Property Record
2105-2109 OGDEN AVE AND 1700-1714 N 21ST ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | ROOSEVELT TERRACE |
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| Other Name: | James Roosevelt Block, ROOSEVELT TERRACE APARTMENTS |
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| Reference Number: | 17766 |
| Location (Address): | 2105-2109 OGDEN AVE AND 1700-1714 N 21ST ST |
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| County: | Douglas |
| City: | Superior |
| Township/Village: | |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | |
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| Year Built: | 1890 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 1975 |
| Historic Use: | apartment/condominium |
| Architectural Style: | Romanesque Revival |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
| Architect: | CARL WIRTH; Smith Brothers, contractors |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Roosevelt Terrace |
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| National Register Listing Date: | 1/12/2005 |
| State Register Listing Date: | 11/15/2004 |
| National Register Multiple Property Name: |
| 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-Public History. 11 TOWNHOUSE UNITS W/PRIVATE ENTRIES AND STAIRWELLS. ROMANESQUE ROUND ARCH ENTRANCES FLANKED BY ENGAGED TORCHES. FLAT ARCH 2ND FLR WINDOWS W/MASSIVE SANDSTONE LINTELS. ROUND ARCH 3RD FLR WINDOWS. MOULDED CORNICE BELOW SIMPLE BRICKWORK PARAPET. POLYGONAL BAYS. In 1891, the Superior Evening Telegram predicted in a promotional souvenir book that the city would soon become the next Chicago. The city's position on the Great Lakes--as close to New York as Chicago, yet 500 miles closer to the nation's breadbasket--gave it a unique advantage in linking eastern industry to the markets of the Great Plains. Population boomed in the 1890s, as industries and investors flocked to the city. In 1890 alone, nearly 900 stores, hotels, office buildings, and dwellings sprang up, and still there remained a housing shortage. Real estate speculators stepped in to fill the need. Among them was James Roosevelt (father of future president Franklin Delano Roosevelt), who hired local architect Carl Wirth to design an apartment building in a Neo-Romanesque style. One-story entry portals--some clustered in threes to create broad verandas--lend a fortified look, typical of the style. Round arches flanked by masonry torches define each of these projections. |
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| Bibliographic References: | SUPERIOR DAILY TELEGRAM 9/16/1995. Eckert, Kathryn. Sandstone Buildings in the Lake Superior Region. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 2000. Superior Daily Call 8/2/1890. Buildings of Wisconsin manuscript. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |