| 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.
The majority of this one-and-one-half-story, Craftsman-style bungalow is sheathed with a combination of narrow clapboard and wooden shingles, while a stucco and false half-timber finish is found within all gabled peaks. A one-story, gabled and enclosed porch wing with short battered wooden supports set upon coursed stone piers extends from the home’s core toward S. 6th Street, while another one-story gabled wing extends to the south. The gabled upper half-story of the home, which contains a significant number of windows, is the feature that classifies the house as an airplane bungalow. Windows throughout the house are largely one-over-one-light, double-hung sash that are arranged singly; however, some are grouped such that they present themselves as a tripartite grouping, along with a square or rectangular single-pane window that separates them—three of such examples are evident on the house. No less than two picture windows include an upper leaded-glass pane.
This house was built in 1915 for Jay Henry & Bernice Grimm. Jay Grimm was born on 14 November 1878 in River Falls, the son of blacksmith John Grimm and his wife Mary. Following high school graduation, he worked with attorney Nils P. Haugen of River Falls and then with MacAusland & Smith in Superior, Wisconsin. He was admitted to the bar in December 1900 and returned to River Falls where he practiced with Haugen until Haugen’s retirement. Since that time, Grimm established his own practice, within which he also did a mutual fire insurance business. He served as the secretary of the River Falls City Mutual Fire Insurance Company and the Northwestern Mutual Fire Insurance Company of Wisconsin. In 1920, Grimm, along with Christian Wiger and Professor Roy Spriggs, were owners and developers of the Residence Park addition (formerly Clarks Grove), just north of UW-River Falls (then the Normal School). In 1929, Grimm was appointed to the State Board of Normal School Regents, upon which he served for thirteen years. He would end his career as the Pierce County judge, a position he held from 1941 until his death. In circa 1907, he married Bernice Whitcomb, the daughter of Colton and Belle Whitcomb. They had two children: Gordon (b. 1908; d. 1989) and Gretchen (b. 1912; d. 1985). As of the 1940 census, also in residence with the Grimms was Bernice’s widowed father Colton. Jay died on 1 April 1955, while Bernice passed away on 28 May 1957. In 1966, UW-River Falls named their new residence hall “Grimm Hall” in honor of Judge Grimm. |
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