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Property Location
Location (Address)
440 N JACKSON ST
County
Rock
City/Village
Janesville
Township
Unincorporated community
Town
Range
Direction
Section
Quarter Section
Quarter Quarter Section
Property Features
Year Built
1857
Additions
Survey Date
1985,2014
Historic Use
Architectural Style
Structural System
Wall Material
Cream Brick
Architect
George Barnes
Other Buildings On Site
Demolished
No
Demolished Date
Additional Comments
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-Public History. Construction date from Rock County Historical Society.
See also - record 82900 old stone house, 82901 for carriage house
Carriage house (126/2) and old stone house (126/3) - separate records.
William Tallman was born in Oneida County, New York, and settled in Janesville in 1850. After studying law in New York City he attended Yale College and Law school, graduating in 1834. He practiced law in Janesville until 1854 and then devoted himself to his business interests, becoming a prominent entrepreneur. Tallman's son, Edgar Dexter Tallman, lived in this house until 1896. It was vacant from 1915 to 1950 when George K. Tallman, William M.'s grandson, donated it to the city. It has since been operated as a hosue museum by the Rock County Historical Society.
William Tallman's elegant Italianate residence, now a museum, set the standard for houses of Janesville’s well-to-do. George Barnes, a local builder, erected cream-brick walls with stone quoins at the corners and limestone trim. Running below the roof overhang of the main block, a wide frieze features octagonal attic windows and raised panels alternate with carved brackets. Capping the composition is an elegant belvedere, glazed with narrow arched windows and surmounted by an ornate finial.
The thin paired columns that support the one-story portico on the main facade have unusual spindled bases, fluted shafts, and capitals carved to resemble classical acanthus leaves. The columns support a foliated frieze, and a turned-spindle balustrade bounds the porch roof deck. The porch shelters an ornate doorway with a transom light designed in a floral pattern.
The window frames are also quite ornate. On the first floor, elaborate brackets support hoods topped by foliated cresting, whereas on the second story, stone hood-moldings embrace double-arched openings.
Inside, the Tallman House featured modern conveniences that were unusual for the time: large walk-in closets, an indoor water system and privy, and central heating. Gas lighting was installed in 1870.
The horse barn at the rear is also architecturally distinctive and matches the house in style, with a cupola above the gabled roof, brackets under the eaves, and decorated arched openings.
(Update 1994)
Cupola with finial still present. "scupltural entry portico" still present. Paired windows with stone hood moldings still present.
See also - record 82900 old stone house, 82901 for carriage house
Carriage house (126/2) and old stone house (126/3) - separate records.
William Tallman was born in Oneida County, New York, and settled in Janesville in 1850. After studying law in New York City he attended Yale College and Law school, graduating in 1834. He practiced law in Janesville until 1854 and then devoted himself to his business interests, becoming a prominent entrepreneur. Tallman's son, Edgar Dexter Tallman, lived in this house until 1896. It was vacant from 1915 to 1950 when George K. Tallman, William M.'s grandson, donated it to the city. It has since been operated as a hosue museum by the Rock County Historical Society.
William Tallman's elegant Italianate residence, now a museum, set the standard for houses of Janesville’s well-to-do. George Barnes, a local builder, erected cream-brick walls with stone quoins at the corners and limestone trim. Running below the roof overhang of the main block, a wide frieze features octagonal attic windows and raised panels alternate with carved brackets. Capping the composition is an elegant belvedere, glazed with narrow arched windows and surmounted by an ornate finial.
The thin paired columns that support the one-story portico on the main facade have unusual spindled bases, fluted shafts, and capitals carved to resemble classical acanthus leaves. The columns support a foliated frieze, and a turned-spindle balustrade bounds the porch roof deck. The porch shelters an ornate doorway with a transom light designed in a floral pattern.
The window frames are also quite ornate. On the first floor, elaborate brackets support hoods topped by foliated cresting, whereas on the second story, stone hood-moldings embrace double-arched openings.
Inside, the Tallman House featured modern conveniences that were unusual for the time: large walk-in closets, an indoor water system and privy, and central heating. Gas lighting was installed in 1870.
The horse barn at the rear is also architecturally distinctive and matches the house in style, with a cupola above the gabled roof, brackets under the eaves, and decorated arched openings.
(Update 1994)
Cupola with finial still present. "scupltural entry portico" still present. Paired windows with stone hood moldings still present.
Bibliographic References
(A) GREEN BAY PRESS GAZETTE 6/5/1994.
(B) ORFORDVILLE JOURNAL AND FOOTEVILLE NEWS 6/28/1995.
(C) MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL 7/2/1995.
(D) FORT ATKINSON DAILY JEFFERSON COUNTY UNION 6/23/1995.
(E) BELOIT DAILY NEWS 6/23/1995.
(F) ROCK COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
(G) THE LOOK WEST HISTORIC DISTRICT, PREPARED BY LANDSCAPE RESEARCH FOR THE JANESVILLE HISTORIC COMMISSION, JANESVILLE, WISCONSIN 1987.
HISTORIC JANESVILLE, HERITAGE PRESERVATION ASSOCIATES, INC. MACDONALD AND MACK PARTNERSHIP, CITY OF JANESVILLE DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, 1994.
(H) WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL 2/20/1995.
(I) JANESVILLE GAZETTE 10/30/1995.
(J) HISTORICAL SITES AND POINTS OF INTEREST IN ROCK COUNTY, WISCONSIN BY THE ROCK COUNTY TOURISM COUNCIL, 5/1994.
Janesville Gazette 7/17/2003.
(K) Buildings of Wisconsin manuscript.
"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.
Perrin, Richard W. E., Historic Wisconsin Architecture, First Revised Edition (Milwaukee, 1976).
National And State Register Of Historic Places Listings
National/State Register Listing Name
Tallman House
National Register Listing Date
Oct 15, 1970
State Register Listing Date
Jan 01, 1989
Contributing
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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Questions?
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Email UsAttribution
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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Some properties have more materials (correspondence, clippings, historical information, etc.) not in the digital record. If a 'Site File' exists, it's noted in the 'Additional Comments' field. Contact us for an appointment to view these materials.
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