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Property Location
| Location (Address) | 2100 MAIN ST |
|---|---|
| County | Portage |
| City/Village | Stevens Point |
| Township | |
| Unincorporated community | |
| Town | |
| Range | |
| Direction | |
| Section | |
| Quarter Section | |
| Quarter Quarter Section |
Property Features
| Year Built | 1894 |
|---|---|
| Additions | 1915, 1901 |
| Survey Date | 2011 |
| Historic Use | university or college building |
| Architectural Style | Romanesque Revival |
| Structural System | |
| Wall Material | Brick |
| Architect | Selby & Perkins (Chicago) |
| 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, State Historic Preservation Office. SELBY & PERKINS OF CHICAGO DESIGNED THE ORIGINAL BUILDING. CONOVER & PORTER OF MADISON DESIGNED THE FIRST ADDITION. Stevens Point State Normal School, ancestor of today’s University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, began as a teacher-training school and, in 1902, became one of the first schools in the country to educate young women in “domestic science” or home economics. Later, when the school was known as Central State College, it was the first in the nation to offer an environmental-conservation major. Perkins and Selby of Chicago designed the original normal-school building as an imposing edifice notable for its fine proportions, its subtle use of textures, and its slender garlanded cupola. The building’s classical composition reflects an interpretation of the Italian Renaissance Revival style. On the symmetrical main (south) façade, a central pavilion projects beyond the plane of the two-story wings extending from either side. This pavilion stands three stories high and is flanked on either side by four-story towers. Typically, each level of a Renaissance Revival building is articulated by differences in materials and window designs. In this case, the raised foundation is of rock-faced stone, with alternating courses of thick blocks and thin slabs. The first story’s tan brick walls feature recessed courses at regular intervals, creating strongly horizontal shadow lines, whereas the upper stories appear almost completely smooth, since the mortar joints are flush with the face of the bricks. As to the fenestration, the entry arch surrounds a large fanlight, and the smaller windows on this level have round arches. By contrast, the windows on the second story are rectangular, with triangular pediments above those on the central pavillion. On the third story, fluted Ionic pilasters embrace smaller rectangular windows. Wings and dormers at either end, added in 1901 and in 1914-15, have since been removed, so the structure looks much as it did when it was dedicated in 1894. |
| Bibliographic References | STEVENS POINT DAILY JOURNAL: OCTOBER 28, 1893, P. 4; OCTOBER 20, 1894, P. 4; OCTOBER 24, 1894, P. 1. STEVENS POINT GAZETTE: AUGUST 7, 1901, P. 3. Buildings of Wisconsin manuscript. |
National And State Register Of Historic Places Listings
| National/State Register Listing Name | Stevens Point State Normal School |
|---|---|
| National Register Listing Date | Dec 12, 1976 |
| 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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2100 Main St.
76000074
Located in Stevens Point, Portage County
State Normal School
Exterior of the State Normal School at Stevens Point, which opened in 1894. The main entrance is flanked by columns and a central cupola, along with a row of pedimented windows. Two men and a child...
