Property Record
408 S MAIN ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Janesville High School |
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| Other Name: | MARSHALL JUNIOR HIGH |
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| Reference Number: | 29348 |
| Location (Address): | 408 S MAIN ST |
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| County: | Rock |
| City: | Janesville |
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| Unincorporated Community: | |
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| Year Built: | 1921 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 1993 |
| Historic Use: | elementary, middle, jr.high, or high |
| Architectural Style: | Late Gothic Revival |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
| Architect: | Van Ryn and DeGelleke |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Janesville High School |
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| National Register Listing Date: | 6/25/1999 |
| State Register Listing Date: | 1/15/1999 |
| 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. J.P. Cullen was the builder. This three story school building was designed by the firm of Van Ryn and DeGelleke and is constructed of red bricks It features details from the Collegiate Gothic style. The main feature of the building are the windows, set in groups of four and accented with stone tabbed surrounds. The entrances are decorated with stone arches, surrounds, and gothic details. The central pavilion features arched openings, carved stone panels, and a gothically-decorated hood over the third-floor windows. This building is also significant for its type of construction, that is, a high school buliding from the early twentieth century. The three-story red brick structure is not elaborately decorated and stresses the functional nature of the building. The Gothic details add a charm, though, to an otherwise institutional building. Despite continued use as a high school and middle school since its construction in 1921-23, the building has a high degree of integrity, with most of its historic details still intact, resulting in a fine example of an early twentieth century school building. This building was erected for the Janesville High School in 1921-23. Prior to its erection, the Janesville High School program was housed in an older high school building located in the Courthouse HIll neighborhood, where Jefferson Park is now located. This building was demolished, along with all of the other historic nineteenth century school buildings in Janesville. This building served the high school program until after World War II, when two new high schools were opened. It has continued to serve as a middle or junior high school since a few years after its opening until the present day. The old Janesville High School is significant because it is the only extant historic resource related to secondary education in Janesville. But it is also significant because it was the first modern building erected for secondary education in the community. It featured all of the facilities many high schools take for granted today, including an auditorium and a swimming pool. It has an elegant interior that speaks to the wealth of the community a few years after the erection of the Janesville General Motors plant. |
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| Bibliographic References: | A. City Directories: 1919, 1925. B. Rock County Historical Sites and Buildings, Page 208. C. Datestone. D. Janesville Gazette 3/22/1997. E. Fort Atkinson Daily Jefferson County Union 12/3/1996. Janesville Gazette 4/6/1999. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |