Property Record
4949 STATE HIGHWAY 38
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Wilson School |
|---|---|
| Other Name: | Blessed Hope Brethren in Christ Church |
| Contributing: | |
| Reference Number: | 134704 |
| Location (Address): | 4949 STATE HIGHWAY 38 |
|---|---|
| County: | Racine |
| City: | |
| Township/Village: | Caledonia |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | 4 |
| Range: | 22 |
| Direction: | E |
| Section: | 26 |
| Quarter Section: | NE |
| Quarter/Quarter Section: | NW |
| Year Built: | 1880 |
|---|---|
| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 20052023 |
| Historic Use: | school-one to six room |
| Architectural Style: | Front Gabled |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
| Architect: | |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
|---|---|
| National Register Listing Date: | |
| State Register Listing Date: |
| Additional Information: | 2023 - This c.1880 former school currently houses Blessed Hope Brethren in Christ Church. The one-story, front-gabled building rests on a stone foundation and has a brick exterior and an asphalt shingle roof. A small, square belfry with a hipped roof rises just beyond the peak of the façade. Currently the belfry has square vents but previously the vents were larger and arched. At the center of the façade is a modern entry door accessed by a concrete ramp with wooden railings. The door is topped with a circular, arched transom and a small oculus window or vent that is now filled is in the gable peak. The north (side) elevation of the building has a nine-over-nine, double-hung, vinyl sash window set near the front corner of the building. Variation in brick color indicates the previous location of two additional windows. Together, the windows were evenly spaced along the elevation. The south (side) elevation likely had a similar configuration but now has two large windows filled with glass blocks. A gabled addition extends off the east (rear) elevation of the building. It has a concrete foundation and is finished with wooden clapboard siding and an asphalt shingle roof. The roof is lower than the roof of the forward section and a slender brick chimney rises through the lower roof and up through the eave of the higher roof. The addition is pierced by three sliding windows with four-pane vinyl sashes on the north elevation and by a modern entry door and a larger sliding window with one-pane vinyl sashes. A concrete ramp leads from the parking lot to the door. |
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| Bibliographic References: | Illustrated Atlas of Racine & Kenosha Counties (1887); Newsbrief (re: William Wilson), Racine Daily Journal, 21 March 1887; Mark Feldmann, “Blessed Hope Church Does A Lot With a Little,” The Racine Journal Times, May 2, 2016; Tom Lorsung, “School Redistricting Plan Affects 145 Rural Students,” The Racine Journal Times, July 30, 1961; Dr. Willard L. Lynn, “Unified School District No. 1 of Racine County Proceedings,” The Racine Journal Times, May 18, 1964. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |