Property Record
31 S MADISON ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | EVANSVILLE CITY HALL |
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| Other Name: | MUNICIPAL FIRE STATION AND CITY HALL |
| Contributing: | Yes |
| Reference Number: | 31679 |
| Location (Address): | 31 S MADISON ST |
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| County: | Rock |
| City: | Evansville |
| Township/Village: | |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | |
| Range: | |
| Direction: | |
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| Year Built: | 1892 |
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| Additions: | 1955 2000 |
| Survey Date: | 20062024 |
| Historic Use: | city/town/village hall/auditorium |
| Architectural Style: | Romanesque Revival |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Cream Brick |
| Architect: | Conover And Porter |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Evansville Historic District |
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| National Register Listing Date: | 11/16/1978 |
| 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 Wisconsin Historical Society, State Historic Preservation Office. Original fire bell was removed to the city park. Building is of the same design as the Baptist and Congregational churches on the same block, but it has a Romanesque arch. Initially the building contained police and fire facilities, including a jail and combination hose-drying/bell tower, as well as general city offices. The "City Hall" designation was anticipatory. Evansville was still legally classified as a village until 1896. An addition to the north in 2000 now houses the elevator shaft required to make the building ADA-accessible. "Original plans for this municipal building were drawn by Madison architect Conover and Porter. Initially the building contained police and fire facilities, including a jail and combination hose-drying/bell tower, as well as general city offices. The cream brick facade is mostly intact, although some windows have been removed or altered. Queen Anne details are included, but are dominated by the heavy stone foundation and arched doorways of the Richardson Romanesque style. The date block above the entry confirms the vintage. (The "City Hall" designation was anticipatory. Evansville was still legally classified as a village until 1896.) An addition to the north in 2000 now houses the elevator shaft required to make the building ADA-accessible. The cannon on the front lawn was cast in 1863 by the West Point Foundry and donated by the Navy Department to the local post of the Grand Army of the Republic in 1900; it was removed to Leota Park in 1938 where it suffered severe damage at a later date. Restored by the Evansville Grove Society in 2013, the piece has been returned to its original Evansville location, where it serves as the City's principal Civil War Memorial." Evansville Historic Preservation Commission, Historic Evansville Walking Tour brochure, 2014. |
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| Bibliographic References: | EVANSVILLE REVIEW 9/30/1987. THE CAPITAL TIMES 8/25/1994. JANESVILLE GAZETTE 2/22/1996. EVANSVILLE REVIEW 5/29/1996. EVANSVILLE REVIEW 9/25/1996. EVANSVILLE REVIEW 8/7/1996. Evansville Review 3/25/1998. Historical and Architectural Walking Tour of Evansville's Historic District, Evansville Historic Preservation Commission, 1992. Evansville Historic Preservation Commission, Historic Evansville Walking Tour brochure, 2014. Evansville Historic Preservation Commission, Historic Evansville: A Walker's Guide, 2002. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |