For Immediate Release

Contact: Keri O’Keefe

Keri.okeefe@wisconsinhistory.org

608-261-9597

Charles and Gertrude Rietz House Placed on the State Register of Historic Places

Random Lake, Wis. - The Wisconsin Historical Society placed the Charles and Gertrude Rietz House (Random Lake, Sheboygan County) on the State Register of Historic Places on February 16, 2018.

The house was designed by the prominent Milwaukee-based architectural firm of Leenhouts and Guthrie in an eclectic blend of popular early-twentieth-century residential architecture.  Constructed in 1903, the Rietz House features key architectural elements associated with Queen Anne and Craftsman styles, such as a dominant front-facing gable, wraparound porch, variety of surface textures, and cutaway bays combined with wide overhanging eaves with exposed rafters and decorative knee braces.  It is one of the few unaltered residences dating to the early 1900s within the community.  Many of the extant historic-age residences within the community have been significantly altered by replacement siding, large additions, and the removal of decorative details, or replaced by modern residences.  The Rietz House is a striking, architect-designed home having distinctive characteristics of the Craftsman and Queen Anne styles, and as such is notable as a house of architectural distinction.

The State Register is Wisconsin's official list of state properties determined to be significant to Wisconsin's heritage. The State Historic Preservation Office at the Wisconsin Historical Society administers both the State Register and National Register in Wisconsin.

To learn more about the State and National Register programs in Wisconsin, visit www.wisconsinhistory.org.

About Wisconsin Historical Society

The Wisconsin Historical Society, founded in 1846, ranks as one of the largest, most active and most diversified state historical societies in the nation. As both a state agency and a private membership organization, its mission is to help people connect to the past by collecting, preserving and sharing stories. The Wisconsin Historical Society serves millions of people every year through a wide range of sites, programs and services. For more information, visit wisconsinhistory.org.

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