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Monona, Dane County WI. - The Wisconsin Historical Society announces the listing of the Ray S. and Theo P. Owen House in the National Register of Historic Places on October 25, 2022.

Ray S. Owen was a professor of civil engineering at the University of Wisconsin in Madison when he and his wife Theo P. employed architects and brothers James and Edward Law to design a summer cottage on the shoreline of Monona in 1911. The Laws were early in their career at the time of construction and would later become the most successful architectural practice in Madison.

Referred to as the “Bungalowen,” the small cottage is designed in the Craftsman style, a popular style in the early 1900s. Originally built as a one-story residence, it is highlighted by wrap-around screen porches, original wood doors and windows, wood lap and shingle siding, and wide overhanging eaves. A second story addition later provided more space for their growing family. The Owens would often entertain students and friends at the cottage in the summer. Additionally, in 1932, a year-round residence was constructed next door and connected to the original cottage, which then became a summer guest house.

The new residence was designed by a family friend, Theron Mandeville Woolson, of Winnetka, Illinois. This residence, also one-and-a-half stories tall and constructed in the Craftsman style, featured a larger floor plan and basement. Today, the Bungalowen is in excellent condition and highly intact with original features; it is the best example of the Craftsman style in all of Monona.        

Additional information for the Ray S. and Theo P. Owen House is available at:

https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/NationalRegister/NR2731

To learn more about the State and National Register programs in Wisconsin, visit: https://wisconsinhistory.org/hp/register/

About the 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.