Property Record
612 FERRY ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | F.M. Rublee-C.C. Washburn House |
|---|---|
| Other Name: | |
| Contributing: | |
| Reference Number: | 33155 |
| Location (Address): | 612 FERRY ST |
|---|---|
| County: | La Crosse |
| City: | La Crosse |
| Township/Village: | |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | |
| Range: | |
| Direction: | |
| Section: | |
| Quarter Section: | |
| Quarter/Quarter Section: |
| Year Built: | 1856 |
|---|---|
| Additions: | 1886 |
| Survey Date: | 197720092017 |
| Historic Use: | house |
| Architectural Style: | Italianate |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Stucco |
| Architect: | Gregory |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
|---|---|
| National Register Listing Date: | |
| State Register Listing Date: |
| 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. FRANCE M. RUBLEE WAS THE BUILDER. ALEXANDER SHEPARD WAS THE MASON. Intersecting gable roofs; paired brackets and block dentils under broad roof overhang; projecting window cornices; stained glass borders on clear plate glass windows; arched windows with articulated keystones on south wing; stucco added to original surface; much alteration of architectural details has taken place. Formerly of brick, this stucco, two-story, cross-shaped house was altered by the addition of stucco to the exterior, as well as the removal of architectural details. The house acquired by C.C. Washburn, a former congressman and governor of Wisconsin, in 1861, is important for its association with a prominent early citizen of La Crosse. Francis M. Rublee moved to La Crosse from the Milwaukee area around 1848. He is considered one of the founding fathers of La Crosse. He probably was a brother to Horace Rublee of Madison. Rublee sold the house to C.C. Washburn in 1861. Washburn was an early Wisconsin settler in Mineral Point and moved to La Crosse early on. Washburn went on to become a Union officer, a Congressman from Wisconsin, Wisconsin Governor, and eventually founder of what is today the Pillsbury Mills Co. C.C. Washburn was a scion of an illustrious family from the East. His brother Elihu was a Senator from Illinois. C.C. Washburn engaged in the lumber business after arriving in La Crosse in 1860. In 1861, he organized the Second Wisconsin Cavalry Regiment. Washburn became a Major-General during the Civil War - the highest ranking citizen of Wisconsin. After the war, Washburn became Governor 1872-1874, University Regent, and also eventually moved to Minneapolis to engage in the flour milling business. He died in 1882. Constructed by F.M. Rublee in 1856 and purchased by Washburn c.1859. 2017 UPDATE - HOUSE LOOKS SUBSTANTIALLY AS IT DID WHEN LAST SURVEYED. |
|---|---|
| Bibliographic References: | (A) D.L. Crocker, "A Preliminary List of Buildings in the City of La Crosse with Significant Architectural Value", 1977. (C) Harold Weisse, "Types of Architecture Illustrated in La Crosse and Vicinity", Sketches of the La Crosse Historical Society (Vol. 5, 1940). LACROSSE TRIBUNE 8/27/1996. A. La Crosse National Democrat, 30 June 1857. B. La Crosse Independent Republican, 27 October 1858. C. La Crosse Chronicle, 22 October 1886. D. La Crosse City Tax Records, UW-La Crosse, ARC. E. Crocker, Leslie. La Crosse Buildings through Time. La Crosse: La Crosse Public Library Archives Department, 2015. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |