Property Record
240 ALGOMA BLVD
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Orville Beach Memorial Manual Training School |
|---|---|
| Other Name: | FOX VALLEY TECHNICAL INSTITUTE, OSHKOSH SKILL CENTER |
| Contributing: | |
| Reference Number: | 27596 |
| Location (Address): | 240 ALGOMA BLVD |
|---|---|
| County: | Winnebago |
| City: | Oshkosh |
| Township/Village: | |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | |
| Range: | |
| Direction: | |
| Section: | |
| Quarter Section: | |
| Quarter/Quarter Section: |
| Year Built: | 1912 |
|---|---|
| Additions: | 1925 |
| Survey Date: | 1994 |
| Historic Use: | university or college building |
| Architectural Style: | Neoclassical/Beaux Arts |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Stone - Unspecified |
| Architect: | WILLIAM WATERS; AULER/JENSEN |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Orville Beach Memorial Manual Training School |
|---|---|
| National Register Listing Date: | 9/12/1985 |
| State Register Listing Date: | 1/1/1989 |
| 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, State Historic Preservation Office. TWO BUILDINGS ARE JOINED BY BRICK; WATERS DESIGNED THE FIRST AND AULER/JENSEN DESIGNED THE SECOND. HABS WI-290. AN EXAMPLE OF BEAUX ART CLASSICISM WITH REGULARLY SPACED RECTANGULAR WINDOWS SET INTO AN UNADORNED WALL SURFACE. THESE TWO BUILDINGS ARE ALMOST IDENTICAL MASONRY STRUCTURES WITH TWO STORIES RISING ABOVE THE RUSTICATED BASEMENT. MONUMENTAL IONIC COLUMNS OCCUR ON EACH CENTRAL PAVILION. THE BUILDINGS ARE JOINED BY A BRICK SECTION. OF THE TWO STRUCTURES, THE OLDEST (LEFT) WAS BUILT WITH THE BEQUEST OF LOCAL INDUSTRIALIST ORVILLE BEACH FOR THE TEACHING OF MANUAL ARTS. IT WAS COMPLETED IN 1911. THE NEWER BUILDING (RIGHT) WAS BUILT AS THE CITY VOCATIONAL SCHOOL IN 1926. THE BEACH BUILDING IS VACANT AND THE OTHER IS PART OF FVTI. BOTH BUILDINGS, BUT PARTICULARLY THE OLDER, REPRESENT AN IMPORTANT POINT IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE LOCAL SCHOOL SYSTEM. THE BEACH BUILDING MADE A SERIOUS COMMITTMENT TO PUBLIC VOCATIONAL TRAINING POSSIBLE. ORVILLE BEACH (1826-1903) WAS A SUCCESSFUL LOCAL BUSINESSMAN WHO WAS INVOLVED IN SEVERAL LUMBER MILS AS WELL AS ONE OF THE FOUNDERS OF THE OSHKOSH AND MISSISSIPPI RAILROAD, INVESTOR AND DIRECTOR IN FOUR LOCAL BANKS, AND SUBSTANTIAL PROPERTY OWNER. HE SERVED SEVERAL TERMS ON THE COUNTY BOARD AND CITY COUNCIL. |
|---|---|
| Bibliographic References: | (A) Plaque. (B) Interview with Mr. Joseph Ellegrin, Superintendent of schools, 5/7/81. (C) Lawson, P.V., History of Winnebago County, Chicago, 1908, pp. 874-877. A Compilation of Articles Pertaining to the Works of Architect William Waters, 2000. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |