The Bellevue Apartment Building is a four-story, red brick apartment building that was built in what was once one of the most fashionable residential neighborhoods of the Madison. Over time, the surrounding houses and mansions have given way to government buildings and the Monona Terrace, but the Bellevue remains the largest and best-preserved apartment building of its kind in Madison.

The apartment building was a new housing form during the 1910s, and it was immediately popular because, like the Bellevue, it offered practicality and convenience. The Bellevue Apartments were built for middle-or upper-middle class residents, ideally those who worked in nearby downtown, either in government or the other white collar industries surrounding the State Capitol. The building provided many modern amenities including basement laundry and kitchen services. When the building was completed, the Bellevue was advertised as “the last word in convenience.”

The level of interior integrity sets the Bellevue apart from other apartment houses of similar size from the time period. Still present in most of the units is the extensive woodwork in the craftsman tradition, including door and window moldings, cornice moldings and picture rails. All apartments also have a fireplace with mantel and a sun porch. Built-in wooden cabinets with leaded glass doors are still extant, as are the original kitchen cabinets and built-in bedroom dressers. The quality of its preservation, as well as its existence as an early example of an upper-class apartment house, makes the Bellevue a significant Madison landmark.

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