Property Record
304 N 6TH ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | La Crosse Vocational School |
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| Other Name: | Western Wisconsin Technical College |
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| Reference Number: | 32352 |
| Location (Address): | 304 N 6TH ST |
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| County: | La Crosse |
| City: | La Crosse |
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| Year Built: | 1923 |
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| Additions: | 1929 |
| Survey Date: | 199620162017 |
| Historic Use: | elementary, middle, jr.high, or high |
| Architectural Style: | Neoclassical/Beaux Arts |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
| Architect: | Otto Merman |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | Yes |
| Demolished Date: | 0 |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| 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. Constructed of creme/brown brick; plain projecting cornice with parapet above; facades broken by a series of set backs allowing the center bays to project in front of the end bays; moulded concrete triangular pediment shaped entrance with keystone accented round arched door on the west side and projecting pediment and freize over the south entrance doors. Decorative diaper pattern outlined in brick surface of south facade flat arched multi-paned windows. Exhibiting the Neo-classical influenced style commonly found in public and institutional building of the period, the La Crosse Vocational School, historically important as the original structure associated with the Vocational School in La Crosse. It is significant as the best example of an educational structure designed by Otto Merman in the Neo-classic style. The building was completed in 1924 and the auditorium addition at the southeast corner of North 6th Street and Pine was built in 1929. The La Crosse Vocational School was important in the development of the city as an educational center. The building was constructed with a one-story section on North 6th Street, but was desgined to accomodate a second story, which was built as the 1929 addition. This addition was also designed by Otto Merman in the same style as the original building (Tribune, 8 June 1924, 14 April 1929, 1 January 1930). 2016- "The La Crosse Vocational School Building (AHI No. 32352) and the Coleman Building (AHI No. 32351) comprise the original buildings associated with the La Crosse Vocational School. The La Crosse Vocational School Building was designed by prominent La Crosse architect Otto Merman in 1923 with a second-story addition designed by Merman in 1929. It is two-story, Neo-classical school building clad in brick and resting on a raised concrete foundation. The flat roof has a projecting cornice with a parapet that was recently covered in metal. The front (west) facade features an asymmetrical bay configuration and a series of setbacks that allow the narrow central bay to project forward. The historic main entrance is centered on the facade and has a rounded arch with keystone, pilasters, and an open pediment. The central bay is flanked by two wide setbacks on either side, each consisting of four bays. Windows are generally multipaned aluminum replacements. The Coleman Building was designed as a three-story annex to the La Crosse Vocational School Building by the architectural firm Boyum, Schubert, & Sorenson in 1939. It is attached to the vocation school building by a short, two-story brick hyphen that is now covered in metal siding. It has an irregular plan, rests on a concrete foundation, and is clad in cream brick with concrete panel veneer at the base. The roof is flat with metal coping that covers the original concrete cornice molding on the parapet. The historic main entrance was at the center of the front {west) facade; however, in 2015 the original door opening was converted to a window. Windows are generally multi-pane aluminum replacements. A Contemporary c.1990 entrance extends from the north elevation. The La Crosse Vocational School was established in 1912 as the result of legislation passed the previous year by the Wisconsin State Legislature, which required large cities in the state to establish technical schools. 20 At first the school operated out of a nearby elementary school, but in 1923 Merman was hired to design the La Crosse Vocational School building. Originally constructed as a one-story building, Merman also designed a second-story addition in 1929. The La Crosse Vocational School secured federal Public Works Administration {PWA) funding in 1938 to construct the Coleman Building. The school continued to expand post-World War II, and in 1969 developed a plan that envisioned the campus as a "mega-building" with substantial expansion.22 Renovations to the Coleman Building took place in 1971 and again between 2012 and 2016.23 While the shell of the La Crosse Vocational School Building and the Coleman Building remain, the early-twenty-first-century remodel completely overhauled the interior and side elevations." -"N 6th St: State St to Badger St", WisDOT#5991-05-27, Prepared by Mead & Hunt, Inc., (2016). 2012 Cass Street DOT project found building gone. 1996- "Neo-Classical in design, this two story educational facility was the original structure associated with the La Crosse Vocational School, constructed in 1923 and designed by La Crosse architect Otto Merman. Built of brick, this structure has a series of bay setbacks that make the central entrance bay most prominent and a continuous, balustraded parapet that runs above a plain, projecting cornice. The classical pedimented and pilastered west entrance bay has a round-arched opening with a double-door entry, above which is a tympanum. The south entrance is similarly detailed." - "La Crosse North/South Transportation Corridor", WisDOT ID #5991-04-00, Prepared by Heritage Research, Ltd. (1996). 2017 UPDATE - THE BUILDING LOOKS SUBSTANTIALLY LIKE IT DID WHEN LAST SURVEYED IN 2016. |
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| Bibliographic References: | A. Building Inscription. B. File #PSK-421, Commission list P. Nelson Co. La Crossse, WI. C. Sanborn-Perris Map, City of La Crosse, 1929. ***new stuff to check below this line*** A. La Crosse Tribune, 19 January 1924, 8 June 1924, 21 November 1924, 14 April 1929, 10 May 1929, 18 August 1929, 1 January 1930. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |