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Property Location
| Location (Address) | 409 E MAIN ST |
|---|---|
| County | Jefferson |
| City/Village | Watertown |
| Township | |
| Unincorporated community | |
| Town | |
| Range | |
| Direction | |
| Section | |
| Quarter Section | |
| Quarter Quarter Section |
Property Features
| Year Built | 1867 |
|---|---|
| Additions | |
| Survey Date | 1986,2020 |
| Historic Use | small retail building |
| Architectural Style | Commercial Vernacular |
| Structural System | |
| Wall Material | Cream Brick |
| Architect | |
| Other Buildings On Site | |
| Demolished | No |
| Demolished Date | |
| Additional Comments |
This building was constructed for F. Baebenroth in 1867. It housed his business, of which little is known, here until around 1880. The building then housed a bookstore, a tailor shop, a cigar shop, a millinery store, a fancy goods store, and between 1915 and around 1925, William Gruetzmacher's Fair Store. This building has some historical interest as the location of a number of retail businesses. None are individually historically significant, but they contribute to the overall development of commerce in the Main Street Commercial Historic District. Built for L. Baebenroth to house his book store and bindery around 1867, this small two-story, four-bay commercial building is characterized mainly by a denticulated, molded and cut brick cornice. Plain rectangular windows with straight flat stone lintels are located in the three west bays of the facade while a recessed bay bordered at the top by dentil trim (probably a bricked-up door) is in the east bay. A plain projecting cornice extending across the storefront supported by brick piers and a transom window of refractive glass are historic features of the storefront. The F. Baebenroth Bookstore is a commercial vernacular building ornamented only by a raised brick cornice. Although this building is not architecturally significant, the Baebenroth building contributes to the historic architectural character of the proposed Main Street Historic District. The Baebenroth Bookstore is very similar to the adjacent buildings at 403 (65-7), 405 (65-7) and 411 (68-12) East Main St. |
| Bibliographic References | (A) Watertown City Directories, 1866-1930, Watertown Public Library. (B) Tax Records, City of Watertown, 1860-1910, Area Research Center, LIbrary, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. (C) "Revised Tariff Rates for Watertown, Wis.," National Board of Fire Underwriters, April 13, 1876, Archives Octagon House, Watertown Historical Society. |
National And State Register Of Historic Places Listings
| National/State Register Listing Name | Main Street Commercial Historic District |
|---|---|
| National Register Listing Date | Jun 02, 1989 |
| State Register Listing Date | |
| Contributing | Yes |
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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