| Additional Information: | 2024
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
Brown County plat maps, atlases, and U.S. Census Bureau Records indicate the house at 4515 Anston Road (AHI 1742) was constructed by Adam and Catharine Meetz circa 1870. It is a one and one-half story gabled ell type single-family residence. Overall, it is a vernacular form that exhibits limited characteristics of the Belgian/Belgian-American construction technique that is distinguished by polychromatic brick work and a circular “bull’s eye” window in the gable end. The house is T-shaped in plan consisting of the prominent front gable wing facing north toward Anston Road with a lower side-gabled wing extending from the center of its east elevation. The house is wood framed with a fieldstone foundation. The exterior is clad in a cream brick veneer laid in running bond. The cream brick veneer is accentuated by a red brick belt course featuring bricks laid on the bias, a red brick framed date or name stone (stone missing), and red brick accents around a “bull’s eye” window in the front gable end. A wide band wood trim lines the eaves of the roof which are open below with wood fascia. The roof is clad with asphalt shingles. An interior brick chimney rises from the east roof slope of the front gable wing. The window openings are unadorned, flush segmental arch openings set in wood casings with wood sills. The windows are both the original two-over-two wood sash windows and replacement one-over-one vinyl sash windows.
The principal (north) elevation of the front gable wing features three openings in the first story consisting of the primary entrance and two single windows, in order from east to west. The principal entrance corresponds to the entrance hall and stairwell in the interior and consists of a single elliptical lite woodgrain steel door that has placed the original. The original segmental arch wood sash transom window remains intact. The red brick belt course delineates the first and second stories. Above the belt course, there are two windows in the second story that correspond to a single bedroom. The circular “bull’s eye” window is above in the gable end and corresponds to attic space in the interior. The north elevation of the side-gable wing features three evenly spaced openings consisting of two windows and a secondary entrance, in order from east to west. The secondary entrance corresponds to the kitchen in the interior and consists of a replacement, single glazed steel door with a metal screen door. Above the windows and entrance, wood furring indicates a one-story open-air porch was removed from this elevation.
The east elevation contains a single window opening in the first story, offset to the rear (south) and a single window in the second story that corresponds to an attic storage area.
The west elevation contains three windows in the first story with two windows offset in the north half and a single window centered in the south half. A small window is offset in the second story and corresponds to the hallway in the interior.
The rear (south) elevation of the front gable wing contains two offset windows in the first story. Above, there are two symmetrically placed windows in the second story that correspond to individual bedrooms in the interior. To the east, a full-width, open-air shed roof porch spans the south elevation of the side gable wing, and based on remnant tar lines, the existing porch replaced an earlier hip roof porch. The porch is supported by wood posts at either end and is without a railing. The porch floor is cast concrete slab on concrete block. Below the porch roof, there is a one-story rectangular volume at the juncture of the two wings which corresponds to the bathroom in the interior. A narrow one-over-one wood sash window is offset in the south elevation of this volume. Adjacent to this volume, the south elevation below the porch contains a rear entrance, an original window, and a small, fixed sash window, in order from west to east. Patched brickwork surrounding the small, fixed sash window indicates the rear entrance was relocated from the east end of the elevation to its present location at the west end. The rear entrance and original window correspond to the kitchen in the interior while the small, fixed sash window corresponds to the laundry room.
HISTORIC CONTEXT
Adam Meetz, originally of Hessen Darmstat, Germany, immigrated to the U.S. in 1853 coincident the brief mass migration of Belgians to the Green Bay area between 1853 and 1858. According to his obituary, Meetz settled immediately in the Mills Center area of the Town of Pittsfield. U.S. Census Bureau records do indicate that Catharine was born in Belgium, and her obituary also indicates she either relocated to the Town of Pittsfield or immigrated to the U.S. circa 1858. However, additional verifying information was not found to confirm the date of her immigration or her ancestry. The Adam and Catharine Meetz House is slightly beyond the recorded concentration of Belgian and Belgian-American settlement in Brown County yet clearly displays some characteristics of the sub-variant and local Belgian construction techniques. Given Adam Meetz German ancestry, the perpetuation of these local building practices may be attributed in some way to his wife, Catharine, or to a Belgian builder contracted to construct or veneer the Meetz’ house.
Demolition of the building is proposed in 2024-2025.
1998
SEGMENTAL ARCH WINDOWS AND DOORS. ROUND WINDOW IN FRONT GABLE. DENTICULATED BRICK STRING COURSE. |
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