Property Record
29 S MAIN
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | HELMS BLOCK |
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| Other Name: | C.L. JAVA |
| Contributing: | Yes |
| Reference Number: | 53945 |
| Location (Address): | 29 S MAIN |
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| County: | Rock |
| City: | Janesville |
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| Unincorporated Community: | |
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| Year Built: | 1905 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 1977 |
| Historic Use: | retail building |
| Architectural Style: | Queen Anne |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
| Architect: | |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | South Main Street Historic District |
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| National Register Listing Date: | 6/1/1990 |
| State Register Listing Date: | 4/19/1990 |
| National Register Multiple Property Name: |
| Additional Information: | This three story red brick commercial block has a decorative metal cornice, corbelling, and two story metal oriel windows. This building, which is in good condition, and which was occupied by stores and offices in 1982, is architecturally significant in that it represents a type, period, or method of construction. Historical Statement: This Block was constructed in 1905 for Helms and McVicar. (See Bib. Ref. B). The 1913 directory indicates that the Helm's seed store was located at 29 South Main, and the McVicar brothers' plumbing store was located at 31 South Main. "The Helms and McVicar Blocks originally housed the Helms seed store and the McVicar Brothers plumbing firm. After about 1920, a popular cafe operated in the Helms Block, while the plumbing business remained in its original location until the 1950s. The details of these buildings are quite typical of turn-of-the-century commercial construction in Janesville. The Queen Anne style buildings are topped with bracketed metal cornices stamped with the owner's names. Windows at the upper floors are set into pressed metal bays that are decorated with modillions and panels." Main & Milwaukee: Janesville's Downtown Historic Districts, A Guide. Prepared by Landscape Research for the Janesville Historic Commission, 1989. |
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| Bibliographic References: | A. City Directory: 1913. B. Original name and date of construction: Cornice. C. Main & Milwaukee: Janesville's Downtown Historic Districts, A Guide. Prepared by Landscape Research for the Janesville Historic Commission, 1989. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |