Property Record
143 S DAVIS ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Clark Block |
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| Other Name: | Clark Block |
| Contributing: | Yes |
| Reference Number: | 54340 |
| Location (Address): | 143 S DAVIS ST |
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| County: | Trempealeau |
| City: | Galesville |
| Township/Village: | |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | |
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| Year Built: | 1886 |
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| Additions: | 1925 |
| Survey Date: | 1981 |
| Historic Use: | bank/financial institution |
| Architectural Style: | Romanesque Revival |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
| Architect: | |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Downtown Historic District |
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| National Register Listing Date: | 9/18/1984 |
| State Register Listing Date: | 1/1/1989 |
| National Register Multiple Property Name: | Multiple Resources of Galesville |
| Additional Information: | Despite minor modifications, this handsome corner building is the most ornate (and intact) on the square and is an excellent example of the commercial block style of the later 19th century. In 1925, the outside stone steps were removed and the entrance was brought down to the street level. A marble staircase leading to the main floor was built inside. The structure was built by Aaron Kribs, who had a hardware business, and by the Bank of Galesville, which had been established in 1883 by Isaac Clark, one of the first farmers to settle in Galesville, and by Walter C. Brooks. (From 1883-1886 the bank had been accomodated in a small, one-story brick building.) The bank had continued as a private institution until 1885, when it was incorporated under the laws of Wisconsin with a capital of $25,000. Mr. Clark was the first President, A.W. Newman was Vice President, and Mr. Brooks was Cashier. Eventually the bank took over the entire building. The bank was built on the site of Galesville's first store, opened in 1854. C. 1913, Kidder & Hunter Hardware, housed in north half of building became Hunter Hardware Company. Aaron Kribs had established a hardware business in Galesville as early as 1877. Bank of Galesville vacated the Clark Block when it built its present, modern facility on the opposite side of the square sometime after 1954. |
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| Bibliographic References: | (A) Cornice inscription. (B) "The Galesville Centennial," 1954, pp. 31-32. (C) Wisconsin Industrial Review, Vol. XIV, no. 164, August 1913, p. 5, 51. (D) Map of Trempealeau County, Wisconsin, 1877. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |