Property Record
4923 22nd Ave
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Ritacca Brothers Service Station |
|---|---|
| Other Name: | 3 Kings Auto Service and Repairs |
| Contributing: | |
| Reference Number: | 246840 |
| Location (Address): | 4923 22nd Ave |
|---|---|
| County: | Kenosha |
| City: | Kenosha |
| Township/Village: | |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | 2 |
| Range: | 23 |
| Direction: | E |
| Section: | 31 |
| Quarter Section: | NW |
| Quarter/Quarter Section: | SW |
| Year Built: | 1926 |
|---|---|
| Additions: | C. 1948 |
| Survey Date: | 2023 |
| Historic Use: | gas station/service station |
| Architectural Style: | Neoclassical/Beaux Arts |
| 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: The Ritacca Brothers Service Station is a one-story, Classical Revival-style, commercial building constructed in 1926. It has a concrete foundation and is topped by a flat roof with a brick parapet. The footprint consists of the five-sided, roughly triangular, original building and a c.1948 rectangular garage addition. Both sections of the building have walls clad in brick, laid in a running bond, and the garage is accented with header courses. The original building is ornately decorated with smooth limestone details including a water table, Tuscan-style pilasters, a wide entablature with a projected cornice, scroll brackets, medallions, and a stone coping. Fenestration, including large displays windows flanking the front door, has mostly been replaced. The three-bay garage addition extends from the original building’s north elevation and opens west toward 22nd Avenue. It has multi-light and multi-paneled, segmental wood doors and glass-block windows. The parapet is accented with a copper cornice. The service station was owned and operated by the Ritacca brothers, Joe, Louis, and Frank. The Ritacca family operated the station until the late 1990s. The property was locally designated by the Kenosha Historic Preservation Commission in 2003 as a fine example of the Classical Revival style and as an example of a pre-World War II gas station. |
|---|---|
| Bibliographic References: | Kenosha Historic Preservation Commission, “Landmark Designation Statement of Significance: Ritacca Brothers Service Station,” September 10, 2003. Jeremy Reeves, “More Than Just a Trunk,” Kenosha News, January 17, 2014. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |