Property Record
317 MADISON ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | STEPHEN G. WILLIAMS HOUSE |
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| Other Name: | |
| Contributing: | Yes |
| Reference Number: | 11534 |
| Location (Address): | 317 MADISON ST |
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| County: | Rock |
| City: | Janesville |
| Township/Village: | |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | |
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| Year Built: | 1855 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 19752014 |
| Historic Use: | house |
| Architectural Style: | Early Gothic Revival |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
| Architect: | Unknown |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Look West Historic District (Boundary Increase) |
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| National Register Listing Date: | 12/10/1993 |
| State Register Listing Date: | 12/11/1993 |
| 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, Division of Historic Preservation. This two-story house features an irregular shaped plan configuration, a stone foundation, a brick exterior, a wood trim and an asphalt shingled gable roof. The building is an excellent and recently restored (ca 1987) example of the Gothic Revival style, whose elements include a steeply-pitched roof, gingerbread vergeboard, and label molds over the windows. The door, with sidelights and a transom, is typical of the Greek Revival style, a contemporaneous style of the Gothic Revival form. This dwelling, which is in excellent condition, is architecturally significant in that it possesses high artistic vaules, it represents a type, period or method of construction, and it is a visual landmark in the area. Historical Statement: This house was built in about 1855 for Stephen G. Williams, a merchant, financier and manufacturer of reapers. (See Bib. Ref. A, B). The house was in the Williams family for a number of years. Williams's daugher Louise, who lived here until 1909, was owner of the Janesville Business College. "This red brick house is an excellent, and recently restored, example of the Gothic Revival style, and is very similar to the Gothic-inspired houses published in popular books and periodicals of the mid-nineteenth century. Of particular note is the restored scalloped bargeboard and three-part window with a stone label molding. Williams, a merchant, financier and manufacturer of reapers, also owned farms in New York and Ohio prior to his Janesville residence. Like neighbor William M. Tallman, he came to Janesville with considerable assets. Williams' daughter Louise, who lived here until 1909, was owner of the Janesville Business College." THE LOOK WEST HISTORIC DISTRICT, PREPARED BY LANDSCAPE RESEARCH FOR THE JANESVILLE HISTORIC COMMISSION, JANESVILLE, WISCONSIN 1987. |
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| Bibliographic References: | A. Assessment Rolls: 1854, 1860. B. City Directories: 1859, 1866, 1870. C. Wise (1988). D. The Look West Historic District, Prepared by Landscape Research for the Janesville Historic Commission, Janesville, Wisconsin, 1987. E. Historic Janesville, Heritage Preservation Associates, Inc. MacDonald and Mack Partnership, City of Janesville Department of Community Development, 1994. "Cultural Resources Report For the Proposed Talman House Telecommunications Facility in Janesville, Rock County, Wisconsin." WHS Project #14-0719/RO. June 2014. Prepared by Marcy Prchal. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |