Property Record
111-115 6th St S
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Moll Motors |
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| Other Name: | Davy Engineering Co. |
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| Reference Number: | 32355 |
| Location (Address): | 111-115 6th St S |
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| County: | La Crosse |
| City: | La Crosse |
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| Year Built: | 1926 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 199620172023 |
| Historic Use: | automobile showroom |
| Architectural Style: | Other Vernacular |
| Structural System: | Unknown |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
| Architect: | Otto Merman |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| National Register Listing Date: | |
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| Additional Information: | Tapestry brick facade with decorative patterns in creme, brown and rust colored brick and tiles. Windows and store front have been altered in recent renovation when stucco was applied to side elevations. 1996- "The patterned, glazed brick, main facade is all that remains of the 1926 Moll Motors automobile showroom designed by La Crosse architect Otto Merman. Storefront and upper-level windows currently contain modem, plate glass, and the side elevations have been covered with stucco veneer." - "La Crosse North/South Transportation Corridor", WisDOT ID #5991-04-00, Prepared by Heritage Research, Ltd. (1996). 2017 UPDATE - THE BUILDING HAS NOT CHANGED SUBSTANTIALLY SINCE IT WAS LAST SURVEYED IN 1996. 2023: This two-story, vernacular, former Moll Motors automobile showroom was constructed 1926. It is of brick construction and clad in a brick veneer on the front (west) facade and portion of the side (north) elevation, with replacement stucco on the remaining portion of the north elevation, and the entire side (south) and rear (east) elevations. It has a rectangular plan and concrete foundation. The flat roof has a simple parapet on the front (west) facade. The roof materials are not visible. Original decorative brickwork is present within stringcourses, and the cornice on the facade and continues on a portion of the north elevation. Windows are replacement, fixed pane metal. Storefront windows on the north elevation have been infilled with brick veneer. The Moll Motors building was designed as an automobile showroom and office building by local architect Otto Merman, who is known for his Prairie School collaborations with Percy Dwight Bentley in the 1920s and 1930s. Newspaper research showed Moll Motors occupancy continuing until approximately 1932, with a variety of occupants over the following years. The building is now used as office space by Davy Laboratories and the La Crosse Area Realtors Association. |
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| Bibliographic References: | La Crosse Tribune, 5/3/88. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |