608 S 11TH ST | Property Record | Wisconsin Historical Society

Property Record

608 S 11TH ST

Architecture and History Inventory
608 S 11TH ST | Property Record | Wisconsin Historical Society
NAMES
Historic Name:THE BISHOP'S HOUSE
Other Name:Franciscan Skemp Healthcare
Contributing:
Reference Number:29619
PROPERTY LOCATION
Location (Address):608 S 11TH ST
County:La Crosse
City:La Crosse
Township/Village:
Unincorporated Community:
Town:
Range:
Direction:
Section:
Quarter Section:
Quarter/Quarter Section:
PROPERTY FEATURES
Year Built:1877
Additions:
Survey Date:1996
Historic Use:rectory/parsonage
Architectural Style:Second Empire
Structural System:
Wall Material:Brick
Architect: J. LEINFELDER
Other Buildings On Site:
Demolished?:No
Demolished Date:
NATIONAL AND STATE REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
National/State Register Listing Name:Not listed
National Register Listing Date:
State Register Listing Date:
NOTES
Additional Information:Essentially a Victorian house with a straight sided mansard roof, the two-story cubic shaped red brick house was constructed by Joseph Leinfelder on an elevated foundation in 1877 for Bishop Heiss of the Catholich Diocese.

Straight sided mansard roof with dentil trim and paired brackets under the eaves; segmental arched dormer windows framed by colonettes; arched, long paired and triple windows with moulded stone window hoods wtih articulated keystones; similar door hood over side lighted entrance with altered entrance door; cast iron balconies visually supported by brackets under the upper story windows. Rear and side gable roofed additions (side structure attached to house appears to be a small chapel).

The electric Bishop's House, exhibiting the transition between the Italianate and the Second Empire styles, shows the tendance of builders after the Civil War to select ideas from a variety of sources readily available through books and periodicals, and is the best preserved representative of the Second Empire influence in the city.

The bishop's residence illustrates the importance of La Crosse as a center of Catholic institutions.
Bibliographic References:(A) La Crosse Tribune 6/12/1994. (B) C.W. Butterfield, history of La Crosse County (Chicago: Western Historical Co., 1881; Reprint: 1977) p. 771. (C) Photograph: Philippi Publishing Co., 1904; Reprint: 1978) p. 81. (D) La Crosse Republican Leader 4/8/1877; 5/8/1877; 7/30/1877. (E) La Crosse Liberal Democrat 4/20/1877' 12/1/1877. (F) "The Catholic Church in La Crosse," In Golden Jubilee, St. John's Parish, La Crosse: St. John's Church, 1938. Booklet, La Crosse Public Library.
RECORD LOCATION
Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin

Have Questions?

If you didn't find the record you were looking for, or have other questions about historic preservation, please email us and we can help:

If you have an update, correction, or addition to a record, please include this in your message:

  • AHI number
  • Information to be added or changed
  • Source information

Note: When providing a historical fact, such as the story of a historic event or the name of an architect, be sure to list your sources. We will only create or update a property record if we can verify a submission is factual and accurate.

How to Cite

For the purposes of a bibliography entry or footnote, follow this model:

Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory Citation
Wisconsin Historical Society, Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, "Historic Name", "Town", "County", "State", "Reference Number".