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Property Location
| Location (Address) | 800 LAKE RD |
|---|---|
| County | Waukesha |
| City/Village | Oconomowoc |
| Township | |
| Unincorporated community | |
| Town | |
| Range | |
| Direction | |
| Section | |
| Quarter Section | |
| Quarter Quarter Section |
Property Features
| Year Built | 1928 |
|---|---|
| Additions | |
| Survey Date | 1995 |
| Historic Use | house |
| Architectural Style | French Revival Styles |
| Structural System | |
| Wall Material | Brick |
| Architect | George Spinti Iii,Thomas Van Alyea |
| Other Buildings On Site | |
| Demolished | No |
| Demolished Date | |
| Additional Comments | A 'site file' exists for this property. It contains additional information such as correspondence, newspaper clippings, or historical information. It is a public record and may be viewed in person at the Wisconsin Historical Society, State Historic Preservation Office. EYEBROW DORMER IN MANSARD. Knollward recalls Oconomowoc’s days as Wisconsin’s premier summer resort. Tourists began flocking here in the 1870s. Eventually, millionaires from Milwaukee, Chicago, and beyond descended on the town each summer, building “cottages” that grew more palatial each year. Marjorie Ward’s Knollward may have been the most spectacular “cottage” of them all. The orphaned niece and adopted heiress of mail-order titan Montgomery Ward, she hired Milwaukee’s Van Alyea and Spinti to create a sprawling thirty-room French Provincial manor. The brick house appears taller than it really is, thanks to its exaggerated first story and its steeply pitched hipped roof covered in slate. In 1932, when Marjorie married Robert Baker, she added a wing to the north, linked to the 1928 house by a squat turret. Among the conventional signs of wealth favored at the time are an ornate limestone portal; an airy foyer with a grand staircase, crystal chandeliers, and a marble checkerboard floor; and a walnut-paneled living room with hand-carved garlands, a black marble hearth, and generous French windows. These contrast with a garden room, rustically appointed with brick walls, a tile floor, and a cypress-beamed ceiling. In the 1932 addition, a grand library features not only oak pocket doors, enclosed bookcases, and a huge fireplace, but also a view of Lac LaBelle. The Bakers followed fashion in having a basement party room (called the “Zebra Room” for its jungle-scene murals) and a frescoed oval breakfast room. The marbled bathroom, with gold plumbing and a marine motif, included a special bathtub for Marjorie’s dog. In 1962, Knollward was converted into a retirement home, and a final two-story wing was added to the north. In the 1990s, new owners moved in and restored Knollward to its 1920s splendor. |
| Bibliographic References | EARLY OCONOMOWOC, D.A.R. 1975. OCONOMOWOC ENTERPRISE 5/10/1995. OCONOMOWOC ENTERPRISE 11/15/1995. Oconomowoc Enterprise 2/5/1997. Oconomowoc Enterprise 7/20/2000. Buildings of Wisconsin manuscript. |
National And State Register Of Historic Places Listings
| National/State Register Listing Name | Not Listed |
|---|---|
| National Register Listing Date | |
| State Register Listing Date | |
| Contributing |
Architecture & History Inventory
The Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory (AHI) is a digital source of information on historic buildings, structures, and objects that have been surveyed by the State Historic Preservation Office in Wisconsin. Each property has a digital record providing basic information about the property and images.
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N49 W34684 E WISCONSIN AVE
112777
Located in Oconomowoc, Waukesha County
