1218 FOX RIVER DR

1218 FOX RIVER DR

Brown

De Pere

1939

2001,2017

house

Colonial Revival/Georgian Revival

Brick

No

2017 survey recommendation write-up:
Comprised of three side-gabled blocks of varying height, this Colonial Revival-style house is sheathed with a variety of materials including brick, limestone and what appears to be board siding. The southernmost block rises two full stories and is faced with brick that is painted white. A two-story, open porch with plain square supports fronts the entire elevation and shelters the right-of-center entrance that is topped with a transom and flanked by shutters. Shuttered, multiple-light windows are regularly placed along the elevation, with the two on the first level being larger than those on the second floor. A stone exterior chimney runs up the south side of the block. Moving north, the limestone-faced block rises one-and-one-half stories and carries a multiple-light bay window at its approximate center. The roof includes a pair of gabled roof dormers with double-hung sash; an interior stone-clad chimney rises from the north end of this section. The northernmost one-story block is sheathed with wide siding. A single window with shutters occupies the main level while a windowed and gabled dormer rises from the roofline, as does a vent-like projection. A wing is apparent off the rear of the south end of the house but it is largely obscured by foliage. Recent building permits indicate that a family room addition (presumably to the rear) was made to the home in 1994.

Completed in 1939, this house was built for Frank and Mildred Nickolai, who wed in 1936. Although the home’s architect is not known, the contractor was Martin Albers. When the house was built it was located outside of the city limits. Construction of the home began in mid-November 1938. The Nickolais, along with Mildred's mother, Mrs. D. M. (Harriet) Hagerty, moved in as of September 1939. Upon completion, the home’s library boasted a mural painted by Mrs. Sidney Bedore (as well as free-hand line drawings in the dining room) and the 1940 census cited the home’s valuation at $20,000. Born in Wisconsin, Frank was connected to the automotive business for approximately twenty-five years, during which time he was a partner with Mildred’s brother Kerwin in the Gateway Motor Company. Frank is also identified as a yachtsman, thus a river-side property made a logical choice for construction of the home. His tenure in the home was short, for he died in 1943, about one month short of his forty-seventh birthday. Harriet died in 1957 and Mildred remained in the house until her own death in 1976. Previous to her marriage, Mildred had attended a number of colleges for periods of time between 1911 and 1914, including Lawrence (in Appleton), as well as the Chicago School of Dramatic Art and the Columbia College of Expression and Chicago Musical College. Following her work as a teacher in the Green Bay public schools, she also was a dance instructor, operating her own studio by no later than 1930. She is identified as teaching dance in Green Bay, Appleton and Manitowoc. The house was, thereafter, purchased by the Mengs, who opened the home for the annual Service League home tour in 1979.

Citations for 2017 survey report information found in Additional Comments: Building permit file for 1218 S. Fox River Drive includes a permit for a 1994 family room addition; owners, the Mengs. Newsbrief (re: start of construction), De Pere Journal Democrat, 17 November 1938, 4/1; Newsbrief (re: Nickolais move in), De Pere Journal Democrat, 28 September 1939, 5/3; Newsbrief (re: library mural and dining room drawings), Green Bay Press-Gazette, 2 December 1939, 9; U.S. Federal Census, Population, 1940; “Frank J. Nickolai Succumbs Today,” Green Bay Press-Gazette, 10 August 1943, 6; Newspaper briefs (re: Mildred in college), Green Bay Press-Gazette, 21 December 1911 (13), 20 March 1913 (11), 7 October 1913 (11) and 8 April 1914 (11); “Mrs. Frank Nickolai,” Obituary, Green Bay Press-Gazette, 19 October 1976, 26. Note that the house was originally addressed as 1312 S. Broadway and, at the time of Mildred’s death it was 1218 Riverside Drive; “Jefferson-Style Home Remodeled for Today,” Green Bay Press-Gazette, 13 May 1979, G-11-12. Renovations at that time included a new kitchen, as well as redecorating throughout the house, and a 5-foot extension to the garage.

Not Listed

Yes