Property Record
309 CORNELIA ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | OSCAR F. NOWLAN HOUSE |
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| Other Name: | |
| Contributing: | Yes |
| Reference Number: | 48673 |
| Location (Address): | 309 CORNELIA ST |
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| County: | Rock |
| City: | Janesville |
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| Unincorporated Community: | |
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| Year Built: | 1893 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 19892014 |
| Historic Use: | house |
| Architectural Style: | Queen Anne |
| Structural System: | Balloon Frame |
| Wall Material: | Clapboard |
| Architect: | |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Prospect Hill Historic District |
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| National Register Listing Date: | 11/5/1992 |
| State Register Listing Date: | 7/22/1992 |
| National Register Multiple Property Name: |
| Additional Information: | Demolition request issued by the city on 4/11/2003. The Oscar Nowlan house is a two and one-half story frame Queen Anne house that features a complex gable roofline, an octagonal tower with pent roof projecting from the house and an abundance of modillions that decorate the eaves of the gable projections, the tower, and the main roof. Gable projections are shingled with scalloped shingles and gables that top projecting two story bays are also supported by corner knee-brace brackets. The whole building sits on a cut limestone foundation. The front porch is a c. 1950 replacement of the original and is done in a neo-Colonial style. The main entrance is composed of two narrow wooden doors that are relatively undecorated. A side porch features simple columns, a simple balustrade, and a sloping roof with eaves that are decorated with modillions. Built by Oscar Nowlan, a local builder and carpenter, its asymmetry is found primarily in the complex rooflinem the projecting bays, and the tower. The abundant use of modillions and the more symmetrical windows of the house suggests a movement toward the classicism seen in later Queen Anne houses. Oscar Nowlan was one of Janesville's best known builders. He came to Janesville in 1866 and was responsible for the construction of institutional and industrial buildings in Janesville and elsewhere in Wisconsin. Oscar Nowlan came to Janesville in 1866 and began working as a carpenter/contractor. As stated above, he was responsible for many major buildings in Janesville and throughout the state. He and his wife Jennie lived in this house until the mid-1920s. After their tenure, the house was divided into apartments and remains so today. While this house has some historical interest as the home of prominent builder Oscar Nowlan, its significance is in the area of architecture. |
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| Bibliographic References: | (A) TAX ROLLS. (B) DIRECTORIES. (C) PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM OF ROCK COUNTY, WISCONSIN, CHICAGO: ACME PUBLISHING COMPANY, 1889, P. 418. "Cultural Resources Report For the Proposed Talman House Telecommunications Facility in Janesville, Rock County, Wisconsin." WHS Project #14-0719/RO. June 2014. Prepared by Marcy Prchal. The Janesville Historic Commission, Janesville, WI, The Prospect Hill & Conrad Cottages Historic Districts: A Guide, 1992. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |