122 E CAPITOL DRIVE | Property Record | Wisconsin Historical Society

Property Record

122 E CAPITOL DRIVE

Architecture and History Inventory
122 E CAPITOL DRIVE | Property Record | Wisconsin Historical Society
NAMES
Historic Name:Sign of the Willows
Other Name:WOLF'S COBBLESTONE INN
Contributing:
Reference Number:7908
PROPERTY LOCATION
Location (Address):122 E CAPITOL DRIVE
County:Waukesha
City:Hartland
Township/Village:
Unincorporated Community:
Town:
Range:
Direction:
Section:
Quarter Section:
Quarter/Quarter Section:
PROPERTY FEATURES
Year Built:1923
Additions:
Survey Date:1979
Historic Use:restaurant
Architectural Style:Commercial Vernacular
Structural System:
Wall Material:Stucco
Architect:
Other Buildings On Site:
Demolished?:No
Demolished Date:
NATIONAL AND STATE REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
National/State Register Listing Name: Sign of the Willows
National Register Listing Date:12/8/1986
State Register Listing Date:1/1/1989
National Register Multiple Property Name:
NOTES
Additional Information:Another map code for this building is WK 46/34, found on the DOT Hartland map.

Description:

The Sign of the Willows is located at 122 East Capitol Drive in the village of Hartland. Constructed in 1923 as a restaurant with living quarters on the second floor for the Weinkauf family, the Willows is a one-and-one-half story Tudor Revival structure with a cobblestone veneer on the lower story, and stucco applied with half-timbering on the upper story of the main facade. Grouped sets of four multi-paned windows appear at both levels. The south and east facades are stuccoed as well, with little enrichment, however. The foundation is concrete. The double-gabled asphalt shingled roof extends to form a catslide over the cobblestone veneered enclosed porch on the west facade. A shed-roofed dormer appears on either side of the double gable. Much of the original interior has been retained. Dark wood paneling and trim, and plastered walls, predominate througout the restaurant. There is a cobblestone fireplace in the rear dining room.

Architectural/Engineering Significance:

The Sign of the Willows is significant as one of the best Tudor Revival commercial structures in Hartland. Currently known as the Cobblestone Inn, 122 East Capitol Drive has been operated as a restaurant continously since its completion in 1923. The Tessman Filling Station (252-256 West Capitol Drive, 1922) is a more vernacular interpretation of Tudor Revival, while the White Elm Nursery (621 West Capitol Drive, 1928), designed by the eminent Milwaukee firm of Eschweiler and Eschweiler, is a scholarly example. The Sign of the Willows is an uncommon variant of the Tudor Revival on the hunting lodge theme, and retains excellent exterior integrity.

Historical Background:

The Weinkauf Family opened the Sign of the Willows restaurant in 1923.
Bibliographic References:A. Hartland History Group, Hartland: A Chronicle 1838-1976. Hartland: 1976. B. Hartland History Group, Hartland: A Chronicle, (Hartland, WI: 1976), p. 17.
RECORD LOCATION
Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin

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