Property Record
350 W 1ST ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Marcus S. Bell House |
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| Other Name: | |
| Contributing: | Yes |
| Reference Number: | 47805 |
| Location (Address): | 350 W 1ST ST |
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| County: | St. Croix |
| City: | New Richmond |
| Township/Village: | |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | |
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| Year Built: | 1897 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 1983 |
| Historic Use: | house |
| Architectural Style: | Queen Anne |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Aluminum/Vinyl Siding |
| Architect: | |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | New Richmond West Side Historic District |
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| National Register Listing Date: | 5/31/1988 |
| State Register Listing Date: | 1/1/1989 |
| National Register Multiple Property Name: |
| Additional Information: | Aluminum siding is the exterior fabric on this 2 story residence. Detailing is colonial revival and Queen Anne. The hip roof with pedimented gables and boxed cornice has asphalt shingles covering it. Rock faced stone is the exterior fabric on the foundation. The plan is rectangular. On the north or front facade is a turret-like dormer with three windows and a peaked roof. This and the leaded glass and oriel windows on the building suggest Queen Anne styling as well as the colonial revival details. There are two second story windows on the east part of this facade. At the west is an open porch under the hip roof of the house. One door leads to the porch. One turned wood column and two identical pilasters are at the porch corner. Part of the porch base is filled in. There is a small turned wood railing aboev this. The one story full front porch has a hip roof and box cornice. Turned wood columns and two pilasters act as supports. A newer wood railing (that resembles a ladder) over the lattice work porch foundation. At the eat part of the first story is a leaded glass oriel window with a cone-like base. West of this is the entry with a transom window. West of this is a Queen Anne window with leaded glass in the top portion. The west side of the buildingd hsa one window on each story in the north part. Just sough of this is a two story bay window with a Queen Anne leaded glass window on the first story and another window above it. Four other windows are on this bay. A pedimented gable with a flat head Palladian wis atop this section. The two side windows have half-arched windows. To the south of the bay window are three narrow windows in a vertical row. At the SW corner of this residence is a second story screened in porch with vertical paned windows. This is over an open porch and has small brackets below it. The east side has irregular window placement and a one story side addition with a hip roof. A pedimented gable that is identical to the west side one is above this. There are evergreens placed close to the house in the front and bushes around much of the rest of the foundation. This residence sits on a corner lot and is very visible from the street. In the SE part of the lot is a large one story clapboard carriage house with a center gable roofline and rectangular plan (see SC 35-26). The combination of Queen Anne and colonial revival detailing is seen frequently in New Richmond. This residence is one of the best examples of it. The home dates pretornado but the exact time is not known. Sanborn maps show its plan as unchanged since 1912. Although not architecturally significant, this home contributes to the late 19th century character of the district. Unconfirmed reports say that Marcus Sears Bell lived in this house in the early 1890's. He had built a farm in 1884 (see SC27-24) just south of the city but, returned to the city in the 1890's. The style of the house looks as though it could have been built at this time. After his death in 1904 his widow and two daughtrers lived in the house on First Street that he built. The 1910 census confirms that Katherine (Mrs. M.S.) Bell and two daughters lived on First Street. The Bell sisters and Mrs. Bell are also said to have lived in the house at 425 West First Street (see SC20-10). Because this house is not on an 1897 plat map it could not be the one M.S. Bell built in the mid 1890's. Stylistically it appears to be an early 20th century colonial revival four square home. It is very likely that they lived there at a later date. They were there in the 1920's. Bell was born in Newhall New YOrk in 1844 and came to St. Croix County in 1860. He worked with James Johnston in Richmond township. They ran teams and had a threshing machine business. In 1869, Bell bought land south of New Richmond and property on West Third Street and South Dakota in town. He lived in town with his wife (married 1870) until their farm was completed in 1884. Katherine Johnston Bell (born 1849) had been a school teacher and was the sister of James Johnston who Bell worked with. William Johnston, James' brother, also lived on First Street (see SC29-35, 447 West First STreet and SC20-9, 467 West First Street). Bell's family were from Vermont and Ohio and Katherine was Canadian and Irish descent. In 1884, Bell was the last village president, having to resign his position when the new city limits excluded his farm. The 1895-6 Business Gazetteer lists Bell as a cattle breeder one mile south of the city. He was on the post-tornado building committee and lost 8 - 10 houses and 3 - 4 stores in the storm. In 1904 he was an alderman and school board member. Both Bells were members of the Old Settlers Association of St. Croix Valley. There were four Bell children - Bertha, Ernest J. and twins Maud and Mollie (b. October 1880). Ernest lived on the farm after his parents moved out and was partner in B. &n W. Concrete Co. In 1904, Bertha was a perceptress at Hamline University and Maude a student there. Mollie lived at home. In 1911, Andres Denneen re-shingled this house according to a newspaper account. The Deneen's owned a general store in the 1890's (and probably prior to this). A neighbor reports that this was the Denneen house. In 1899 Denneen lived on the south side of the city (History of the New Richmond Cyclone of June 12, 1899 - Mrs. A.G. Boehm, 1900). This house has no historic significance but its association with the Bell family is of local importance and interest. The family's Irish and Eastern U.S. descent and their prominence in local business and civic affairs fit in with the economic and social background of this neighborhood and contributes to the district's overall historic impact on the development of the city. |
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| Bibliographic References: | A. 1897 Plat Map. B. Sanborn Maps 1912 and 1927. C. A Easton - History of the St. Croix Valley volume 2, 1909. D. 1900 and 1910 U.S. Census. E. Wisconsin State Gazeteer 1895-1896 R.C. Polk and Co. F. M.E. Hagan. G. Wisconsin State Gazeteer. H. J. Drill. New Richmond News 1/23/1997. New Richmond Walking Tour brochure, 2000. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |