Property Record
4003 MINERAL POINT RD
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Otto Toepfer, Jr. House |
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| Reference Number: | 74225 |
| Location (Address): | 4003 MINERAL POINT RD |
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| County: | Dane |
| City: | Madison |
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| Year Built: | 1906 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 19832012 |
| Historic Use: | house |
| Architectural Style: | Craftsman |
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| Wall Material: | Brick |
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| Demolished?: | No |
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| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| Additional Information: | Westmorland A Walking Tour, 2012: Toepfer was the developer of the first portion of the what became the Westmorland Neighborhood, the West Wingra Additon, in 1916. This house has two-and-one-half stories with seven bedrooms. It was built by J.H. Findorff and Sons. Toepfer served on the Town of Madison Board for ten years, as a Dane County Supervisor for nineteen years, and as an elected state assemblyman. "One of the earliest standing houses in Westmorland--and certainly the most grand--is the Otto Toepfer House at the corner of Mineral Point Road and Toepfer Avenue. The imposing two-and-one-half, seven-bedroom brick house measures 3,927 square feet in size, making it still the largest house in Westmorland. Built by J. H. Findorff and Sons, the house can be characterized as a foursquare house form. The low roof pitch and pyramidal dormers as well as the one-story front porch are typical of modern progressive styles found elsewhere in Madison during the early twentieth century. Toepfer acquired sixty acres on which to farm and build his house in 1899 in conjunction with his brother, who later sold his interest to Otto. At the time, the property on which the house was part of the Charles Baker Sunnyside Farm, bounded by present-day Mineral Point Road, Westmorland Boulevard, Tookay Boulevard, and Glanway Street. The current house (the former William R. Warren stable and barn) at 4010 Paunack was once part of this property. Toepfer likely purchased this land with an eye toward development. Along with A.O. Paunack, Toepfer was responsible for much of the per-World War II development of Westmorland. Today Toepfer is known as the "father of Westmorland" and his house as the "Toepfer Mansion." The large house was befitting Toepfer's status as a land developer and political figure. In addition to playing a key part int he development of Westmorland, Toepfer served on the Town of Madison Board for ten years, as a Dane County Supervisor for nineteen years, and as an elected state assemblyman (beginning in 1939)." Westmorland Neighborhood Association, Westmorland A Walking Tour, 2012. |
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| Bibliographic References: | Assessor. Westmorland: A Great Place to Live. Madison: Westmorland Neighborhood Assoc., 2011, pp. 17-19. Housing Madison: Where We Live, Where We Work. Ed. Anna Vemer Andrzejewski and Arnold R. Alanen for “Nature + City: Vernacular Buildings and Landscapes of the Upper Midwest,” 2012 Meeting of the Vernacular Architecture Forum (VAF). Westmorland Neighborhood Association, Westmorland A Walking Tour, 2012. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |