This month, read about a proposal to demolish two contributing buildings in the Wingra Park National Register Historic District that was unanimously rejected by the Plan Commission on September 23 as well as a demolition request for 225 W. Gilman St. that was considered at the September 9 Plan Commission meeting.

This month we share a position paper entitled “FACADISM” by Charlie Quagliana, historic preservation architect, and a paper from PlaceEconomics that outlines the YIMBY movement’s philosophy and makes the evidence-based case in response to the YIMBY attack on historic preservation.

A proposed ten-story structure between two Madison Landmarks, the Milwaukee Road Depot and the Wiedenbeck-Dobelin Warehouse, threatens to isolate the Warehouse and further transform the rail corridors that once defined West Washington Avenue.

The reign of Queen Anne—as an American architectural style—ended more than 100 years ago. In its heyday, the style was immensely popular across the country. The Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory has records for 1,007 Queen Anne houses in Dane County, and 490 in Madison. Though the branches of the family tree have grown slender and sparse, I’ve tracked down some local, modern-day descendants that demonstrate clear bloodlines.

I’m happy to travel for architecture. I’m also content to find treasures close to home. Traveling far from home is not a requirement for finding places and things that are interesting, pleasurable, and illuminating. This month I look at two sub-styles I set aside as “exceedingly rare” in my recent piece about Spanish Revival influences seen in Madison and Dane County to see what they can tell us.

In November of 2022, I wrote about French-style houses in the Madison area. This month I turn my attention to Spanish-influenced buildings, a category which is at once narrower—examples are scarce in our area—and broader—there are more than houses to consider.