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Summary
Albert Zahn House/ Bird's Park
8223 State Highway 57, Town of Bailey's Harbor, Door County
Builder: Albert Zahn
Date of construction: 1924
After retiring at age sixty from a life of farming, Albert Zahn and his wife, Louise, began constructing and embellishing this unique property. Zahn hand-mixed the concrete and poured it into molds to form the eight-inch thick walls of the house. The resulting monolithic concrete walls still show the impressions of the formwork on the exterior walls. Also scattered on the property are concrete display stands and piers that displayed Zahn's artwork.
Zahn had a lifelong interest in woodcarving and was an experienced carpenter. A noted folk artist, Zahn displayed many of his bird carvings around the grounds and named the property Bird's Park, which he inscribed on a sign and placed over the entrance to the house. Other subjects included fish, deer, totem poles, and biblical characters. Albert would carve the figures and Louise would paint them in bright colors. Initially, Zahn gave away the carvings to friends or sold them to visitors for a small amount. As national interest in folk art grew, his carvings were collected and displayed in museums, including the Guggenheim and the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Art Institute of Chicago.
The house is private property. Please respect the privacy of the owners.
Property Details
| Criteria | Person,Architecture/Engineering |
|---|---|
| Area Of Significance | Architecture,Art |
| Period of Significance | 1924-1950 |
| Architectural Style | Late 19th And Early 20th Century American Movements |
| Architect | Zahn, Albert |
| Resource Type | Building |
| Historic Use | Single Dwelling |
Resources Within The Property
| Contributing Buildings | 1 |
|---|---|
| Contributing Sites | 0 |
| Contributing Structures | 0 |
| Contributing Objects | 0 |
| Non-Contributing Buildings | 0 |
| Non-Contributing Sites | 0 |
| Non-Contributing Structures | 0 |
| Non-Contributing Objects | 0 |
Designations
| Historic Status | Listed in the State Register |
|---|---|
| National Historic Landmark Listing Date | Oct 22, 1999 |
| Historic Status | Listed in the National Register |
| National Historic Landmark Listing Date | May 11, 2000 |
State & National Registers of Historic Places
The State Register and National Register recognize buildings, sites, districts, structures, and objects that are significant in national, state, or local history. The State Historic Preservation Office in conjunction with the National Park Service maintains the list for Wisconsin and makes the data available to the public for research and education.
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Highway 13 South
05001195
Located in Town of Worcester, Price County
The Bird House at Bird Park
1933
House built by Albert Zahn, Sr. He carved figures of angels, animals, and birds, and after his wife painted them, he mounted them on pillars in the yard. A dog is lying in the yard near the foundat...
8152 State Trunk Highway 57
00000455
Located in Town of Baileys Harbor, Door County
