Property Record
317 W 2ND ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | BRISTOL BLOCK |
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| Other Name: | MEYER'S DRUGS |
| Contributing: | Yes |
| Reference Number: | 883 |
| Location (Address): | 317 W 2ND ST |
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| County: | Ashland |
| City: | Ashland |
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| Year Built: | 1892 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 1983 |
| Historic Use: | retail building |
| Architectural Style: | Romanesque Revival |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Brownstone |
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| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | West Second Street Historic District |
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| National Register Listing Date: | 2/2/1984 |
| State Register Listing Date: | 1/1/1989 |
| 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, Division of Historic Preservation-Public History. 2 ORIEL WINDOWS,ELABORATE ROMANESQUE TREATMENT ABOVE [Date Cnst:CA (A)] Described by Ashland Daily Press Annual Edition of 1893: "An elegant brownstone business block of the modern type... The building has added very much to architectural appearance of Ashland." [A] DESCRIPTION: This three-story rock-faced brownstone richardsonian Romanesque style commercial structure originally contained the high-quality jewelry store of E.J. Born and Company. Built by T.J. Bristol, this store held "all the inducements of the largest jewelry stores of Chicago and the east.." [7] Altered on the first floor, the upper three floors are intact. The symmetrical three-part facade has two hexagonal wooden bay windows, one on either side of the central window block which features a cast-iron balcony, the namestone, and, above this, an arched window with a molded triangular cap. The brownstone is on fine quality and has been laid in alternating horizontal rows of narrow and wide blocks. Many interior oak door jams and the stairwell remain in place. SIGNIFICANCE: This pivotal brownstone building is significant for it's high artistic value in the core of the commercial district and for it's close identification with the commercial goals of Ashland in the 1890's. This building, completed in 1892, with illustrated and praised in the Ashland Daily Press Annual (1893) as "as elegant brownstone business block of the modern type," where the noteworthy jewelry business of E. J. Born was located. The building was erected for T.J. Bristol, who came to ashland from New York via Chicago. The famous and widely respected jewelry store of E.J. born was at this address after building was completed. The Ashland Daily Press Anual of 1893: All the inducements of the largest jewelry stores of Chicago and the east, are offered right here in Ashland by E.J. Born and Company." [A] |
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| Bibliographic References: | [A] ASHLAND DAILY PRESS ANNUAL EDITION 1893 Ekert, Kathryn. Sandstone Buildings of the Lake Superior Region. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 2000. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |