Property Record
1190 FOSTER ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | UECKE'S OPERA HOUSE |
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| Other Name: | ELLESON'S FURNITURE |
| Contributing: | |
| Reference Number: | 2083 |
| Location (Address): | 1190 FOSTER ST |
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| County: | Barron |
| City: | Cumberland |
| Township/Village: | |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | 35 |
| Range: | 13 |
| Direction: | W |
| Section: | 6 |
| Quarter Section: | |
| Quarter/Quarter Section: |
| Year Built: | 1903 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 19852020 |
| Historic Use: | retail building |
| Architectural Style: | Greek Revival |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Asbestos |
| Architect: | |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| National Register Listing Date: | |
| State Register Listing Date: |
| Additional Information: | A 'site file' exists for this property. It contains additional information such as correspondence, newspaper clippings, or historical information. It is a public record and may be viewed in person at the Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Historic Preservation-Public History. Resurveyed in July 2020 by UWM-CRM as part of the WisDOT USH 63 reconstruction project. Uecke’s Opera House and Land Office is a two-story, Neoclassical-style building built in 1903. The front-gabled building is rectangular in plan and faces south onto Foster St. The building is clad in clapboard with wood trim. The front façade is symmetrical and contains two-story, paired classical pilasters at either end of the elevation. The space between the pilasters contains five-panel entry doors with transoms at the street level, and oval windows with elongated keystones at each quarter. The central bay, between the paired pilasters, contains two picture windows with three-light transoms in the first story and paired one-over-one double hung windows with diminutive pilasters and classical entablature in the second story. The front gable is articulated as a pediment, with a narrow architrave molding, a frieze band containing the words “UECKE’S OPERA HOUSE,” and a raking cornice supported on modillion brackets. The pediment is clad in clapboards; in its center is a semicircular arched, six-light window with an elongated keystone. The side (north and south) elevations are less elaborately detailed than the front and contain a variety of storefront windows with transoms, entry doors with transoms, and tall double-hung windows at street level. The second stories of the side walls contain nine (relatively) evenly-spaced one-over-one double hung windows. The windows in the side walls are a mix of historic windows and modern replacements, but all appear to retain their original wood surrounds and modest cap moldings. The opera house was built in 1903 at a cost of $10,000. When it was constructed, the first floor held a real estate development company owned by Albert Uecke (elected mayor of Cumberland in 1906). The second floor held a social hall with stage that hosted school graduations and performances. In the mid-1920s, the stage was removed and the upper floor was remodeled as a roller skating rink and dance hall. In 1941, a furniture company purchased the building and converted the interiors into apartments (some with mezzanines) and a furniture store. Portions of the exterior cladding and decorative details were removed at this time. In 1986, the exterior of the building was rehabilitated to its approximate original appearance, based on historic photos. |
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| Bibliographic References: |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |