| Additional Information: | Built into the slope of the hill, this Contemporary-style, tri-level house is topped with varying levels of hipped roofs, features strong horizontal lines and a variety of materials, including stone veneer, cedar and vertical board and batten. A dominant interior chimney rises from the roofline. The primary entrance is found at the home’s mid-section and retains the original decorative wooden screen adjacent to the door, as well as planters. Three picture windows with lower louvered panels dominate the home’s single-story, while both casement and slider windows punctuate the home’s two-story wing to the north. A wide band of cedar projects slightly from the central portion of the two-story wing, which gives the appearance of a balcony. The rear elevation of the home features large expanses of glass.
Located in the Meadows, 3rd Addition (subdivision), this house was built in 1956 by Milwaukee designer Roy Jacobs for Paul & Thelma Strong at an estimated cost of $42,000. Paul Strong was born circa 1907 in Michigan, the son of Fred and Dora Strong. In June 1948, he wed Thelma Inman, who was born in England. In 1926, Paul established the Jiffy Dry Company, which specialized in syrups and flavorings for bottlers. In 1933, cheese production was added and the name was changed to Old Tavern Cheese Products. In 1968, the company relocated to a new building at 230 S. Prairie Avenue, where the company remains in business, run by daughter Jill Strong. The Strongs remained in the Downing Drive home through circa 1972. Paul died in 1976 and Thelma died in 2003. As of 1973, the home was owned by Albert & Frances Scheideler; at that time, Albert worked as the general manager of the X-ray systems department of General Electric. The house is currently for sale. |
|---|
| Bibliographic References: | Permit dated 10 April 1956; est. cost, $42,000. owner and designer from permit.
“Waukesha Firm Spreading Fame of Wisconsin’s Cheese,” The Milwaukee Sentinel, 11 January 1948; “Cheese Packed Here is Popular,” Waukesha Daily Freeman, 6 February 1948; “Mr. Paul Strong Takes Bride in Florida Today,” Waukesha Daily Freeman, 1 June 1948; Rachel McCormick, “Family Business Inspired Loyalty,” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 31 October 2003; “Old Tavern Cheese” website, Brief history available online at www.oldtaverncheese.com/t/aboutus, Accessed in June 2014; Roy Jacobs, “Residence and Garage for Mr. & Mrs. Paul Strong,” Original plans, undated, In possession of Jill Strong (daughter of the late Paul Strong), Waukesha, WI; Jill Strong, Conversation with Traci E. Schnell, 27 June 2014, Notes on file at Heritage Research, Ltd., Menomonee Falls, WI; Waukesha City Directory, 1970-1973. |
|---|
