NEENAH, Wis. - The Wisconsin Historical Society announces the listing of the Isabel and Orrin Johnson House in the National Register of Historic Places on June 26, 2024. Constructed in 1918, the single-family residence is located in Neenah, Winnebago County.

The Isabel and Orrin Johnson House was designed in the Arts and Crafts style, a style that is not commonly found in Neenah or Winnebago County. It is further distinguished by a Georgian Revival interior. The surrounding neighborhood is comprised of the East Forest Avenue National Register Historic District, established in 2005; it reflects a grouping of grand houses constructed at the turn of the century in popular styles of the time.

The house boasts a pitched roof line with flared eaves and vergeboards, exposed rafters and triangular knee braces. Stucco clads the house with molded belt courses punctuated by wood-frame windows and doors, some of which are highlighted with leaded glass, flower boxes and original storm windows. The residence features an original three-car garage, the earliest known in the city. The interior boasts pronounced fireplaces, a decorative skylight, open floor plan with a solarium, original wood floors, doors with original hardware and ornamental panels.

Isabel Johnson hailed from Michigan and came to Neenah following a divorce from her first husband. She married millionaire Charles Smith, president of the Menasha Wooden Ware Company and one of the wealthiest men in Wisconsin at the time. In 1901, she built a house for her mother at the current site of the Johnson House. In 1916, Smith passed away, and she inherited approximately $28 million in today’s evaluation. In 1918, she married her third husband, Broadway matinee idol Orrin Johnson, who performed in several theatrical productions and silent movies with well-known stars. The same year Isabel constructed a larger house for her mother and family in the Arts and Crafts style, featuring terraces and patios that allowed the interior to be infused with light. The three-car garage was immediately connected to her sitting room. She was fond of driving and was popular locally as a philanthropist. Orrin died in 1943 and Isabel followed in 1950, when the high-end furnishings and house were sold.

This is a private residence. Please be respectful of the owners.

Additional information for the Johnson House is available at:

https://wisconsinhistory.org/Records/NationalRegister/NR2792

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.