Property Record
155 W GRAND AVE (AKA 153 W GRAND)
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Beloit Concrete Block Office |
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| Other Name: | "Smoke House" Tavern |
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| Reference Number: | 80985 |
| Location (Address): | 155 W GRAND AVE (AKA 153 W GRAND) |
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| County: | Rock |
| City: | Beloit |
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| Year Built: | 1905 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 1981 |
| Historic Use: | small retail building |
| Architectural Style: | English Revival Styles |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Concrete Block |
| Architect: | |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | Yes |
| Demolished Date: | 0 |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| Additional Information: | Although severely vernacular in plan and utilitarian in function, the Smoke House reflects the widespread adoption of eclectic revival styles in the early 20th century. Despite a diminuitive scale, the enthusiastic evocation of the Tudor Revival creates the illusion of substantial character. The cement blocks on the foundation and first story are rusticated to simulate the texture and appeal of traditional rock-faced masonry while the stucco and wooden boards in the gable evoke the half-timbering of the Tudor style. The gable eaves support a vergeboard with rafter braces. The combination of details is not unlike the domestic work of the time. But the one room structure (with rear additions added after the original construction) cannot completely hide its function: much of the front facade is devoted to window and door space, bordered by simple frames and surmounted by transoms. On the side elevations, large stone lintels cap the windows and a cement stringcourse runs across the sides at the sill level. Not unlike gas stations and other utilitarian structures of the era which received a revival treatment, the Smoke House reflects the architectural values of an era which favored historical dress for even the most mundane buildings. Located at a prominent downtown intersection, the Smoke House was built in 1905 as a tobacco and newspaper shop. But the House also served as a gathering place for downtown workers and employees of nearby industrial concerns like the Beloit Iron Works and the P.B. Yates Machine Company. The Smoke House also served as the interurban waiting room for passengers boarding the Rockford Interurban Company trolley cars that operated through Beloit from Cherry Valley, Illinois to Janesville. In the 1920's, the waiting room space was converted to use as a tavern and continued to serve as a popular downtown establishment for decades afterward. On December 13, 1980, the Smoke House closed its doors, and is now the property of the Beloit Corporation. |
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| Bibliographic References: | (A) Clark, George A., "The Smoke House: A Piece of Beloit History," Beloit Daily News, Jan. 13, 1981. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |