Property Record
133 S BLAIR ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Chicago and Northwestern Railway Passenger Depot |
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| Other Name: | Chicago and Northwestern Railway Passenger Depot |
| Contributing: | Yes |
| Reference Number: | 79532 |
| Location (Address): | 133 S BLAIR ST |
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| County: | Dane |
| City: | Madison |
| Township/Village: | |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | |
| Range: | |
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| Year Built: | 1910 |
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| Additions: | 1911 |
| Survey Date: | 1982 |
| Historic Use: | depot |
| Architectural Style: | Neoclassical/Beaux Arts |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Stone - Unspecified |
| Architect: | Frost and Granger |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | East Wilson Street Historic District |
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| National Register Listing Date: | 4/3/1986 |
| 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 State Historical Society, Division of Historic Preservation. Map code is 0709-133-0502-9. "The first east side depot was built by the Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad at the foot of Franklin Street in 1869. It was later replaced by a larger facility in the late 1880's which stood until 1952. The old Chicago & North Western Railroad depot stood east of Blair Street on Wilson, erected in the 1870s. It was enlarged in 1885 incorporating the Monona Hotel and replaced by the depot of a Neo-Classical style of architecture in 1910, which became known throughout the Midwest as the "handsomemost station in the the North Western system." The North Western closed its station and sold the building to the Madison Gas & Electric Company in 1965." Williamson Street, Madison Wisconsin: An Historical Survey and Walking Tour Guide, by Gary Tipler & the City of Madison Landmarks Commission & Professor William H. Tischler, 1979. "The MG&E offices include two former Chicago and North-Western buildings, a freight station opened in 1906 and a passenger station completed in 1910. Both railroad buildings were designed by Frost and Granger. The busy passenger station, which once boasted of a fine dining room, was built of Bedford stone in "an attractive white color" similar to the C&NW's Chicago station, designed by the same architectural firm. Division offices were located here from 1933 to the late 1950s. The passenger station was sold to MG&E in 1965, a few months before C&NW passenger service ended, as the railroad consolidated its freight offices at Monona Park on E. Johnson Street. MG&E remodeled the passenger station into an operations center. Later, the freight depot was purchased, turned into an energy exhibit hall, and both buildings blended into MG&E's new office complex, dedicated in 1983." Madison's Pioneer Buildings: A Downtown Walking Tour, 1987. |
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| Bibliographic References: | Wisconsin State Journal 12/29/1910. The Northwestern, 2/1911. Eau Claire Country Today "The Country Yesterday." 5/14/1997. City Directories. Madison's Pioneer Buildings: A Downtown Walking Tour, 1987. Williamson Street, Madison Wisconsin: An Historical Survey and Walking Tour Guide, by Gary Tipler & the City of Madison Landmarks Commission & Professor William H. Tischler, 1979. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |