Property Record
475 CHARTER ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Physics-Political Economy Building; Sterling Hall |
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| Other Name: | Sterling Hall (UW#0057) |
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| Reference Number: | 139579 |
| Location (Address): | 475 CHARTER ST |
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| County: | Dane |
| City: | Madison |
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| Year Built: | 1914 |
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| Additions: | 1957 1946 |
| Survey Date: | 19932019 |
| Historic Use: | university or college building |
| Architectural Style: | Neoclassical/Beaux Arts |
| Structural System: | Reinforced Concrete |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
| Architect: | Warren P. Laird and Paul P. Cret (w/ Arthur Peabody) / Wisconsin Const. Co.; R.C. Kirchhoff (State Architect) - atomic research lab 1946; Grellinger and Rose (Milwaukee) - 1957 east wing |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| 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 historical information. It is a public record and may be viewed in person at the Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Historic Preservation. 1988- Named for the first professor at the university, John W. Sterling, who taught mathematics, astronomy, and natural philosophy. City of Madison, Wisconsin Underrepresented Communities Historic Resource Survey Report: Ruth Harriet Bleier was born in 1923 in Pennsylvania. She earned degrees from Goucher College and the Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania and became a widely respected neurophysicist. She came to the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1967 to work in the Department of Neurophysiology. In 1970, in response to an investigation by the federal Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Bleier helped organize the Association of Faculty Women (AFW). She was elected as one of the first co-chairs and chaired the organization for about four years. Working with the AFW, Bleier collected data on the status of women and the hiring and compensation practices in the University of Wisconsin System. The AFW used the information to organize women and lobby administrators for changes. Bleier and the AFW organized women in many campus departments and brought together university women from across the state to share data, methods, and skills for correcting inequities. Their work fundamentally changed the conditions for women on campuses throughout the University of Wisconsin System. While working with the AFW, Bleier was also an advocate for and founder of the Women’s Studies program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She worked with other AFW members to lay the groundwork for the program and advocate for its implementation. This led directly to the approval of the Women’s Studies Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1975, of which she was the chair from 1982 to 1986. Ruth Bleier also had a feminist influence on the biological sciences in general. She was a nationally recognized neurophysicist in the 1980s when she brought her feminist ideas to her profession. She studied gender bias in the biological sciences and published two books in the subject that exposed such bias: Science and Gender: A Critique of Biology and Its Theories on Women (1984) and Feminist Approaches to Science (1986). Her books have become essential reading in the field of women’s studies. Ruth Bleier lived at 1821 Thorstrand Road from 1970 until 1986. The house was built in 1962 and was designed by Madison architect Herb Fritz. The house is not fully visible from Thorstrand Road, which is a private drive. City of Madison records describes it as a Ranch style home with a flat roof, concrete foundation, and wood exterior cladding. She died in 1988. Ruth Bleier was nationally significant within the community of women in the areas of Education and Literature from 1970 to 1986. During this time, there were several resources associated with her: The Women’s Studies Program, now the Department of Gender and Women’s Studies, located in Sterling Hall at 475 North Charter Street and her 1970 to 1986 residence at 1821 Thorstrand Road. The primary resource associated with the life of Ruth Bleier and her significance in Education and Literature is Sterling Hall at 475 North Charter Street |
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| Bibliographic References: | University of Wisconsin-Madison: Preliminary Evaluation of Buildings and Structures for Eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places. September 2009. University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Wisconsin-Madison Tour Guide: Henry Mall and West Campus, 1988. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |