Property Record
23 N 5TH AVE
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Dr. Joseph and Olivia Soper House |
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| Other Name: | |
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| Reference Number: | 49800 |
| Location (Address): | 23 N 5TH AVE |
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| County: | Door |
| City: | Sturgeon Bay |
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| Unincorporated Community: | |
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| Year Built: | 1881 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 20002023 |
| Historic Use: | house |
| Architectural Style: | Italianate |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Concrete Block |
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| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Dr. Joseph and Olivia Soper House |
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| National Register Listing Date: | 5/1/2024 |
| State Register Listing Date: | 2/23/2024 |
| National Register Multiple Property Name: |
| 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, State Historic Preservation Office. This house is of interest primarily because of its basic construction material: an early "Frear stone" concrete block of local manufacture. Large, smooth finish blocks are laid as ashlar would be and with the horizontal (not vertical) joints deeply struck. The stilted, segmental arched window caps (some single and some double) are also of cast concrete. Rear dormer windows and the existing garage are later additions, but the basic mass of the building is intact. The building also features decorative cross-braces under the more prominent gables. It is of architectural significance as the only residential example of the use of this locally produced and short-lived building material remaining in the city. Another detail--not necessarily relating to this building but in the same lot--is the casting in place of street names on a flat concrete slab at the inside corner of the Louisiana Street and Fifth Avenue sidewalks. Here, Church (now Fifth Ave.) and Cottage (now Louisiana) streets are visible. This detail can be found on many street corners within the older portions of the city and is of some urban design interest (See Dr 22-19). Note: A commercial building example of this building material is at 40-44 North Third Avenue. Both the same block and pattern-as well as the same lintels--are used there. (Curiously, this building is shown as a wood frame construction until the 1928 Sanborn/Perris Map which shows concrete veneer). Dr. Soper, a Civil War veteran, had the house constructed in 1881 at a cost of $1,800. Builders were Amos Machen and T.S. Johnson with Thomas Brown of Ahnapee serving as concrete mason. The artificial stone was supplied by Giles Kirtland, formerly of the Frear Stone Manufacturing Company of Chicago. In 1886 Soper sold the home to George Spear, an important local figure who was a partner in the Merchants Exchange Bank. In the twentieth century, the house was divided into apartment units before serving as office space for a local nonprofit organization. As of 2023, it is being restored to use as a single-family residence. |
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| Bibliographic References: | A. Kahlert, Early Door County Buildings, pp. 79-82. B. Sanborn-Perris Maps of Sturgeon Bay, 1928. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |