van-Tine Company, it was erected to house workers in defense industries during World War II.
Photo: WHS Architecture & History Inventory AHI 233863
The Harnischfeger Corporation fabricated houses targeted to returning World War II veterans including this one at 2406 Myrtle Ave. (1947). The first owners are unknown.
Photo: WHS Architecture & History Inventory AHI 233883
. . .
Depot Hill Historic District
Stoughton
Period of Significance: 1885-1946
Situated at the intersection of Main street and the old Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad tracks, the Depot Hill District is east of the landmark Stoughton Opera House. The relatively small commercial district includes a range of styles, from vernacular to Italianate and Moderne. Among the notable buildings are two tobacco warehouses that date to 1885; two Milwaukee Road depots, one from 1885 and the other from 1913-1914; three gasoline stations; and a Pabst Brewery-built saloon. All but one of the buildings are clad in masonry.
The cream brick-clad Turner & Atkinson Tobacco Warehouse (107 S. 7th St.) was erected in 1885 as the largest tobacco warehouse in Stoughton, a status it never lost, according to the nomination for the Depot Hill Historic District.
Photo: WHS Architecture & History Inventory AHI 98000222
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Edwards-Larson House
McFarland: 6003 Exchange St.
Date of Construction: 1898
The Edwards-Larson house embodies the Queen Anne style with its complex, steeply-pitched roof and street-facing gable; wood siding, both clapboards and shingles; cutaway bay windows at the front and side; a prominent entry door; and decorative spindle work. “The interior retains very good integrity, having its historic plan, features and finishes throughout.” E. N. Edwards had the house built in 1898 and it was later purchased by his friend John Larson; he and his family lived here for nearly 80 years. The McFarland Historical Society bought the house in 2012 and now operates it as the Larson House Museum.
The Edwards-Larson house, sited at a prominent intersection in McFarland, was built with four bedrooms, two parlors, dining room, kitchen, pantry, attic, and cellar—a plan it retains today.
Photo: WHS Architecture & History Inventory AHI 100007138
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SOURCES
National Register of Historic Places. Philip H. and Margaret Gray Jr. House. Madison, Dane County, Wisconsin. #100006286.
National Register of Historic Places. Sylvan Avenue-Ridge Road Historic District. Madison, Dane County, Wisconsin. #100005173.
National Register of Historic Places. Coolidge Street-Myrtle Street Historic District. Madison, Dane County, Wisconsin. #100005149.
National Register of Historic Places. Edwards-Larson House. McFarland, Dane County, Wisconsin. #100007138.
National Register of Historic Places. Depot Hill Historic District. Stoughton, Dane County, Wisconsin. #98000222.
Virginia Savage McAlester, A Field Guide to American Houses (New York: Alfred A. Knopf), 2015. 586-595