Property Record
929 MAIN ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | THOMAS HARVEY HOUSE |
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| Other Name: | COMMUNICATION CONCEPTS UNLIMITED |
| Contributing: | Yes |
| Reference Number: | 11093 |
| Location (Address): | 929 MAIN ST |
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| County: | Racine |
| City: | Racine |
| Township/Village: | |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
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| Year Built: | 1852 |
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| Additions: | 1883 |
| Survey Date: | 1975 |
| Historic Use: | house |
| Architectural Style: | Queen Anne |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Stucco |
| Architect: | James Gilbert Chandler-1883 |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Southside Historic District |
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| National Register Listing Date: | 10/18/1977 |
| State Register Listing Date: | 1/1/1989 |
| National Register Multiple Property Name: |
| Additional Information: | A 'site file' exists for this property. It contains additional information such as correspondence, newspaper clippings, or historical information. It is a public record and may be viewed in person at the Wisconsin Historical Society, State Historic Preservation Office. 1/2 TIMBERED, 2 STORY FLAT ROOFED ADDITION W/MANY WINDOWS. ORIGINALLY LOCATED OVERLOOKING LAKE MICHIGAN ON THE EAST SIDE OF MAIN STREET BETWEEN 16TH AND 17TH. MOVED TO PRESENT SITE TO AVOID ERODING LAKE SHORE C. 1860. IN 1883 JESSE AND ANNIE WALRATH COMMISSIONED JAMES GILBERT CHANDLER TO DESIGN THE FRONT. non-contributing garage on property "The rear wing of the Walraths' house was built in the early 1850s by Thomas Harvey and his wife Jane. It originally stood overlooking Lake Michigan on the east side of Main Street between Sixteenth and Seventeenth, but so much of that land was washed away by the lake that the house was moved to this site about 1860. In 1882 the Walraths bought the old house, and the following year they commissioned James Gilbert Chandler, one of Racine's finest architects, to design a substantial addition at the front. He created the gabled section that faces Main Street and a gabled wing facing south. There was an L-shaped front porch between them. Chandler's design displayed elements of the Stick Style, which was popular -- especially in the East -- from the 1860s to the 1890s. the most notable characteristic of that style was the "stickwork" -- vertical. horizontal, and sometimes diagonal boards on the exterior that were meant to look like the actual timbers that framed the building. His design also incorporated Eastlake ornament at the gables and on the porches. About 1908 the house was remodeled. A second gable was added to the north side, a vestibule was created at the entryway, and a "modern," two-story addition replaced the L-shaped front porch. The stucco wall cladding was probably applied at that time to turn the Stick Style into the then more fashionable Tudor Style. Jesse Walrath was brought from Providence, Rhode Island in 1880 to become general superintendent of the shops of the J.I. Case Threshing Machine Company. He and Annie lived in the house until 1906. From 1927 to 1932 it was the home of Alfred Johnson Smith and his wife Alice. Alfred was the owner of Johnson Smith and Company, the nationally known novelty vendor whose wares. The building now houses some of the offices of Communication Concepts Unlimited." 18th Annual Tour of Historic Places, Sunday September 26, 1993, Preservation Racine, Inc. Guide Book. |
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| Bibliographic References: | ZIMMERMANN, RUSSELL "THE HERITAGE GUIDEBOOK" (HERITAGE BANKS 1976). CONSTRUCTION DATES, ARCHITECT'S NAME, AND ADDITONAL COMMENT CONCERNING LOCATION FOUND IN THE "18TH ANNUAL TOUR OF HISTORIC PLACES GUIDEBOOK". PRESERVATION RACINE NEWSLETTER SUMMER 1994. 18th Annual Tour of Historic Places, Sunday September 26, 1993, Preservation Racine, Inc. Guide Book. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |