Property Record
4310 WASHINGTON AVE
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Walker, Robert Mosely and Minerva, House |
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| Reference Number: | 11491 |
| Location (Address): | 4310 WASHINGTON AVE |
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| County: | Racine |
| City: | Racine |
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| Year Built: | 1868 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 19762015 |
| Historic Use: | house |
| Architectural Style: | Italianate |
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| Wall Material: | Cream Brick |
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| Demolished?: | No |
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| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| Additional Information: | A 'site file' exists for this property. It contains additional information such as correspondence, newspaper clippings, or historic information. It is a public record and may be viewed in person at the Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Historic Preservation. PAIRED BRACKETS AT EAVES. SEGMENTAL ARCH WINDOWS W/STONE KEYSTONE. MOULDED AND BRACKETED WOOD CANOPY OVER ENTRANCE. SIDE RECTANGULAR BAY W/MINOR ENTRANCE. ONE OF FINEST HOUSES IN AREA WHEN BUILT. Originally a part of an 80 acre dairy farm. 2016- "The Walker House is a two-story, cream brick, ltalianate residence constructed in 1868. The house is located on the far west side of the city of Racine in the neighborhood of West Racine. The house is deeply set back from Washington Avenue on approximately 0.48 acres of land. Landscaping features include a large front lawn and mature trees and plantings. A stone walkway leads from the Washington Avenue sidewalk to the house's front entrance. A driveway off of Indiana Street provides additional access to the property. Exterior The Walker House has a mostly rectilinear footprint, with small projections on the east and west elevations. The house rests on an ashlar foundation that is parged in many areas. The hipped roof has a low pitch and, appropriate to the ltalianate style, features wide eaves and decorative paired brackets against a plain frieze. The roof is clad in asphalt shingles. The primary (south) facade is divided into three fenestration bays, with the entrance located in the easternmost bay. The entry door is flanked by narrow, recessed panels; has a stained glass transom window; and is set in a segmental arch opening with a keystone. The door is sheltered by a curved hood supported by large, decorative brackets, and is accessed by a simple concrete stoop with metal hand rails. Windows are two-over-two wood sashes, set in evenly spaced segmental arched openings with stone keystones and lug sills. The two windows on the first story are slightly taller than the three windows on the second story. A brick water table that is four bricks high runs the width of the facade just above the foundation. The east elevation is divided into three sections: the south section, which lacks any fenestration; a central, projecting section; and a rear section with two bays. A small, one-story, hipped roof porch is located at the intersection of the south section and the projecting section. A simple square column supports the porch roof. Accessed by a short flight of wood stairs with a wood railing, the porch shelters a doorway on the south side of the projecting section. A two-over-two wood sash window, which features the same elements as the second-story window on the fa9ade, is located above the porch. This projecting section has one bay on the east elevation. It has one two-over-two wood sash window with a segmental arch top in the first story. A single two-over-two window is located on the second story, directly above the first story window, but with a flat top. Both windows are set in segmental arch openings with stone keystones and lug sills. The rear section features the same type of fenestration pattern, with two segmental arch-topped windows on the first story, and two flat-topped windows on the second. However the second-story windows are shorter than the first-story windows. All windows lack the stone keystone, but rest on stone lug sills. This rear section has no paired brackets, and the roofline is slightly lower than the south and central sections. A four-brick-high water table runs the length of the entire elevation. A two-story canted bay window is located on the west elevation (Figure 7). The windows in the bay are also two-over-two sashes set in segmental arch openings. Modest chimney stacks rise from the west roof slope and the roof of the north elevation. A one-story, two-bay garage projects north from the north, rear elevation. The garage is built of the same cream brick as the house, and has a hipped, shingle-clad roof. Interior The interior of the Walker house is typical of ltalianate houses. The front entry opens onto a hallway, with an open stairway rising to the second floor. Rooms are largely square or rectangular, with high ceilings. Many interior details appear to be intact. Some rooms feature marble fireplace surrounds and plaster ceiling medallions, but contain little to no other ornament. Much of the original wood trim around the windows and doorways remains. The wood floors in several rooms have been replaced with stone tiles. Some changes to the layout of the rear portion of the house have occurred, such as the addition of a powder room. -"Robert Mosely and Minerva Walker House", WISDot #2440-09-00, Prepared by Greg Rainka and Katie Remensnyder for Commonwealth Heritage Group, (2016). 2017- "This two-story, cream brick Italianate-style residence is the only remaining original farm house from the land that was developed to form the greater Manree Park neighborhood. It is a superb-example of the impressive rural homes that reflected the agricultural wealth of early Racine. This prosperous farm was referred to as Hillcrest Farm, which was on the western boundary of the Manree Park development area." -"Tour of Historic Places: Manree Park Neighborhood" pamphlet, Real Racine, preservationracine@gmail.com, 262-634-5748, (2017). 2017- "Both these early houses, the Robert Mosely and Minerva house and the George and Mary Murray house [AHI#11487], are Italianate in style, cream brick, with stroungly jutting cornices supported on elaborate paired brackets. Both are set well back from the road (as was the Reed house [11038]), which distinguishes them from the surrounding residences built after the properties were platted." -"Preservation Racine News", Pippin Michelli, Winter 2017, Volume 10. |
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| Bibliographic References: | Racine Landmarks brochure, 2003. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |