Property Record
301 W MAIN ST/ 816 N GRAND
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Putney Block |
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| Other Name: | ESTBERG'S |
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| Reference Number: | 28699 |
| Location (Address): | 301 W MAIN ST/ 816 N GRAND |
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| County: | Waukesha |
| City: | Waukesha |
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| Year Built: | 1882 |
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| Additions: | 1986 |
| Survey Date: | 1979 |
| Historic Use: | retail building |
| Architectural Style: | Italianate |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Limestone |
| Architect: | Stephen V. Shipman |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Putney Block |
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| National Register Listing Date: | 9/23/1982 |
| 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 State Historical Society, Division of Historic Preservation.. RESTORED IN 1986. The Putney Block, constructed in 1882 is a fine example of Victorian commercial design. The building stands three stories, and is constructed of random coursed limestone. fenestration on the second and third stories is covered by smooth stone, pointed arches. Capping the building is a pressed metal mansard roof decorated with brackets. Decorative pediments break the eave line on the side elevations. The storefront has been remodeled; more sympathetic storefronts are being installed on the first story. The Putney Block is architecturally significant as a representative example of a period of construction. The building exhibits the finely crafted stone work associated with Waukesha's downtown, in addition the location and scale of the building results in its becoming a major focal point in the district. The second addition to the three-building Putney Block was constructed in 1882 by Colonel Frank Putney. Frank Putney was the son of Foskett Putney, the owner of the Exchange Hotel (on the southwest corner of Grand and Main) and the New Exchange Hotel which he built immediately to the south of the original structure. Frank Putney became a lawyer and one of Waukesha's most prominent businessmen and civic leaders. He served in many town and county offices, and became Asst. Secretary of State in 1878. In 1882, he razed the old wood-frame Exchange which he had inherited from his father and replaced it with the existing building. The building was leased to retail establishments on the first floor, offices on the second, and meeting halls on the third. |
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| Bibliographic References: | (A) The Five Points Downtown Historic District Walking Tour, Waukesha Landmarks Commission. (B) Zimmerman, #745. (C) Waukesha Freeman, 3/9/1995. (D) Date and name stone. (E) Waukesha Freeman, Jan. 4, 1883 (dated 1882 in error). (F) NRHP Nomination form, K.H. Rankin, 1982. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |