Property Record
201-203 S MAIN ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Christ H. Ostrem Building |
|---|---|
| Other Name: | Lam's Ear Country Gifts |
| Contributing: | Yes |
| Reference Number: | 73579 |
| Location (Address): | 201-203 S MAIN ST |
|---|---|
| County: | Vernon |
| City: | Viroqua |
| Township/Village: | |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | |
| Range: | |
| Direction: | |
| Section: | |
| Quarter Section: | |
| Quarter/Quarter Section: |
| Year Built: | 1914 |
|---|---|
| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 1995 |
| Historic Use: | general store |
| Architectural Style: | Twentieth Century Commercial |
| Structural System: | Unknown |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
| Architect: | Parkinson and Dockendorff |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Viroqua Downtown Historic District |
|---|---|
| National Register Listing Date: | 7/17/2003 |
| State Register Listing Date: | 4/11/2003 |
| National Register Multiple Property Name: |
| Additional Information: | This two-story brick Twentieth Century Commercial Style building was built in 1914 to house a general store owned by Christ H. Ostrem; the second story was originally occupied as a lodge hall by the Knights of Pythias. This building appears on a list of buildings in Vernon County designed by the LaCrosse firm of Parkinson & Dockendorff. 1995- "'l'his fine, largely intact two-story Twentieth Century Commercial style building was built in 1914 to house a general store owned by Christ H. Ostrem. The building occupies the southeast corner formed by the intersection ot S. Main and E. Jefferson streets and this location gives it two principal elevations, one facing onto either street. The building is rectilinear in plan, measures 75-feet-deep x 40-feet-wide, has a poured concrete foundation and a full basement story, and its exterior walls are clad in brick. The principal facade taces west onto Main Street and its first story originally consisted of a full-width storefront that featured two large display windows on either side of a recessed and centered main entrance, the whole storefront being surmounted by a prism glass transom. Tnis storefront has s1nce been replaced w1th a modern one that has a similar design out which uses a different layout; the prism glass transoms, however, are still 1ntact and are covered now by an awn1ng. The second story ot thls facade and all of the north-facing Jefferson Street side elevation are still intact. The main facade consists ot five nine-over-one-light double hung windows, all five ot which are enframed by a single corbelled brick surround and two plaques in the parapet wall above have panels that read "C. H. O." and "1914". The second story of the side elevation teatures five pairs of nine-over-one-light double hung windows, each pair of whlch is also enframed by a coroelled brick surround, and the only alteration that has affected this elevation has been the stepping down of the original horizontal cornice of its parapet. The first story of this building was occupied by Ostrem's general store until at least 1934 and it is currently occupied by Lam's Ear Country Glfts. The second story was originally used as the lodge and club rooms of the Knights of Pythias. The possibility exits that this building was designed by the La Crosse firm of Parkinson & Dockendorff" - "USH 14 Transportation Study ", WisDOT ID #1646-07-00, Prepared by Timothy F Heggland (1995). |
|---|---|
| Bibliographic References: | The cornice of the building bears two plaques, one reading "C.H.O." and the other "1914". Letter to Judy Gates from Thomas Dockendorff, dated June 18, 1990. On file at the Vernon County Museum and at the DHP. Zalewski, June. "Main Street Meandering: Historic Walking Tour in Viroqua, Wisconsin." Wisconsin Humanities Commission, 1990. Vernon County Broadcaster. February 15, 1934. Vernon County Censor. June 3, 1914, p. 1. Take a Walk on Main Street: Historic Walking Tours in Wisconsin's Main Street Communities, Wisconsin Main Street Program, 1998. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |