410 South Center Avenue
Historic Name: | Vernon County Normal School |
---|---|
Reference Number: | 11000479 |
Location (Address): | 410 South Center Avenue |
---|---|
County: | Vernon |
City/Village: | Viroqua |
Township: |
Vernon County Normal School 410 South Center Avenue, Viroqua, Vernon County Architects: Parkinson & Dockendorff Construction Date: 1919 The highly intact Vernon County Normal School is one of the finest of the buildings that once housed Wisconsin's 32 county normal schools and it is an excellent representative example of this specialized educational resource type. The County Normal School program, begun in 1899, filled the growing need for qualified teachers to staff the state’s rural schools. The program continued to produce teachers until 1971, when the state ceased funding it. During the course of its 64 year history as a training school, nearly 2000 teachers received their training in this building. It remains the physical embodiment of this program and of the commitment that Vernon County's citizens made to properly educate their rural children during this important period of growth. This Prairie School style building was built in 1919 at a cost of nearly $65,000.00. The prominent La Crosse, Wisconsin, architectural firm of Parkinson & Dockendorff designed the building. The firm is noted for their designs of numerous school buildings built between 1902 and 1952, both in Wisconsin and in other states. Today, the school is the headquarters of the Vernon County Historical Society. It houses the Society's museum and is open to the public.
|
Period of Significance: | 1919-1971 |
---|---|
Area of Significance: | Architecture |
Area of Significance: | Education |
Applicable Criteria: | Event |
Applicable Criteria: | Architecture/Engineering |
Historic Use: | Education: College |
Architectural Style: | Prairie School |
Resource Type: | Building |
Architect: | Parkinson & Dockendorff |
Historic Status: | Listed in the National Register |
---|---|
Historic Status: | Listed in the State Register |
National Register Listing Date: | 07/26/2011 |
State Register Listing Date: | 11/19/2010 |
Number of Contributing Buildings: | 1 |
---|---|
Number of Contributing Sites: | 0 |
Number of Contributing Structures: | 0 |
Number of Contributing Objects: | 0 |
Number of Non-Contributing Sites: | 0 |
Number of Non-Contributing Structures: | 0 |
Number of Non-Contributing Objects: | 0 |
National Register and State Register of Historic Places, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |