Property Record
231 ROOSEVELT AVE
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | CHARLES H. PARKER HOUSE |
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| Other Name: | |
| Contributing: | Yes |
| Reference Number: | 68202 |
| Location (Address): | 231 ROOSEVELT AVE |
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| County: | Rock |
| City: | Beloit |
| Township/Village: | |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
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| Year Built: | 1856 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 1980 |
| Historic Use: | house |
| Architectural Style: | Italianate |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Clapboard |
| Architect: | |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Bluff Street Historic District |
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| National Register Listing Date: | 1/7/1983 |
| State Register Listing Date: | 1/1/1989 |
| National Register Multiple Property Name: | Multiple Resources of Beloit |
| 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. An architecturally significant example of the Italianate style in Beloit, the Charles Parker House is a classic of the type; a two story L-shaped structure (each wing almost square in proportion) with very wide eaves supported by paired scroll brackets, and a low pitched hip roof topped with a cupola. The regularly spaced windows, tall in proportion, are capped by pronounced segmental window heads with moldings. Wooden string courses at the frieze and cornice underscore the rectilinear nature of the composition. The cupola, with hip roof and broad eaves supported by brackets, has paired round headed windows. The house is sided with narrow clapboards. A screened porch shelters the first floor front facade. Situated on the bluff overlooking the Rock River, the house is both formal and exuberant, an appropriate expression of Beloit's optimism and confidence at mid-century. Architectural Significance: This dwelling is architecturally significant because it represents a type, period, or method of construction, and because it is a visual landmark in the area. Historical Statement: This Italianate house, built in 1858, was the residence of Charles H. Parker, a pioneer Beloit manufacturer. Parker's company, the Parker & Stone Reaper Company, was located on the Rock River and produced the Appleby Twine Binder in the 1870s, which Parker himself had perfected. Parker also was an original incorporator of the Beloit Water Company in 1885. (See Bib. Ref. B). This residence was, in 1860, one of the first houses to install gas lighting. (See Bib. Ref. C). The dwelling is historically significant because it is associated with the life of a significant person. |
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| Bibliographic References: | A. Beloit Tax Rolls, RCHS Archives. B. Beloit City Directory, 1858, p. 28. C. Rally Round Beloit, p. 11. D. Book of Beloit, p. 203. E. Historic Preservation Guidelines, City of Beloit, 1997. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |