| 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.
This two story cream brick house is an excellent and well-preserved example of the Italianate style. This house was built in about 1873 for Hamilton Richardson, a local merchant, state senator, and county commissioner.
The Hamilton Richardson house is a large, two-story cream brick Italianate structure with an abundance of Italianate details including bays with round arched windows, individual and grouped round arched windows, a low-pitched hip and gable roof with wide eaves, frieze with rope molding, and returned eaves on gable projections. Accenting the peaks of the gable projections are round windows accented with a brick surround and keystones. The main entrance is a large wooden double door with teardrop, oval, and round panels accented with carvings. The round arched door is covered with a small porch that has a hipped roof supported by elaborate foliated wooden "C" scrolls which descend all the way to the porch floor. They end in acorn pendants and curled carved scrolls. Just to the left of the main entrance is a porch supported by slender wooden piers and decorated with arches and brackets. The west side of the house features a simpler two-story porch that is screened at the upper level and features slender piers and a simple balustrade on the first floor. The entire house sits on a fine cut limestone foundation. This fine house sits on a very large, spacious lot giving its high level of integrity an appropriate setting.
This house is an excellent example of a late Italianate house in Janesville. It is, perhaps, one of the finest Italianate houses in a city of fine Italianate houses. The round arched windows, projecting gable sections with returned eaves, delciately decorated porches are all typical details of Italianate houses and are executed on this house in a lavish and high quality manner. In fact, this house's high level of integrity is also a part of the reason why this house has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Local carpenter Ellis Shopbell is reported to have constructed the house and his fine work indicates that he was a fine craftsman in the community.
Hamilton Richardson came to Janesville from New York in 1946. He was a partner in a grist mill in 1850. After the mill burned, he went to California in 1851, but returned to Janesville after only a few years. He married Caoline Pease in 1858, the sister of extensive landowner John Pease. The couple built their house on land he owned. Richardson was elected to the State Legsilature in 1864, and was a county commissioner in 1868. He was involved in several business ventures including the Doty Manufacturing Company, Badger State Grain Drills and real estate. He was a state senator betwen 1876 to 1882 and was Janesville Postmaster from 1883 to 1888. Hamilton and/or Caroline Richardson lived in this house until 1911. Marshall and Jeanette Richardson occupied the house from 1913 to the mid-1930s.
Hamilton Richardson was one of the most prominent men in nineteenth century Janesville. He was involved with some of the city's most important businesses and was responsible for erecting a number of buildings in downtown Janesville. His political career was impressive, both on the local and state levels. For this reason, this house was listed in the National Register of Historic Places, in part, for historical significance. |
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| Bibliographic References: | TAX ROLLS.
HISTORIC JANESVILLE, HERITAGE PRESERVATION ASSOCIATES, INC. MACDONALD AND MACK PARTNERSHIP, CITY OF JANESVILLE DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, 1994.
WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL, 7/28/1996.
"Cultural Resources Report For the Proposed Talman House Telecommunications Facility in Janesville, Rock County, Wisconsin." WHS Project #14-0719/RO. June 2014. Prepared by Marcy Prchal.
The Janesville Historic Commission, Janesville, WI, The Prospect Hill & Conrad Cottages Historic Districts: A Guide, 1992. |
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