Property Record
401 E OAK ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | O.L. Irwin Lumberyard |
|---|---|
| Other Name: | Brittingham & Hixon Lumber Company |
| Contributing: | |
| Reference Number: | 74959 |
| Location (Address): | 401 E OAK ST |
|---|---|
| County: | Monroe |
| City: | Sparta |
| Township/Village: | |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | |
| Range: | |
| Direction: | |
| Section: | |
| Quarter Section: | |
| Quarter/Quarter Section: |
| Year Built: | 1884 |
|---|---|
| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 1989 |
| Historic Use: | lumber yard/mill |
| Architectural Style: | Astylistic Utilitarian Building |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Wood |
| Architect: | |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
|---|---|
| National Register Listing Date: | |
| State Register Listing Date: |
| Additional Information: | Open sheds with wooden posts. The O.L. Irwin Lumber Yard Sheds were erected circa 1884 to 1894. They were part of an important lumber companies history in the community of Sparta. The O.L. Irwin lumber yard operated from sometime prior to 1875 to approximately 1900. From 1889 to 1900, it had its office on the corner of Chester and East Oak Streets, and several lumber sheds to the south. Thereafter, it changed hands many times. For a time, it was Brittingham and Hixon Lumber yard (circa 1900-1911). By the year 1916, it had changed hands once again, becoming the Home Lumber Co. Today, it is the present site of Brittingham & Hixon Lumberyard. The O.L. Irwin Lumber Yard Sheds gains local historical significanc eunder Criteria A in association with the Logging and Lumber Milling topic of the Industry Theme. Lumberyards were important to the growth of the community and the O.L. Irwin Lumber yard sheds represent this important aspect of community development. The sheds period of historical significance ranges form their erection circa 1884-1894 to today, since they are currently being used by the Brittingham and Hixon Lumber Company. According to the Sanborn Insurance Maps, lumber yard sheds on approximately the same site and of the same configuration have been in existence since the late 1880s. However, open sheds of this type frequently are repaired with new lumber and new roofing materials. As a result, the age of these sheds is open to question. Originally founded by O.L. Irwin in the early 1870s, this lumber yard was sold to the Brittingham and Hixon Lumberyard in the late 1890s. However, the land on which the lumberyard is located remained the property of the Irwin family until at least the 1930s. The Irwin Lumber Yard Sheds, at this time, do not meet the criteria of the NRHP for architectural significance because the integrity of the sheds could not be documented within the time frame of the survey. More research of the history of construction is required to determine their architectural significance. |
|---|---|
| Bibliographic References: | (A) Sanborn Insurance Maps 1884, 1889, 1894, 1900, 1911, 1922, 1931. (B) City of Sparta Tax Records, 1868-1930. (C) City of Sparta Property Tax Rolls, 1870-1940. (D) Map of Sparta, Wisconsin. Milwaukee: Phoenix Map Company of Milwaukee, 1875. (E) Annual Directory of Sparta, Wisconsin. Vol. 1. Chicago: Interstate Directory Co., 1897. (F) Sparta City Directory, 1903-1904. Sparta: R.C. Glover, Publisher, 1904. (G) City Directory of the City of Sparta, Wisconsin. Sparta: compiled and published by E.B. Bell, 1916. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |