| 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.
Madison Historic Landmark: 7/15/1996
MAP CODE IS 0709-223-3001-7.
One of Madison's finest Prairie style houses. wide overhanging eaves, plaster-covered soffits, decorative beltcourses, leaded glass windows, strong horizontal emphasis.
The house was likely designed by the Madison architecture firm of Claude and Starck, but this has not been conclusively confirmed.
"A matching garage features a turntable in the floor designed to allow cars to enter and exit going forward." Wisconsin State Journal, 5/10/1998.
"This outstanding house was built for local insurance executive August Cornelius Larson and his wife Della in 1911. It is one of the finest of Madison's Prairie School houses. Larson (1875-1961) was born in Wiota, Wisconsin, and began dealing in life insurance while still in college in Iowa. Soon after graduation he became the manager of Central Life Assurance Society's Wisconsin office. Larson made this the Society's biggest branch and was later elected president of the Northwest Congress of Life Underwriters, became a director of several Madison financial institutions, was a one-time president of the Randall Bank, and important lender in the Wingra Park Oakland Heights area.
With its wide overhanging eaves, plaster-covered soffits, decorative beltcourses, leaded glass windows, and strong horizontal emphasis, the Larson House is a textbook example of the Prairie School style. It was most likely designed by the Madison form of Claude and Starck." Architect Network, Inc., Second Annual Arts and Crafts Conference, 2000; The Greenbush-Vilas Neighborhood: A Walking Tour. Madison Landmarks Commission and the Brittingham-Vilas Neighborhood Association, 1991. |
|---|
