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953 JENIFER ST

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Property Record

953 JENIFER ST

Historic Name:
Pilgrim Congregational Church (3rd Ward School)

Other Name:
Wil-Mar Neighborhood Center

Reference Number:
103133

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Property Location

Location (Address)

953 JENIFER ST

County

Dane

City/Village

Madison

Township

Unincorporated community

Town

Range

Direction

Section

Quarter Section

Quarter Quarter Section

Property Features

Year Built

1877

Additions

1914

Survey Date

1982

Historic Use

school-one to six room

Architectural Style

Spanish/Mediterranean Styles

Structural System

Wall Material

Stucco

Architect

David R. Jones -1877,James R. Law-1914

Other Buildings On Site

Demolished

No

Demolished Date

Additional Comments

According to the city of Madison records, the Pilgrim Congregational Church was originally constructed as the 3rd Ward School Building in 1877. According to Sanborn Fire Insurance maps the original 1877 structure was shifted northwest on the site and rotated 90-degrees counterclockwise sometime between 1902 and 1908. In 1914 architect James R. Law designed a major addition which replaced a portion of the original structure and extended the building toward Jenifer Street. This Mediterranean Revival Style addition and the concurrent renovation of the pre-existing structure account for the majority of this property's appearance (as of 2025). James Law's architecture firm (now called Potter Lawson) retains the original drawings which name Law as the architect and show a cornerstone date of 1914 for this addition. Subsequent minor additions were made along South Brearly Street.

Bibliographic References

“Notice to Builders” is from the Wisconsin State Journal dated June 23, 1877.

National And State Register Of Historic Places Listings

National/State Register Listing Name

Jenifer-Spaight Historic District

National Register Listing Date

Oct 13, 2004

State Register Listing Date

Jul 16, 2004

Contributing

Yes

school-one to six room Spanish/Mediterranean Styles

Dane
County

Madison
Community

1870-1879
Decade

National and State Register Listing

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Architecture & History Inventory

The Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory (AHI) is a digital source of information on historic buildings, structures, and objects that have been surveyed by the State Historic Preservation Office in Wisconsin. Each property has a digital record providing basic information about the property and images.

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Review and Compliance Rehabilitation Tax Credits State Archaeologist State & National Registers of Historic Places Wisconsin Historic Preservation Database

Attribution

For a credit line: Wisconsin Historical Society, Creator, Title, Unique Identifier.

The Unique Identifier can be found at the top or bottom of the page for each item. The name of a downloaded file is NOT the unique identifier.

For bibliographic citations please consult the UW-Madison Libraries Citation Research Guide to ensure compliance with appropriate style guidelines.

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Photographs

Pilgrim Congregational Church

January 23, 1947

Seven ladies of the Women's Guild of Pilgrim Congregational Church, 953 Jenifer Street, holding trays and standing around a reception table, observing the fifty second anniversary of the founding o...

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