627 N LAKE ST | Property Record | Wisconsin Historical Society

Property Record

627 N LAKE ST

Architecture and History Inventory
627 N LAKE ST | Property Record | Wisconsin Historical Society
NAMES
Historic Name:SIGMA ALPHA EPSILON FRATERNITY HOUSE
Other Name:SIGMA ALPHA EPSILON FRATERNITY HOUSE
Contributing: Yes
Reference Number:73304
PROPERTY LOCATION
Location (Address):627 N LAKE ST
County:Dane
City:Madison
Township/Village:
Unincorporated Community:
Town:
Range:
Direction:
Section:
Quarter Section:
Quarter/Quarter Section:
PROPERTY FEATURES
Year Built:1925
Additions: 1950
Survey Date:1985
Historic Use:house
Architectural Style:Colonial Revival/Georgian Revival
Structural System:
Wall Material:Brick
Architect: LIVERMORE AND SAMUELSON; Law, Law & Potter
Other Buildings On Site:
Demolished?:No
Demolished Date:
NATIONAL AND STATE REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
National/State Register Listing Name: Langdon Street Historic District
National Register Listing Date:6/26/1986
State Register Listing Date:1/1/1989
National Register Multiple Property Name:
NOTES
Additional Information:MAP CODE IS 0709-143-0101-8. A demolition permit application will be filed on October 16, 2013 for this building. A new fraternity 7 stories tall is slated to be constructed on the site.

"This streetscape of fraternity houses illustrates the variety of twentieth century period revival architecture which exists in the district. All buildings replaced older houses on the site of Gorham's Mill (1853-1860), a pioneer sawmill, and the Madison Manufacturing Company (1860-1890), an agricultural implement factory.

Of special interest are the two houses designed by Law, Law & Potter. The Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity house is a traditional colonial revival design, while the Beta Theta Pi fraternity house is a fine Mediterranean revival design. Law & Law (later Law, Law & Potter) designed many houses in the district and all over Madison. They were one of Madison's most prolific architectural firms of the early twentieth century. Sigma Alpha Epsilon was founded in 1903, and they have occupied their lakefront house ever since. Beta Theta Pi was a pioneer fraternity, established in 1873. They were also the second fraternity at the university to establish a chapter house, at 614 Langdon Street (extant), in 1889. Their current house is on the site of a previous chapter house, demolished for this building." City of Madison, The Langdon Street Historic District: A Walking Tour, 1986.
Bibliographic References:TAX ROLLS, 1856-1936. BUILDING PERMIT. City of Madison, The Langdon Street Historic District: A Walking Tour, 1986. Wisconsin State Journal: November 12, 1926, p. 1 (illustrated).
RECORD LOCATION
Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin

Have Questions?

If you didn't find the record you were looking for, or have other questions about historic preservation, please email us and we can help:

If you have an update, correction, or addition to a record, please include this in your message:

  • AHI number
  • Information to be added or changed
  • Source information

Note: When providing a historical fact, such as the story of a historic event or the name of an architect, be sure to list your sources. We will only create or update a property record if we can verify a submission is factual and accurate.

How to Cite

For the purposes of a bibliography entry or footnote, follow this model:

Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory Citation
Wisconsin Historical Society, Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, "Historic Name", "Town", "County", "State", "Reference Number".