Property Record
944 MAIN ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Benham & Moffitt Saloon; Zimmer; Wisconsin State Bank |
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| Other Name: | Hostel Shoppe |
| Contributing: | Yes |
| Reference Number: | 72776 |
| Location (Address): | 944 MAIN ST |
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| County: | Portage |
| City: | Stevens Point |
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| Year Built: | 1870 |
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| Additions: | 1944 |
| Survey Date: | 1982 |
| Historic Use: | tavern/bar |
| Architectural Style: | Italianate |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Cut Stone |
| Architect: | |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Mathias Mitchell Public Square--Main Street Historic District |
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| National Register Listing Date: | 8/13/1986 |
| State Register Listing Date: | 1/1/1989 |
| National Register Multiple Property Name: |
| Additional Information: | Dating from the 1870's, this two story building was constructed of cut stone laid in regular courses. Carved stone hood molds cover the three second story windows. A pressed metal cornice composed of pairs of brackets, decorated with acanthus patterns, and modillions completes the composition. A one story addition to the west, and a modern storefront mars the design. The second story of this stone building presents one of the finest example of earky Italianate commercial design in Stevens Point. As with the majority of early Italianate structures in Stevens Point, the storefront has been substantially remodelled. See: Clifford Building, 949 Main St., 2/22; McCulloch Block, 964 Main St., 1/20; Walker's Block, 1008 Main St., 1/17; Commercial Bank, 968 Main St., 1/19. This building has a long and varied history. The tax rolls indicate the building could have been built around 1870 as does a visual assessment of the structure. The building was owned by one Ole Hansen until 1886 when it was purchased by A.R. White, however, both these men seem to have rented the property and it went through its first thirty years as a saloon operated by Benham and Moffitt and, later, by one Louie Zimmer. In 1902, it was purchased and renovated as the home of the Wisconsin State Bank. It was the home of that institution for another thirty years until it failed during the Great Depression. Since that time it has had a number of commercial uses. |
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| Bibliographic References: | (A) Assessor's File No. 32-2015-15. (B) Portage County Tax Assessment Rolls. (C) Stevens Point Daily Journal, Jan. 14, 1928; June 28, 1958. (D) Stevens Point City Directories 1893-1935. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |