Property Record
141 S EAU CLAIRE ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | |
|---|---|
| Other Name: | BEN FRANKLIN STORE |
| Contributing: | |
| Reference Number: | 2586 |
| Location (Address): | 141 S EAU CLAIRE ST |
|---|---|
| County: | Buffalo |
| City: | Mondovi |
| Township/Village: | |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | |
| Range: | |
| Direction: | |
| Section: | |
| Quarter Section: | |
| Quarter/Quarter Section: |
| Year Built: | |
|---|---|
| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 19772021 |
| Historic Use: | retail building |
| Architectural Style: | Commercial Vernacular |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
| Architect: | |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
|---|---|
| National Register Listing Date: | |
| State Register Listing Date: |
| Additional Information: | SEGMENTAL ARCH WINDOWS. ALTERED FIRST STORY. This building was originally built as a garage but in the mid-1930s it was remodeled as The Recreation Hall. There was a bowling alley in the building and a ballroom on the second floor. It replaced the Opera House as the center of activity in the community. Basketball games were played here in the 1930s. The Harlem Globetrotters played here at one time and Duke Ellington and his orchestra performed in the Recreation Hall in the 1930s. A fire gutted the building in the late 1950s and the first floor became retail space and the second floor was converted to apartments. 2021 - Resurveyed. This two-story commercial vernacular building was constructed c.1890. The rectangular building is clad in a mixture of rusticated stone, brick, and textured concrete. The altered storefront level is clad in a rusticated sandstone and contains two storefronts. There is a large centrally located display window with two panes. On either side of the window is an entrance door that is slightly recessed from the facade. Above the display window is a metal sign board. The second story of the facade is clad in textured concrete between brick pilasters, creating two bays. Fenestration on each bay includes a pair of one-over-one replacement windows that have brick sills and segmental arches. Above the windows is a brick lintel which is further topped by a decorative brick cornice. |
|---|---|
| Bibliographic References: | . |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |