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Property Location
Property Features
The two-story cross-gabled farmhouse was constructed c.1900. It is square in plan with aluminum siding and an asphalt shingled
roof. The front elevation faces west and is symmetrical in plan, with an asphalt-shingled porch spanning the first
story of the front gable. The foundation and half-wall of the porch is constructed of stone with wooden posts decorated
with brackets at the corners. The central front door with a sidelight on the right is located on the porch in a projecting bay.
The bay is flanked on either side by a 1-over-1 double-hung window. Centered on the second story above the porch is a
course of four 1-over-1 double-hung windows, with a single-paned octagonal window centered above in the peak of the
gable. Four wooden brackets support the deep eaves of the roof. The side gables project symmetrically from either side
of the front gable.
The property consists of five
historic resources constructed c. 1900. During this time period, Waukesha's dairy industry was growing, as was the
production of feed crops necessary to supply such an industry. According to the Wisconsin CRMP, by 1890 the harvest of
90 percent of the state's cropland was consumed on the farms where it was grown. The dairy business continued to
expand throughout the early twentieth century, with Waukesha being named "Cow County, USA" at the end of the first
World War due to the fact that the county had more cows than people. The CRMP identifies the buildings associated with
historic dairying and feed crop production as dairy barns, silos, grain bins, corncribs, and milk and cheese houses. Of
these, the Kau Farmstead contains a historic dairy barn with silos. The animal barn on the property is an outbuilding that
would be typical of any early-twentieth century farmstead. Based on available historic aerial imagery, it appears that two
original outbuildings were demolished over the course of time (a large gable-roofed barn and small shed near Calhoun
Road). A square outbuilding dating from the 1940s, located southeast of the dairy barn, was demolished for the
construction of an office structure around 1985.
2019: The south elevation of the house was originally the front of the house. It was later altered with the porch addition and the house was oriented to the roadway.
National And State Register Of Historic Places Listings
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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