Property Record
1131 S 3RD ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | SERVICE STATION |
|---|---|
| Other Name: | |
| Contributing: | |
| Reference Number: | 80017 |
| Location (Address): | 1131 S 3RD ST |
|---|---|
| County: | La Crosse |
| City: | La Crosse |
| Township/Village: | |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | |
| Range: | |
| Direction: | |
| Section: | |
| Quarter Section: | |
| Quarter/Quarter Section: |
| Year Built: | |
|---|---|
| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 199620152017 |
| Historic Use: | gas station/service station |
| Architectural Style: | Astylistic Utilitarian Building |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
| 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: | The George A. Hauswirth Filling Station is a vernacular gas station built c.1928 utilizing the house-and-canopy design typical of many early gas stations.20 The property is located at the corner of WIS 33/Jackson Street and US 61. The walls are clad in brick and rest on a concrete foundation. Asphalt shingles cover the hip roof, which displays flared eaves. Two brick posts with concrete accents support the canopy, which retains its beadboard ceiling and soffits lined with single-bulb light fixtures. The front (southwest) facade of the office has a large picture window and half-glazed wood door, both of which have multi-light transoms. A five-panel wood door and one-over-one replacement window are located on the southeast (side) elevation. A concrete belt course wraps around the building, forming the sills of all window openings. A small brick hyphen with a large picture window extends from the northwest (side) elevation at an angle and connects to a two bay garage. The c.1945 garage has corrugated metal walls and an arched roof and is likely an example of the type of prefabricated building manufactured by the Trachte Brothers Company of Madison or Steel King of Milwaukee, both of which were commonly used to construct or expand gas stations starting in the 1920s. 21 The garage's front (west) facade has two sets of wood double-doors. Research indicates that George Hauswirth constructed the filling station and adjacent residence (AHI# 33269) between 1926 and 1928. Hauswirth operated the filling station through the 1930s, and the garage addition appears on the 1949 Sanborn map. The Hauswirth Filling Station is the last remaining intact example of this once-common property type along the WIS 33 corridor and is potentially significant under Criterion C: Architecture as an example of the property type. Although the gas pumps have been removed, the property retains a high degree of integrity and is a good example of the house-and-canopy gas station form. The filling station retains its corner location at the junction of a major early east-west state highway and US 61, and the subsequent addition of the garage building illustrates the evolution of the property type. Henry Ott's Pure Oil Station (AHI #34765), located outside the APE at 400 Cass Street, was previously determined eligible as an example of Pure Oil's signature English cottage filing station form despite the loss of its pumps and alterations to door and window openings. The Hauswirth Filling Station is representative of a different form, but compares favorably to the Pure Oil Station with regard to integrity and architectural interest. 2017 UPDATE - BUILDING LOOKS SUBSTANTIALLY LIKE IT DID WHEN SURVEYED IN 1996. |
|---|---|
| Bibliographic References: |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |