Skip to main content

click zoom to display a high-res image
Property Record

4811 TONYAWATHA TR

Historic Name:
Schroeder, Otto and Louise, House
Other Name:
Reference Number:
5597

Property Location

Location (Address)
4811 TONYAWATHA TR
County
Dane
City/Village
Monona
Township
Unincorporated community
Town
Range
Direction
Section
Quarter Section
Quarter Quarter Section

Property Features

Year Built
1932
Additions
2004
Survey Date
1980,2019,2021
Historic Use
Architectural Style
Structural System
Wall Material
Stone - Unspecified
Architect
Frank Riley,Herbert Fritz (studio)
Other Buildings On Site
Y
Demolished
No
Demolished Date
Additional Comments
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, Division of Historic Preservation. 1/2 TIMBERED UPPER STORY. BOHROD WAS AN UW ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE.

Otto Schroeder was founder of Schroeder Funeral Home in Madison. In 1959, the Schroeder family sold the home to UW Madison's artist-in-residence Aaron Bohrod. He lived there with his wife Ruth until his death until 1992. Bohrod hired architect Herbert Fritz to design the artist studio that was built over the existing garage.
2004 - addition added to the back of the house.

2018 - The two-and-one-half-story, wood-frame, Tudor Revival-style house has stone foundation and an irregular rectangular plan that includes three front-gable projecting wings on the front (east), rear (west), and side (south) elevations. It has an irregular side-gable roof with three hip-roof dormers; one opens to a small integrated balcony toward the north end of the front (east) facade. Exterior walls are clad in a combination of stucco and stone masonry and many wall surfaces display false half-timbering. Fenestration consists of multi-light windows and replacement fixed-frame windows. A stone chimney is located near the southern end of the house. The 1932 house was designed by renowned Madison architect Frank Riley, who specialized in revival styles, for Otto Schroeder, a prominent Madison funeral director, and his wife Louise.

Artist Aaron Bohrod purchased the house in 1959 and served as artist-in-residence at the University of Wisconsin-Madison from 1948 to 1973. Bohrod studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and received many awards for his early paintings, prints, and drawings. During World War II he was an artist correspondent for Life Magazine and the U.S. Department of Army. In 1948 he came to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he developed a unique “trompe l’oeil” (fool the eye) technique whereby painted objects appear very realistic. The Art Institute of Chicago, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Whitney Museum of American Art all have Bohrod’s works in their collections. Bohrod added many fanciful nature images to the interior of the main house, including fish forms on the vestibule and bird forms on the kitchen cupboards. In 1959 Bohrod commissioned renowned architect Herbert Fritz to design a free-standing art studio on the property, northeast of the main house. The side-gable studio features exterior walls clad in stucco, wood, and stone; distinctive inverted triangular window openings, as well as a wood-frame window wall on the north elevation; and four basement-level garage bays on the east elevation.
Bibliographic References
CAPITAL TIMES 10/10/1995. MONONA COMMUNITY HERALD 5/10/1995. CAPITAL TIMES 5/1/1995. WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL 9/26/1995. MONONA COMMUNITY HERALD 8/21/1996. Monona Landmarks Commission. City of Monona: Its Heritage and Landmarks. 2nd ed. Monona Wis.: Monona Landmarks Commission, 2011. 44-45. Blueprints and specification book for the house in possession of the owners. Wisconsin State Journal: April 24, 1949, Section 4, p. 3 (illustrated). Wisconsin State Journal: December 11, 1966, Section 4, p. 1 (illustrated).

National And State Register Of Historic Places Listings

National/State Register Listing Name
Schroeder-Bohrod House
National Register Listing Date
Mar 23, 2023
State Register Listing Date
Nov 18, 2022
Contributing
Yes
Permalink
Permalink

Architecture & History Inventory

The Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory (AHI) is a digital source of information on historic buildings, structures, and objects that have been surveyed by the State Historic Preservation Office in Wisconsin. Each property has a digital record providing basic information about the property and images.

Learn More about AHI

Contact Us

Questions?

Wondering about if your property is eligible or notice some information on this property needs to be updated, reach out today!

Email Us

Attribution

For a credit line: Wisconsin Historical Society, Creator, Title, Unique Identifier. 

The Unique Identifier can be found at the top or bottom of the page for each item. The name of a downloaded file is NOT the unique identifier.

For bibliographic citations please consult the UW-Madison Libraries Citation Research Guide to ensure compliance with appropriate style guidelines.

 

Access Property Records

Some properties have more materials (correspondence, clippings, historical information, etc.) not in the digital record. If a 'Site File' exists, it's noted in the 'Additional Comments' field. Contact us for an appointment to view these materials.

Schedule Appointment

Property Record
4811 TONYAWATHA TRL

4811 TONYAWATHA TRL

238402

Located in Monona, Dane County

View Property
Photographs
Artist Aaron Bohrod Shows Off New Studio

Artist Aaron Bohrod Shows Off New Studio

July 8, 1960

University of Wisconsin Artist-in-Residence Aaron Bohrod shows his new studio at his English Tudor style home at 4811 Tonyawatha Trail overlooking Lake Monona. The studio was designed by Herbert Fr...

View
Photographs
Artist Aaron Bohrod Shows Off New Studio

Artist Aaron Bohrod Shows Off New Studio

July 8, 1960

University of Wisconsin Artist-in-Residence Aaron Bohrod shows his new studio at his English Tudor style home at 4811 Tonyawatha Trail overlooking Lake Monona. The studio was designed by Herbert Fr...

View
Photographs
Aaron Bohrod in his Studio

Aaron Bohrod in his Studio

Caption with image reads: "Aaron Bohrod, pictured here in his studio, is the established American master of trompe l'oeil ('fool the eye') painting. This is the technique used in the seven original...

View
Property Record
5326 Oak Crest Place

5326 Oak Crest Place

241092

Located in Madison, Dane County

View Property
Photographs
Artist Aaron Bohrod Shows Off New Studio

Artist Aaron Bohrod Shows Off New Studio

July 8, 1960

University of Wisconsin Artist-in-Residence Aaron Bohrod shows his new studio at his English Tudor style home at 4811 Tonyawatha Trail overlooking Lake Monona. The studio was designed by Herbert Fr...

View
Go to top
Wisconsin Historical Society
Search Dropdown