Property Record
301-305 S CENTRAL AVE
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Thiel Building |
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| Other Name: | |
| Contributing: | Yes |
| Reference Number: | 28209 |
| Location (Address): | 301-305 S CENTRAL AVE |
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| County: | Wood |
| City: | Marshfield |
| Township/Village: | |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
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| Year Built: | 1887 |
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| Additions: | 1916 |
| Survey Date: | 1990 |
| Historic Use: | large retail building |
| Architectural Style: | Commercial Vernacular |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Cream Brick |
| Architect: | |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Marshfield Central Avenue Historic District |
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| National Register Listing Date: | 11/4/1993 |
| State Register Listing Date: | 7/9/1993 |
| National Register Multiple Property Name: |
| Additional Information: | Begun in 1887, the cream brick Thiel building is a double width Commercial Vernacular style building with Italianate details. Constructed as one building, but originally housing two retail spaces on the first floor, the building is six bays wide. A block identifying the building as the "Thiel Building" is located in the center of the stepped parapet. The cornice line is highlighted by a corbelled series suggestive of dentils. Four corbelled projections visually extend from the cornice onto the wall surface. The six segmentally arched windows with one over one double hung wood sash are crowned with shouldered lintels. Brick keystones accent the arch lintels. The lintels rest on a raised band which gives the effect of a support pier dividing the windows. The first floor store front has been altered. This property is a contributing member of the Marshfield Central Avenue Historic District under Criterion C of the National Register of Historic Places. It is representative of the Architecture Theme of the Wisconsin Cultural Resource Management Plan as an example of Commercial Vernacular architecture with Italianate details. The building's architectural integrity on the second story is high, while the first alterations are reflective of continued use and changing preferences. Built between 1884 and 1887, the Thiel Building was first used as a meat shop. An ice locker to store the meat was located in the center of the building. A general store was located in the south half of the building. In 1898 a handprinting operation was located on the second floor. Between 1898 and 1904 a furniture store and repair shop replaced the meat shop. A saloon was located in a rear addition constructed between 1898 and 1904. In 1912 a barber shop was added in the basement. In 1916, the second floor was remodeled to house the newly formed Marshfield Clinic. It was founded by Dr. K.W. Doege with Dr. Victor Mason, Dr. Roy Potter, Dr. H.H. Milbee, and Dr. Walter Sexton. They had a unique system for providing medical help - one of group rather than individual practice. In 1926 the Clinic moved to a new building (620 South Central Avenue, Wo 10/3) and the primary use of the building was as a store. By 1946, while the store was still functioning in the front of the building, the Plaza Hotel was located in the bank of the building. This property is a contributing member of the Marshfield Central Avenue Historic District under Criterion A of the National Register of Historic Places. It is representative of the Commerce Theme of the Wisconsin Cultural Resource Management Plan as an example of a retail building providing Goods and Services, and of the Social and Political Theme under Health Services as the location of the first offices of the Marshfield Clinic. HOUSED THE MARSHFIELD CLINIC FROM 1916-1926. BY 1946 THE PLAZA HOTEL WAS SITUATED IN THE BACK. |
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| Bibliographic References: | (A) Building inscription. (B) Sanborn Insurance Maps: Marshfield, Wisconsni - 1884, 1887, 1891, 1898, 1904, 1912, 1925, 1946. (C) Marshfield, Wisconsni, Highlights of History, 1872-1972, Marshfield, Wisconsin, 1972. (D) Dr. Stanley Custer, interview with author, 15 November, 1990, Marshfield, Wisconsin. (E) Marshfield City Directories. (F) Marshfield News-Herald 5/11/1994. Take a Walk on Main Street: Historic Walking Tours in Wisconsin's Main Street Communities, Wisconsin Main Street Program, 1998. Marshfield Walking Tour Brochure, 2000. "Central Avenue, Marshfield Historic District Walking tour," Marshfield Historic Preservation Committee, ca. 2019 |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |