Property Record
936 WISCONSIN AVE
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Pittman Drugstore |
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| Other Name: | Corner Stone |
| Contributing: | Yes |
| Reference Number: | 28130 |
| Location (Address): | 936 WISCONSIN AVE |
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| County: | Grant |
| City: | Boscobel |
| Township/Village: | |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | |
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| Year Built: | 1870 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 1982 |
| Historic Use: | small retail building |
| Architectural Style: | Commercial Vernacular |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Stone - Unspecified |
| Architect: | |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| National Register Listing Date: | |
| State Register Listing Date: |
| Additional Information: | HABS WI-333. MODERN DISPLAY WINDOWS HAVE BEEN INSERTED ON THE FIRST FLOOR OF THIS TWO-STORY STONE BUILDING. IRON TIE BARS REMAIN ABOVE THE SECOND STORY, BUT THE CORNICE HAS BEEN REWORKED. ARCHITECTURAL STATEMENT: THE STONE WORK ON THIS TWO STORY STRUCTURE IS REGULARLY COURSED WITH THE SIDE OF THE BUILDING COMPOSED OF ROCK FACED BLOCKS, THE FACADE OF SMOOTH, FINISHED BLOCKS. THE MOST DISTINCTIVE FEATURE OF THE FACADE IS THE CENTRAL WINDOW WHICH RISES TO FORM A TREFOIL BENEATH A POINTED WINDOW CAP. THE REMAINDER OF THE WINDOWS ARE RECANGULAR WITH STONE LINTELS (PAINTED). A PROJECTING CORNICE, WITH PAIRED BRACKETS ONCE DEFINED THE ROOF LINE, THIS AREA IS NOW CONCRETE BLOCK. THE STOREFRONT HAS BEEN ALTERED, WITH THE CORNER PIER REMOVED (AND REPLACED WITH PIPE) TO ACCOMMODATE A RECESSED CORNER ENTRANCE. ORIGINALLY THE ENTRANCE WAS CENTRALLY LOCATED. (A) THE BUILDING REMAINS A SIGNIFICANT EXAMPLE OF LOCAL STONE CONSTRUCTION AND DESIGN. HISTORICAL STATEMENT: MATT PITTMAN OPERATED A DRUGSTORE IN THIS BUILDING FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS. THE REMAINDER OF THE BUILDING FUNCTIONED AS A BANK, GROCERY AND HALL IN THE 1890'S TO 1930'S (B). THE STATE BANK OF BOSCOBEL OPENED IN 1892 IN THIS BUILDING. 1992- "This two-story rectilinear plan 25-foot-wide by 80-foot-deep Commercial Vernacular form building was built in 1870, and it occupies a prominent lot that comprises the northwest corner formed by the intersection of Wisconsin Avenue and Oak Street. This location gives the building two exposed facades, the main one of which faces east. Both facades are clad in regularly coursed ashlar stone and these walls then rise up to a modern concrete block parapet that has replaced the very broad overhanging bracketed wooden cornice that originally crowned the building. Early photos show that the first story of the main facade originally consisted of a full width storefront that featured a deeply recessed, canted central entrance that was flanked on either side by two large display windows. 'rhis storefront was enframed by broad dressed stone-clad pilasters on either end and there was also another display window of identical design placed in the right-hand bay of the south-facing side elevation. rl'his storefront has now been completely altered. 'l'he corner pier has been replaced with a slim metal post and a canted corner entrance door has been placed behind it. All the original display windows have also been replaced with modern ones that are enframed with raw metal, and steel bulkheads have been placed below these windows and a brick-clad band has been placed above them. The second story of the main facade is still largely original, is clad in dressed stone, is symmetrical in design, and is three-bays-wide. 'I'he two end bays each contain an identical flat-arched window opening that features dressed stone sills and lintels and one-over-one light flat-arched wooden sash windows. The center bay is wider and taller than the others and it contains a paired window group consisting of two tall, thin, semicircular-arched double hung one-over-one light windows. The space just above and between the arched heads of these windows contains a small arched light of the same design, creating a Gothic Revival style trefoil window group that is surmounted by a triangular arched stone lintel. The longer south-facing side elevation is asymmetrical in design and is clad in quarry-faced stone. There is an an altered display window located at the extreme right-hand (east) end of the first story and a there are two flat-arched entrance door openings at the extreme west left-hand end that flank a window opening. 'l'he left-hand entrance serves the second story, the window opening is now filled with vertical boards, and the deeply recessed right-hand entrance serves the first story commercial space and contains a door that is now enframed with glass block side lights. The second story is seven-bays-wide, and the first four bays from the left each contain a flat-arched window opening that is filled with an original six-over-six light double hung wooden sash window. The fifth bay contains a flat-arched door opening that was originally reached by a wooden exterior staircase that has since been removed. 'l'his opening is now filled with vertical boards. The sixth and seventh bays each contain flat-arched window openings that are identical in size to the others, but which now contain one-over-one light double hung windows. All of this elevation's window and door openings have dressed stone sills and lintels. This building is in quite good largely original condition and is considered to be contributing to the district." - Prepared by Timothy F Heggland (1992). |
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| Bibliographic References: | A. HERITAGE ALBUM, BOSCOBEL, 1973, P.95. B. SANBORN PERRIS MAP OF BOSCOBEL, 1884, 92, 99, 04, 12, 27. C. "PITTMAN OBITUARY," WIS. NECROLOGY, VOL. 10 P.198. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |