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Property Location
| Location (Address) | 4225 MAIN ST |
|---|---|
| County | Door |
| City/Village | |
| Township | Gibraltar |
| Unincorporated community | |
| Town | 31 |
| Range | 27 |
| Direction | E |
| Section | 29 |
| Quarter Section | |
| Quarter Quarter Section |
Property Features
| Year Built | 1896 |
|---|---|
| Additions | 1991, 1940, 1979, 1959 |
| Survey Date | 1992 |
| Historic Use | lodging-inn |
| Architectural Style | Side Gabled |
| Structural System | Unknown |
| Wall Material | Clapboard |
| Architect | |
| 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. A summer destination. Architectural Description The three-bay by six-bay Welckers Casino, now known as the Whistling Swan, is a large gable front two story rectangularly massed commercial property. A large wall dormer protrudes from the massed commercial property. A large wall dormer protrudes from the asphalt clad roof on the east elevation. The walls, clad in narrow clapboard, are pierced with six-over-six double hung wood sash windows. On the first and second floors, the windows are housed in window frames with segmentally arched lintels. The few windows on the third (attic) floor are housed in frames with a slighter arched lintel. A two story hip roofed side porch on the east elevation hides the basement and first floor walls. The porch is accessed by stairs from Main Street (the south elevation) and from a door in the east elevation. The main entrance is reached through stairs under a main hood. The stairs are "interior" incorporated into the east bay on the main elevation. The White Gull Inn, originally the Henriette Cottage of Welckers, is a side gable two story building with a second story porch over a flagstone walk area. A wall dormer projects from the center of the roof on the main (north) elevation. 1940s and 50s addition extend off the rear of the buildings added to accommodate dining rooms and kitchen. The remaining buildings of Welckers are a hodgepodge cottages. The cottages include side gable, front gable, and gabled ell vernacular forms. Two on the south west side of the White Gull In [39-16, 17] are one story while the two on the south and east are one and a half storeis [39-18, 19]. Those on the same block with the Casino (Whistling Swan) are smaller, except for Cottage 15 [36-24] which is a two story gabled ell, and Cottage 11 [36-26] which is a one and a half story front gable house. Architectural Significance Welcker's Resort is significant to the history of Fish Creek as the better example of the two large late nineteenth century resorts in Fish Creek. The vision of Doctor Welcker which made the resort a success also contributed to the general perception of Fish creek as a summer destination. |
| Bibliographic References | A. Edward and Lois Schreiber, editors, Fish Creek Voices, An Oral History of a Door County Village, (Sister Bay, WI: Wm. Caxton Ltd), 1990. B. Door County Almanak No. 5: Tourism, Resorts, Transportation, (Sister Bay, WI: The Dragonsbreath Press), 1990. C. History of Door County Wisconsin, the County Beautiful. Volumes 1 and 2. (Chicago: The S.J. Clarke Publishing Company) 1917. GREEN BAY PRESS GAZETTE 9/22/1996. |
National And State Register Of Historic Places Listings
| National/State Register Listing Name | Welcker's Resort Historic District |
|---|---|
| National Register Listing Date | Apr 14, 1997 |
| State Register Listing Date | Nov 06, 1996 |
| Contributing | Yes |
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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Email UsAttribution
For a credit line: Wisconsin Historical Society, Creator, Title, Unique Identifier.
The Unique Identifier can be found at the top or bottom of the page for each item. The name of a downloaded file is NOT the unique identifier.
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Access Property Records
Some properties have more materials (correspondence, clippings, historical information, etc.) not in the digital record. If a 'Site File' exists, it's noted in the 'Additional Comments' field. Contact us for an appointment to view these materials.
Fish Creek Harbor
1925
Elevated view of Fish Creek from the east; the bluff rises on the left, the harbor is on the right. The cottage in the foreground with pergola and lattice is the photographer's first Fish Creek Cot...
White Gull Inn
circa 1990-1999
Color photographic postcard of the White Gull Inn. Three entrances are on the porch. A balcony is across the front. Text on reverse reads: "White Gull Inn Fish Creek, Wis. 54212 Established 1896 P...
