Property Record
101 S LUDINGTON ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Whitney Hotel |
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| Other Name: | |
| Contributing: | Yes |
| Reference Number: | 26716 |
| Location (Address): | 101 S LUDINGTON ST |
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| County: | Columbia |
| City: | Columbus |
| Township/Village: | |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
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| Year Built: | 1858 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 1991 |
| Historic Use: | hotel/motel |
| Architectural Style: | Italianate |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Cream Brick |
| Architect: | |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Columbus Downtown Historic District |
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| National Register Listing Date: | 3/5/1992 |
| State Register Listing Date: | 1/22/1992 |
| 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. ORIGINALLY HAD A BALL ROOM ON THE THIRD FLOOR, RESTAURANT FACILITIES, AND OVERNIGHT ACCOMMODATIONS. IN 1992 HEARTLAND PROPERTIES, INC., THE COLUMBUS DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT CORP., AND OTHERS REHABBED THE BUILDING. "Henry Alonzo Whitney was a restless Yankee trader who wandered to Columbus from Vermont in 1844, the same year Lewis Ludington platted the downtown. He was one of the first merchants in town, and his early frame building which served as store/rooming house/tavern was also the first post office. The shell of this large cream brick building was erected in just four weeks to replace the 1848 wooden structure that was destroyed by a fire in 1857. Though the building is plain, it has a long history as the most prominent hotel and social center in Columbus. It has a ballroom on the third floor, restaurant facilities and overnight accommodations. The building changed hands many times over the years and was often remodeled. In recent years it was allowed to deteriorate and was a candidate for demolition in 1991." Columbus Historic Architecture Tours, undated. |
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| Bibliographic References: | COLUMBUS HISTORIC ARCHITECTURE TOURS, COLUMBUS HISTORIC LANDMARKS AND PRESERVATION COMMISSION, 1994. COLUMBUS JOURNAL-REPUBLICAN 8/29/1994. Take a Walk on Main Street: Historic Walking Tours in Wisconsin's Main Street Communities, Wisconsin Main Street Program, 1998. Columbus Journal 5/19/2001. Columbus History and Architecture Tours, 2009. Columbus Historic Architecture Tours, undated. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |