Property Record
N 7390 STATE HIGHWAY 67
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | William Binder House |
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| Other Name: | ROAD AMERICA OFFICE |
| Contributing: | |
| Reference Number: | 74990 |
| Location (Address): | N 7390 STATE HIGHWAY 67 |
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| County: | Sheboygan |
| City: | |
| Township/Village: | Rhine |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | 16 |
| Range: | 21 |
| Direction: | E |
| Section: | 33 |
| Quarter Section: | SW |
| Quarter/Quarter Section: | SE |
| Year Built: | 1910 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 19952017 |
| Historic Use: | house |
| Architectural Style: | American Foursquare |
| Structural System: | Balloon Frame |
| Wall Material: | Aluminum/Vinyl Siding |
| Architect: | |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| National Register Listing Date: | |
| State Register Listing Date: |
| Additional Information: | 1995: RELOCATED FROM OPPOSITE SIDE OF S.T.H. 67 IN 1955. Reinhold La Budde was assigned as the historic name but no citations for the information were provided. 2017: 1937 aerial information, along with the home's fieldstone foundation, would seem to confirm that the house was at this location previous to 1955. 2017- "The subject property, known as Road America, consists of 640 acres and a number of buildings and structures, most of which are of modern/more recent construction. A metal fence encircles most of the property, including the four-mile race track which was built in 1955 (and which is located in Section 4, Town of Plymouth). Also located on the property is a circa 1910, two-story, pyramidal hipped-roof house with a fieldstone foundation and an addition to the northwest is located along STH 67. The house, which retains a hipped-roof porch with turned wooden supports is entirely sheathed with vinyl and new windows are located throughout. Regarding the extant farmhouse, previous research noted that the house was moved from across the road in 1955 and was formerly the home of Reinhold La Budde. Historic aerials, however, indicate that the house was on the parcel by no later than 1937 and the fieldstone foundation would suggest that the house was built closer to the turn-of-the-twentieth century. Indeed, plat maps note that the property was owned by William Binder by no later than 1916; however, a house is not depicted on the map itself. In any case, the farm property was operated by Binder until 1954. In October of that same year, the land (and farm buildings) was purchased by Road America, Inc., which had incorporated in 1954 with 1,750 shares of stock. The purpose of the group was to build a closed circuit track upon which Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) car racing could occur--legally. Previous to the track’s 1955 construction, road races were held between 1950 and 1952 on county trunk highways around the village of Elkhart Lake. However, those races ended upon learning that the closing down/blocking off of highways was illegal (except in the case of extreme emergencies). In 2006, the historic race circuits around Elkhart Lake were officially listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Returning to the subject 4-mile race circuit along STH 67, Road America, when built in 1955, included the track; “The Pagoda”—a media and communications building; the farmhouse and associated outbuildings (including a barn and silo; the farm house of which served for years as the Road America offices); as well as a small number of concession stands—all of which were located on 523 acres. A total of four entrance gates allowed visitors to access the grounds, with the main gate located immediately adjacent to the farmhouse. Since 1955, the property has since been expanded to include 640 acres and has seen a number of improvements including the following: the 1985 construction of a VIP media tower (thus replacing The Pagoda in function); additional gate entrances (there are now a total of six); additional concession stands (there are now sixteen); and other ancillary buildings, including the retail and visitor’s center, which was completed in 2016. Additionally, the Pagoda was burned to the ground by the Elkhart Lake Fire Department in 1990. Until the barn (and silo’s) demolition in 2009, the barn included a scoreboard that could be seen for up to ½ mile to the south. Among permanent road circuits in the United States, Road America’s four-mile, fourteen-turn track is cited as “the only one which retains its original layout. No short courses, no added loops, revised corners, or chicanes.” However, the track has been widened slightly and safety barriers and fencing have been added for safety." -"STH 67: Suhrke Rd to STH 32/57", WisDOT#4550-04-00/4550-03-00, Prepared by Heritage Research, Ltd. (Schnell), (2017). |
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| Bibliographic References: | This WHPD record includes a note that the house was moved from across the road in 1955, along with the historic name of Reinhold La Budde, See record #74990, Available online at http://wisahrd.org/AHI/Properties/Primary.aspx?id=74990, Accessed October 2017—note that Reinhold La Budde was in possession of the land (in Section 4, Town of Plymouth) to the south of the 11-acre parcel upon which the house and barn were located; A 1937 aerial image of the area confirms the existence of the subject farmhouse (and barn, as well as other outbuildings), Available online at https://maps.sco.wisc.edu/WHAIFinder/; Although the obituary for William Binder Sr. notes that he (and his first wife Alvina) moved to a farm in the Town of Rhine in 1899, both the 1900 Federal and the 1905 Wisconsin State Census record the Binders as residing in the City of Sheboygan, “William Binder Sr.,” Obituary, The Sheboygan Press, 23 October 1954, 6; U.S. Federal Census, Population, 1900 and 1905 Wisconsin State Census, both available online at www.Ancestry.com, Accessed January 2018; Atlas of Sheboygan County, Wisconsin (Sheboygan, WI: Jerry Donohue Engineering Co., 1916); Geographical and Historical Atlas of Sheboygan County, Wisconsin (Sheboygan, WI: Jerry Donohue Engineering Co., 1941); “Road America Corporation at Elkhart Lake,” The Sheboygan Press, 28 October 1954, 2; “A Brief History of Open Road Racing in Elkhart Lake,” and “Preserving the Historic Race Circuits,” Available online at www.historicracecircuits.com/race_history.html, Accessed January 2018. General development of the track gleaned from “Development of Road America,” Available online at www.scharch.org/Road _America_History/RA-Development.htm; information regarding the Pagoda from www.scharch.org/Road_America_History/RA-Pagoda.htm; General history of Road America also available at www.roadamerica.com/history.html, All accessed January 2018. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |