Property Record
203 MAIN ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | DEMUTH TAVERN |
|---|---|
| Other Name: | Corner bar and Grill |
| Contributing: | Yes |
| Reference Number: | 31073 |
| Location (Address): | 203 MAIN ST |
|---|---|
| County: | Lafayette |
| City: | Darlington |
| Township/Village: | |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | |
| Range: | |
| Direction: | |
| Section: | |
| Quarter Section: | |
| Quarter/Quarter Section: |
| Year Built: | |
|---|---|
| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 1982 |
| Historic Use: | tavern/bar |
| Architectural Style: | Italianate |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
| Architect: | |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Main Street Historic District |
|---|---|
| National Register Listing Date: | 10/7/1994 |
| State Register Listing Date: | 7/15/1994 |
| National Register Multiple Property Name: |
| Additional Information: | THIS LONG, BRICK, TWO-STORY COMMERCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL STRUCTURE WITH A FLAT SLOPING ROOF HAS A METAL BRACKETED CORNICE THAT IS SET ABOVE A DECORATIVE BANK OF BRICK DENTILS AND PROJECTING BRICK WORK EXTENDING AROUND THE FACADE AND THE EXPOSED SOUTH SIDE. CORBELED, PROJECTING SEGMENTAL ARCHED WINDOW HEADS ACCENT THE THREE BAY FACADE WHILE STONE LINTELS AND SILLS ARE FOUND ON THE SOUTH SIDE. THE 19TH CENTURY STORE FRONT HAS BEEN COMPLETELY ALTERED. ALTHOUGH THE STORE FRONT HAS BEEN GREATLY ALTERED, THIS BUILDING IS IMPORTANT TO THE COMMERCIAL DISTRICT BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN PART OF THE ARCHITECTURAL ENVIRONMENT SINCE THE MID-19TH CENTURY AND BECAUSE IT HAS RETAINED THE ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS ON THE UPPER STORY. IN ADDITION, IT OCCUPIES A KEY CORNER LOCATION IN THE COMMERCIAL DISTRICT ON THE MAIN STREET OF DARLINGTON. THE DEMUTH TAVERN IS HISTORICALLY RELATED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF DARLINGTON'S COMMERCIAL DISTRICT. BUILT PRIOR TO 1884, IT IS HISTORICALLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE DEMUTH FAMILY.(A,B) THE DEMUTH FAMILY BEGINNING WITH JOHN DEMUTH OCCUPIED IT AS A SALOON IN THE 1880S.(C) ABOUT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY AUGUST DEMUTH HAD TAKEN CHARGE OF THE SALOON AND ADDED A BOWLING ALLEY.(D) BY 1911, FRANK DEMUTH, BROTHER OF AUGUST, HAD ENTERED THE ENTERPRISE.(E) AMAZINGLY IN 1917 WHEN THE ENTIRE BLOCK BURNED DOWN, ONLY THIS BUILDING REMAINED STANDING.(F) NEW BUILDINGS WERE ERECTED WITHIN A FEW YEARS AFTER THE FIRE. THIS BUILDING IS THE ONLY REMINDER OF EARLY 19TH CENTURY COMMERCE WHICH OCCURRED IN THAT BLOCK. |
|---|---|
| Bibliographic References: | SANBORN-PERRIS MAP, DARLINGTON, 1884, 1889, 1894, 1900, 1908, 1915, 1924 KENNETH SCHREITER, INTERVIEW, 1-10-83 "WISCONSIN GAZETTEER," 1886, P. 212; 1891-92, P. 240. IBID., 1901-02, P. 278. IBID., 1911-12, P. 268. "REPUBLICAN JOURNAL," SEPT. 13, 1917. Take a Walk on Main Street: Historic Walking Tours in Wisconsin's Main Street Communities, Wisconsin Main Street Program, 1998. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |