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Property Location
Property Features
This house has some historical interest as the long-time residence of August Gamm, a small merchant in Watertown's comemrcial district. While Gamm's business was long and successful, it is not individually significant.
A vernacular brick house influenced by the Greek Revival, this small cream brick house features a raised brick cornice with "rick-rack" brick trim and cornice returns in the gable end. The raised brick border continues along the edge of the gable simulating a raking cornice. Rectangular windows with eight lights and six over six lights, and stone lintels further characterize the house. A metal door hood over the off-set entrance in the street facing gable end has replaced the original porch. A one-story brick addition is located at the rear.
The August Gamm House is a well-preserved example of a vernacular brick house influenced by the Greek Revival style. One of a very few extant houses exhibiting definite Greek Revival influences, the Gamm house features a simple gable roofed form, multipaned windows, cornice and cornice returns in the pedimented gable end of the house. Other good examples of the Greek Revival influence are the houses at 900 E. Cady (50-16), 216-218 N. Washington (55-26) and 614 Cleveland (21-6). Built 1861, this house was owned by August Gamm who along with his brother George owned a crockery store at 400 East Main Street.
In addition, the Gamm house is significant because it is one of the best preserved of the small brick houses with "rick-rack: brick trim along the eaves and gable that is associated with the German section of town. However, the Gamm house is not located in the traditional German neighborhood north of Main Street.
National And State Register Of Historic Places Listings
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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.
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