2601 AFTON RD | Property Record | Wisconsin Historical Society

Property Record

2601 AFTON RD

Architecture and History Inventory
2601 AFTON RD | Property Record | Wisconsin Historical Society
NAMES
Historic Name:J.W. Crist House
Other Name:Swisstown Farmhouse
Contributing:
Reference Number:52752
PROPERTY LOCATION
Location (Address):2601 AFTON RD
County:Rock
City:Beloit
Township/Village:
Unincorporated Community:
Town:
Range:
Direction:
Section:
Quarter Section:
Quarter/Quarter Section:
PROPERTY FEATURES
Year Built:1904
Additions:
Survey Date:1995
Historic Use:house
Architectural Style:Queen Anne
Structural System:
Wall Material:Brick
Architect:
Other Buildings On Site:
Demolished?:No
Demolished Date:
NATIONAL AND STATE REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
National/State Register Listing Name: Crist, J. W., House
National Register Listing Date:1/7/1983
State Register Listing Date:1/1/1989
National Register Multiple Property Name:Multiple Resources of Beloit
NOTES
Additional Information:Asymmetrically composed of three gabled bays projecting from a main block (with steeply pitched hip roof) and an octagonal tower at the southwest corner, the J.W. Crist House rises two stories plus attic from a foundation of rock-faced stone. The first and second stories are constructed of brick while the steeply-pitched gables have walls of fish-scale shingles. Gable returns, flared eaves, and a broad frieze ornament the cornice line of the house while each story of the three-story tower is marked by a stone string course. A modified Palladian window in the west gable features Iconic mullions, a molded panel in place of a fanlight and a classical frame with entablature, while other attic windows feature similar frames. The first floor entries and the side bay windows are ornamented with entablatures and doors are framed with pilasters and sidelights. Although the posts and roof of the veranda are now gone, the heavily rusticated stone foundation and walls of the veranda remains. Perhaps the most fanciful ornament is the brick work above the second story of the tower where diagonal rows of raised brick intersect each other to create a diamond pattern. Several additional farm buildings, including an elaborate concrete, brick, and steel dairy barn, built in the mid-20th century as part of the A.O. Smith operation, are located immediately behind the house but do not contribute to the significance of the house and are excluded from nomination. Once called the "Klondike Farmhouse" because its owner/builder had recently returned from the Alaska gold rush of 1896, the J.W. Crist House is architecturally significant as one of the finest Queen Anne houses in the city of Beloit, reflecting the tall proportions, varied massing, and freely interpreted classical detail which are hallmarks of the style. Probably designed by its owner, the Crist house was built as a farmhouse (then on the outskirts of Beloit), and remains today the finest example of a rural Queen Anne house now located in the city of Beloit. This large and imposing Queen Anne house, known as the "Klondike Farm," was built in 1904 by John W. Crist after he successfully mined gold in Alaska. But, if his fortune allowed him to build on a large scale, his background as a skilled carpenter helped him build as well. As a young man, crist worked as a carpenter for the Cunningham Brothers, a local contracting firm, before he moved west to Montana to build bridges for the Northern Pacific Railway. Eventually, Crist went to Alaska where he built a trading post in the Yukon Territory. During the great Klondike gold rush, Crist was reputed to have mined one of the first and richest mines in the territory. In 1901, Crist returned to Beloit, bought the rights to his family's farm, named the operation the "Klondike Farm." and began to build the large brick home which stands today. A strong promoter of rural interest, Crist served on the Rock County Board and other civic panels where he represented agricultural concerns. Throughout this period, the Klondike Farm was noted for its fine flock of sheep and its large herd of beef cattle, and the farm buildings that Crist built were considered among the finest in the county. But in 1914 fire destroyed many of thise buildings and Crist sold the property to W.J. Allen of Beloit who rebuilt the barns. By the early 1940s, the farm was owned by W.C. Heath, an executive with the A.O. Smith Corporation of Milwaukee, who built the present elaborate concrete, brick, and steel dairy barn that stands near the house. Mr. Heath also directed the buliding of one of the finest herds of purebred Brown Swiss cattle on the farm, and gave the place a new name - Swisstown. In 1947, the farm was bought by the A.O. Smith Corporation as a field research center. The corporation used the site for experimenting with such products as Harveststore crop storage units and dairying equipment. Eventually, A.O. Smith sold the property to Lester A. Helgesen of Janesville. Helgesen operated it for a number of years prior to selling it, and in recent years the farm has been partially subdivided. The area is becoming suburbanized, and the site has been annexed to the city.
Bibliographic References:(A) Beloit Daily News 5/18/1995. (B) Beloit Tax Rolls, RCHS Archives. (C) "History of Swisstown farms," n.d., n.p., Bill Behling, RCHS Archives.
RECORD LOCATION
Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin

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