Wisconsin Trust for Historic Preservation

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Since 1992, the Wisconsin Trust for Historic Preservation has annually designated the Ten Most Endangered Historic Properties in the state.  The Endangered Properties program targets specific properties that are threatened with alteration, neglect or demolition. The designation of such properties will focus public and media attention on them, and may assist in their preservation.  The program helps to generate interest and support throughout Wisconsin, and has resulted in several successful projects to save historic properties.

The Preservation Watch list may spotlight previous 10 Most Endangered properties, as well as identify broader issues in historic preservation in the state, such as loss of rural landscapes, abandonment of small schools, demolition of barns, effects of sprawl and accessibility requirements.

The Ten Most Endangered Historic Properties were announced in conjunction with the Preservation Day Conference in Madison on April 22, 2005.  A photographic exhibit of the properties tours the state in summer and fall.

2005 TEN MOST ENDANGERED PROPERTIES LIST

COLES BASHFORD HOUSE

Oshkosh, WI

The Coles Bashford House at 1619 Oshkosh Avenue, was built in 1855.  Referred to by many as the “white house” the house is significant for its association with abolitionist Coles Bashford and child advocate Elizabeth Davis.

Coles Bashford was a lawyer who arrived in Oshkosh from New York State in 1846.  In 1847 he and D. W. Forman built the first operating lumber mill in Oshkosh.  Bashford was one of the earlier pioneers to cause the city's growth and prominence in the state.   As an ardent anti-slavery advocate who opposed the extension of slavery into the Kansas and Nebraska Territories, Bashford was present at the founding of the Winnebago County Republican Party in October of 1854.  At that meeting he was nominated for the state senate which he won.  The following year, in 1855, he was the Republican candidate for Governor and was elected after challenging the election results due to fraud.

The Bashford residence was sold in 1875 to Robert McMillan, Sr., owner of the Robert McMillan & Company Lumber Mill.  McMillan added a wing to the rear of the house and other exterior alterations, including changing the style of the home from Greek Revival to Gothic Revival.  McMillan died before he was able to complete the extensive remodeling project and the house sat empty for many years until it was purchased in 1911 by the Elizabeth Batchelder Davis Orphans Home, a corporation created under the Will of Elizabeth Batchelder Davis.  The Davis Orphans Home opened in 1912, and served the needs of children until the early 1990’s during which time it was used as a child care center.  Shortly thereafter a new building was constructed by the E.B. Davis Trust to the west of the main house for day care, with the "white house" then being used for kindergarten classes.  In 2004, a $1 million addition to the new building was completed in 2004 and the original house was then closed to any further use for children.

One of the largest houses in the city, the Bashford house has 19 rooms, including five baths, a large kitchen with pantry, basement and attic. The original rafters from the Greek Revival Style roof remain in the attic and were raised to create the new Gothic Revival roof line that was created when the house was remodeled by lumberman Robert McMillan.  The original house has been well maintained by the E. B. Davis Trust and is in a reasonably good state of repair with solid foundation and new roof.  There are newer furnaces and central air conditioning.  The center section and two wings of the house are original to 1855 with tin ceiling, staircase and two nonfunctional original fireplaces.  Original wood moldings around windows and doors remain in many rooms and the original staircase and oak paneling added by McMillan are still present inside.  The remainder of the interior has been remodeled over the years and appears to be of 1950s and 1960s vintage.  The exterior of the house has also been altered.  Fine label moldings suggesting gothic revival that were present in the photograph from 1875 are gone.   Removal of dormers and the front porch together with the addition of wide aluminum siding and shutters have dramatically altered the original character of the home.  However, the original house is still sound and could be restored to its original grandeur.  The house is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places for its association with the lives of significant persons. 

 WHY ENDANGERED:  The house is vacant and scheduled for demolition in June, 2005.  The board members of the E. B. Davis Foundation are sympathetic to the House, but are looking at what is best for the E. B. Davis Child Care Facility and what is best for the future of the foundation.  They state that they have not found anything that is economically feasible to save the building, as it would cost thousands of dollars to bring it up to code.  The board has expressed a willingness to consider any proposals for use of the building that would be compatible with the operation of the daycare center. 

 EAST WILSON STREET HISTORIC DISTRICT

Madison, WI 

The East Wilson Street Historic District is located on East Wilson Street between South Hancock Street and South Blount Street.  Listed on the National Register, it abuts two City of Madison locally-designated landmark districts: the First Settlement Historic District of Madison and the Third Lake Ridge Historic District.

The East Wilson Street commercial blocks originally served the main depot of the C&NW Railway and the east depot of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad.  Many of the buildings were built by immigrants to cater to the large German community on the near east side of Madison.  This area was also home to Madison’s earliest settlement, much of which has already been demolished.

The East Wilson Street Historic District originally was comprised of 13 structures built between 1872 and 1923, the majority of which are Italianate in style.  Sadly, wo of the original buildings have burned down during the last decade.  Remaining contributing and non-contributing buildings, including the locally-designated, five-story Cardinal Hotel, are intermingled and present a unified neighborhood of currently occupied commercial enterprises.  The commercial buildings face the old Chicago and Northwestern Railway (C&NW) passenger and freight depots to the northeast, the railroad tracks and the shore of Lake Monona beyond.

WHY ENDANGERED:  As part of the proposed $50 million dollar Block 115 Project, developers have shown an interest in purchasing the entire 500 block of East Wilson Street and currently plan to retain only the Hotel Ruby Marie (524 E. Wilson), the recently renovated 1873 railroad hotel.  This development proposal includes the demolition of nearly half of the National Register Historic District, along with buildings included in the First Settlement Historic District.

This site is particularly appropriate for listing as one of Wisconsin’s 10 Most Endangered Historic Properties because it exemplifies a pattern of disregard for properties in the city of Madison that have been identified as important historic resources and designated as such at the local and/or national level.  The progressive erosion of Madison’s historic districts involves not only the demolition of historic properties but the incursion of out-of-scale developments that are not compatible with the scale, proportion, rhythm and massing of existing historic structures.  A profound effect being destruction of the all-important context in which the historic districts exist.

THE LITTLE RED STORE

7720 Harwood Avenue

Wauwatosa,WI

Located in the heart of the village, the historic building originally functioned as Wauwatosa’s earliest railroad depot and was the first post office in Milwaukee County.  Over the years, the unassuming vernacular frame structure has existed in a multiplicity of functions.  In addition to having been a depot and post office, it was also a general store, residence, harness shop, library, plumbing shop and, for a time, Republican Party Headquarters.  In September of 1987 Charles Jacobus donated the Little Red Store to the City of Wauwatosa, believing his bequest would ensure the ongoing preservation of a local landmark.    Until five years ago the city leased it to an engineering firm, but since that time it has been vacant and has deteriorated significantly from lack of occupancy and vandalism.

The effort to rehabilitate the Little Red Store has evolved into a broad community effort.  The Wauwatosa Historical Society appealed to the mayor in behalf of the building in June 2002, asking the city to take immediate steps to “stabilize the building and protect it from further deterioration.”  In October of 2003 the Olde Hillcrest Neighborhood Association convened at the building to undertake cleaning and minor repairs.  The same month, second graders from Roosevelt Elementary School barraged the mayor’s office with letters that conveyed displeasure with conditions at the Little Red Store.  A student named Dana expressed the prevalent sentiment, “I feel sad because it is not being taken care of.  I want it to be standing when I grow up.  Please write back.”

The Little Red Store, constructed in 1854, is one of the oldest buildings in Wauwatosa and is significant to the history of the community for reflecting its earliest settlement.  As is typical in the development of many Wisconsin cities, the convergence of transportation routes provides the seed from which a community grows.  In Wauwatosa the Little Red Store was situated at the intersection of the historic Watertown Plank Road, the Menomonee River and a line of the Milwaukee and Mississippi Railroad Company that ran west through Wisconsin from Milwaukee to Prairie du Chien.  Intended as a blacksmith shop, it soon was pressed into service as a railroad depot and numerous other functions—often simultaneously.  In 1955 the Little Red Store was moved a short distance west of its original site and the interior was renovated.  Until it was recently vacated, it had been a vital part of the Wauwatosa community for nearly 150 years.

WHY ENDANGERED: Cost has been a serious stumbling block to the city moving forward with repair and rehabilitation.  The structure is without plumbing and utilities, and the expense associated with retrofitting it and bringing it up to code has been estimated at over a quarter-million dollars.  Recently there had been talk of the building being adapted for use as a restaurant, but plans did not move forward.  The Little Red Store remains empty and without purpose.  It is feared that if something is not done quickly to protect the building, it faces the prospect of demolition by neglect.

MARY NOHL ART ENVIRONMENT

7328 N. Beach Drive

Fox Point, WI

Tucked away on a wooded lot on the shore of Lake Michigan is the delightfully embellished home and sculpture garden of artist Mary Nohl. When the Nohl family purchased the property in the 1920s it was retired farm acreage.  They erected a small cottage on the site, and were one of the first families to build a home in this once rural enclave. Two additions to the cottage resulted in the present year-round residence that Mary inherited from her parents. Mary graduated from the Art Institute of Chicago in 1948. After the death of her parents, she began transforming the property from a beachfront cottage to an enchanting art environment. Over the course of several decades Nohl created an incredibly diverse and vast body of work, ranging from life-size concrete sculptures to miniature hand-blown glass figures.

Perhaps the best way to understand the Mary Nohl site is as a vast work of art composed of hundreds if not thousands of smaller works of art, each a piece of an enormous artistic puzzle. Every surface, inside and out was graced with her artistic attention. Stippled walls, and ceilings, brightly colored tile floors, drip-painted upholstery and carpeting, and stained glass windows lay the backdrop for her hundreds of paintings and sculptures.  The studio at the southeast end of the house remains intact, with several unfinished works still on the shelves. The exterior of the house is enlivened by intricate paintings which provide a perfect backdrop for wood cut out figures of humans, fish abstract forms and imaginary creatures. The yard is a captivating sculpture garden, populated by over sixty sculptures of concrete, glass, and stone. Tall pillars of heads and stained glass titled “Hall of the Mountain Kings” and “Poet’s Corner” glisten in the sunlight. A life-size fish sits on a bench as if in conversation clusters of fish and mermaids and fishermen which reflect Mary’s inspiration from the location of her beachfront cottage, Lake Michigan. The giant “Easter Island” heads and the ruins were executed from the hundreds of sketches that Mary would bring back from her yearly trips abroad. A twelve-foot grinning dinosaur greets passersby as they come around the corner.

From Fred Smith’s Wisconsin Concrete Park in Phillips to the Nick Englebert’s Grandview site in Hollandale, Wisconsin has a rich tradition of art environments.  Very few art environments survive with the exceptional degree of integrity of the Mary Nohl site.  Mary’s home and yard has been a fascination on Beach Drive since the 1960’s and her work as an artist and as an environment builder has been nationally and internationally recognized. Her work is of particular significance because of her gender.  Most environment builders, like Fred Smith and Nick Englebert have been men. The site has been written about in national and international publications and has been determined eligible for listing on the Register of Historic Places. 

Prior to her death, Mary gifted her works of art and her property to the Kohler Foundation with the hope of preserving her home and sculpture garden for future generations to enjoy.  Since Mary’s death at age 87 in December 2001, Kohler Foundation has continued to develop a preservation plan that will allow the public and the neighbors to appreciate this unique site.  Unfortunately, Mary Nohl’s vision might be destroyed. The Mary Nohl art environment is under serious threat.

WHY ENDANGERED:  Despite widespread support to see the environment preserved, including the support of many neighbors, an active minority is aggressively fighting to see the site disappear.  Local officials are supporting a small contingency of neighbors who seek to have the site removed because they feel it is drawing unwanted traffic to the beachfront neighborhood. The Kohler Foundation contends that many of the passersby are simply there to see a clear view of the shore. Under current zoning of residential, the Foundation is not allowed to have people in to see the home or it is construed as museum use (a violation). Through all this, despite Kohler Foundation’s non-profit status, they have continued to pay $15,000 plus in property taxes each year, just to be good neighbors.  Because the neighbors have created a stir with the village officials and citations are being issued, the Foundation has been forced to hire outside legal counsel at great expense. This uses resources that would normally be put into preservation efforts and threatens the work of the Foundation.

Without support from within and outside of the Village of Fox Point, the Kohler Foundation will be forced to develop an exit strategy and the art and home will have to be removed from the site.  The dismantling of the Mary Nohl site would be a loss to the state of Wisconsin and beyond.

PABST CITY COMPLEX

Milwaukee, WI

The National Register listed and City of Milwaukee locally-designated Pabst Brewery Historic District is a compactly built industrial complex located at the northwest edge of Milwaukee’s central business district atop a hill that overlooks downtown. The home of what was once the nations’ largest brewery constitutes a 21-acre site at the intersection of I-43 and the Park East Freeway corridor.

The district contains 28 buildings that were constructed between 1870 and 1969.  All of the buildings but two were used in the production of beer.  These two buildings are the former First German Methodist Church (1872) that was converted to the Pabst Training Center and the former Jefferson Public School (1858) most recently used for offices.  The district is characterized by large-scale, massive buildings.  The earliest buildings feature Italianate detailing and the Gothic and Flemish Revival styles were used in some of the later buildings. 

In 2002, Wispark LLC, a subsidiary of Milwaukee-based Wisconsin Energy Corporation, and its development partners acquired the buildings that had been vacant since 1996.  Originally the developers planned to rehabilitate and reuse 20 of the buildings for a downtown retail and entertainment complex, named Pabst City.  The remaining five buildings, mostly buildings constructed during the 1960s and 70s were to be demolished.

WHY ENDANGERED:  Wispark LLC and others are now asking to demolish another fourteen buildings while the other development partners restore only 8 of the original buildings.  This petition must be approved by Milwaukee City Council after review by the Zoning, Neighborhoods & Development Committee. 

At their April 7, 2005 meeting, the Milwaukee Historic Preservation Commission unanimously supported the staff recommendation to allow the developers to tear down six of the 14 buildings requested.  After the meeting Alderman Robert Bauman, a commission member, also indicated that the City Council would likely not support the Historic Preservation Commission’s decision and might only move to save two structures, the malt house and the former church.

RUBY FARM

Brookfield, WI

Jack Ruby emigrated from Germany in 1848, and bought 40 acres of land in Brookfield, the Ruby Farm.  He built the Greek Revival Cream City brick home in 1860.  The Ruby Farm was a working farm for three generations, and was important to the local economy through its production of sugar beets.  They also sold vegetables, feed, calves, honey, hay and fruit from the apple orchards.  The farm passed to Rolland Ruby, and eventually the farm also produced dairy.

By 1953, Ruby quit farming and started a real estate business.  In 1963 he built the Ruby Isle Shopping Center, started the Elmbrook State Bank in 1962, and had a major impact in the development of Brookfield.  He also became known for his Percheron horses, and had the Ruby Realty Six-Horse Hitch that were in  numerous parades, exhibitions and competitions, and the team became one of the most famous in the United States.

WHY ENDANGERED:  Rolland Ruby passed away in 1989.  The family has sold the property to a developer, and the site’s future is uncertain.

 SAXONIA HOUSE

419 Hwy H

Fillmore, WI

The Saxonia House is locally significant and was designated as a local landmark by the Washington County Landmarks commission in 2000.   It was constructed in 1854 by Ernst and Liberta Klessig, both of whom immigrated from Saxony.  It was their home and also a meeting place for German settlers, held dances and celebrations and was a rooming house.  The stucco coated seventeen room house was of half timber construction, the central beam so huge that it measured eighteen inches on each face.

In 1860, Klessig built the Farmington, or Fillmore Brewery and lagering caves on the property.  The brewery remains were taken down in 1990, but the caves are still evident. The Saxonia house influenced the society of the Fillmore community by giving members a place to organize meetings and socialize.  St Martin’s Church was organized there in 1861, as was the Farmington Turner Society.  Klessig died in his early thirties and Liberta married Ernst Jaehnig.  Jaehnig and her son brewed beer as a side business to farming.  Jaehnig died in 1874, leaving Liberta to manage the farmstead.  It was sold to Arthur Crass in 1911 and to Wilmer and Veronica Landvatter in 1947.  It is now vacant.

In 1999, The Friends of Saxonia house, Inc, obtained the home and outbuildings, a large barn garage, brick bake house and some sheds on ten of the remaining acres of land.  They have hired Isthmus Architecture of Madison to consult on the restoration project and hope to restore the huge house for use as a lodging facility.  This long-term plan will cost a minimum of two million dollars.  They have begun the process by shoring up the interior and some exterior work was done this past winter. 

WHY ENDANGERED:  The property suffers from deferred maintenance, extensive environmental damage and neglect.  The small organization hopes this significant part of German-American history will be restored but lack of funds place the property at risk.

THE SOO LINE ORE DOCK

East MacArthur Avenue at Ashland Harbor

Ashland, WI

Built in 1916, the Soo Line Ore Dock is a dramatic reminder of Wisconsin’s industrial past. When completed, the massive concrete structure was almost 1000 feet long, 80 feet high and 75 feet wide. In 1925, an addition was completed bringing the dock to its present length of 1800 feet. A recent survey of Ashland’s Historical and Architectural Resources described the dock as, “the most important extant resource associated with industry in Ashland.”  It was the discovery of Iron Ore in the Gogebic and Penokee ranges during the mid-1800s that brought hundreds of speculators, and prospectors to the area south of Ashland. Ore was shipped by rail from the mining district to Ashland then transferred to the large ships where it was transported to Chicago, Illinois and Gary, Indiana for processing. The ore dock played an important role in this process. Railroad cars filled with ore rolled along the top of the docks and dumped their cargo into one of the 300 storage “pockets.” Ships would pull up alongside the dock and the ore would be loaded onto the vessel through chutes. Because the pockets were located on each side of the pier, many ships could be filled simultaneously.  The construction of the Soo Line dock was one of many harbor improvements contributed significantly to Ashland's prominence as an ore shipping port. By the 1920s however, the exported quantities had begun to decline and the last productive decade of ore shipment was between 1950 and 1960. The last year of ore shipping in Ashland was 1965.

Sadly, many vestiges of the Ashland’s industrial past have disappeared; lost to demolition, neglect and a changing economy. Yet, these monuments to changing times are an important part of Ashland’s heritage. In 2002 the Soo Line Ore Dock was designated a city Landmark Structure by the City Council.

WHY ENDANGERED:  Designation however, does not ensure preservation. The City of Ashland would like to find a way to preserve and encourage reuse of this structure; however they face many profound challenges. The first is that they do not own the property. The structure is currently owned by the Canadian National Railway which terms the structure “an operating property” although railroad uses for the dock do not exist and iron ore is no longer mined in the Geobic range. Discussions between the city and the current owner have not achieved consensus. Furthermore, because the docks are not in use they are not regularly maintained and are deteriorating.  The DNR has expressed concern about the condition and if nothing is done condemnation is a possibility. Location of the ore docks in Lake Superior evokes state statues that limit its potential uses to public recreation or marinas. The cost of rehabilitating the structure and making it safe for reuse will be significant.

OLD ST. MARY’S CHURCH                                                                                            ST. STEPHEN’S CHURCH

13105 Watertown Plank Road                                                                                         5589 S. Howell Avenue

Elm Grove, WI                                                                                                                      Milwaukee, WI

Old St. Mary’s Church was built in 1921 in the Italianate Style, with beautiful stained glass windows and a three story bell tower, reminiscent of European/Bavarian style.  The church was replaced many years ago by a new St. Mary’s and became a quite successful thrift shop.  It is located on a three acre triangular site on the east entrance to the Village of Elm Grove. Members of the parish have been worried about the future of the church because of the high land value of the site on which the church is located.  Parishioners conducted a fund raising drive to help restore the locally designated landmark.

Recently the parish has accepted an offer from a real estate developer who has indicated plans to sell the church and a portion of the land to an architectural firm for “adaptive reuse” as their office.  It needs to be made ADA compliant and additional windows will be added to the lower level for appropriate lighting.  Although extensive repairs throughout are needed, minimal exterior changes are anticipated.

St. Stephen’s Church is located very near the Milwaukee airport.  The parish was founded by German settlers from cologne in 1847.  There were major fires in 1908 and 1927 that almost gutted the church.  The parishioners rebuilt the church with their own money and labor.  The property includes a school and the rectory.  The tall steeple has been a guide to airline pilots landing nearby.  The intricate interior woodwork and stained glass windows of this historical landmark represent a historical treasure of workmanship which is not easily replicated.

The parish is currently trying to sell St. Stephens.  Depending on the buyer it may not remain as a church or be demolished.

WHY ENDANGERED:  Churches throughout the state are threatened by demolition and neglect due to the challenge of raising funds for the upkeep of historically significant churches.  Many of Wisconsin’s historic churches sit vacant.  This is a common problem facing parishes throughout America, as pastors become scarce or new churches are built to replace the older ones.  Older churches represent the many hours of labor which the working man donated for the construction of a place to worship.  Many family celebrations take place in the environment of the church and lasting friendships and values are established there; memories are made.  These churches help to give people a sense of history and identity.  Ideally it would be best if these churches could remain as houses of worship, but that is not always possible and consideration should be given to other uses for these buildings.

TUG BOAT ISLAY  -  Dry-docked in Milwaukee, WI

This “whaleback-styled ship was built in 1892 by Alexander McDougall and launched in Superior,WI.  Named for his daughter, the sixty foot long boat featured a elegant interior with red leather upholstery and herringbone wainscoting.  She had a colorful history of travels from Superior to Bayfield, Port Huron, Detroit and Milwaukee and to Lake Erie.  In 1957 the Isley narrowly missed being scrapped and spent her declining years as a grocery boat, and carried logs, and heavy iron works.  In 1979 she was abandoned in the Menomonee Canal.

Four years later, the tug was rescued four years later and the new owner began trying to restore it.  He researched the tug’s history, replaced the engine and searched for salvage materials to make the tug seaworthy.  The tug was eventually dry-docked for extensive patching to the already patched and rusted hull, and remains in this status today. 

WHY ENDANGERED:  Extensive deterioration and lack of financial resources.   The owner rescued the abandoned ship over twenty years ago and has labored to restore it.  The rebuilding of the interchange at Milwaukee forced the owner to seek new dockage.   He has recently sold the tug, however the huge financial investment may result in ultimately scrapping the vessel.

2005 Preservation Watch List

 Sturgeon Bay Bridge and Historic Downtown

Sturgeon Bay, WI

The Sturgeon Bay Bridge was listed as a Ten Most Endangered Property in 1998, and was re-listed in 2004 as it continues to be threatened.  Built in 1931, the bridge is a rare example of a Scherzer-type, rolling-lift bascule bridge and is the only example of its type in the State.  This bridge is believed to provide the largest clear opening of any draw bridge in the state.  The multiple-span structure was completed in 1931.  It spans 1413 feet crossing over the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal, Lake Michigan, and unites the city’s residential district on the south side of the bay with the commercial downtown area on the north side.   It was designed by Keller and Harrington of Chicago.  The control equipment for the lift machinery is sheltered in a wood framed, hip-roofed “operator’s house,” and cantilevered on metal supports.

The bridge survives in virtually its original condition.  Although the bridge is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, there does not seem to be consistent consideration for rehabilitation.   An historic symbol of the city’s maritime past and future appears in danger of being lost.

While the decision has been made to keep the bridge, and efforts continue to maintain it, funding needs to be secured for an additional two lane bridge to be built to accommodate the existing and projected traffic flow and ensure consistent access to downtown.  If the new two-lane bridge is not built and the historic bridge does not get repaired, and a lack of maintenance results in having to close the bridge, the historic downtown area would be negatively impacted, and potentially result in further development on the perimeter of Sturgeon Bay and the loss of businesses in downtown Sturgeon Bay.

 A. D. German Warehouse

300 South Church Street, Richland Center

This property was previously listed in 2001.  This massive red brick and concrete building located in the hometown of Frank Lloyd Wright was designed by Wright in 1915 as a warehouse for Albert Dell German, a local commodity wholesaler, to store sugar, flour, coffee, tobacco and other staples.  Construction occurred from 1917 to 1921.  The exterior of the four-story 50’ by 80’ building is clad in red brick and crowned by an intricate frieze of gray poured concrete.  The insulating effect of double brick wall construction created a cold storage environment without mechanical refrigeration.  The roof was designed to support a roof garden that was never built.  The A.D. German warehouse is one of only a few major public buildings designed by Wright during this time that was actually built.  With the demolition of his Midway Gardens in Chicago and the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, it has become the only existing example of that decade in which he employed sculptural ornamentation so extensively.  Wright is said to have described this building as his "Mayan Temple".  The elaborate frieze of repeated geometric motifs foreshadows Wright's even more extensive integration of structure and ornament in concrete block residences he designed in the 1920's.  The A.D. German warehouse was entered on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. 

Although the current owners have done much to preserve and display the legacy of Frank Lloyd Wright, the concerns of preservationists are focused on the condition of the exterior concrete ornamentation and concrete roof and supports on the portico/entry.  In many places the concrete appears cracked, stained and possibly weakened.  Repairs and preventative measures, which are not presently occurring, are necessary to preserve this national landmark.

The Walker House

1 Water St.

Mineral Point, WI

The Walker House is a huge railroad hotel that was built in the mid-1900s.  It was converted to a popular restaurant in 1960. The property remains endangered because it has been vacant and neglected for many years.  It is located in a National Register district.  This property was previously listed by the Wisconsin Trust as endangered, and its future remains uncertain.

Rennebohm Building

Madison, WI

The Rennebohm building, located at the corner of University and Randall Avenues, is an excellent example of Madison’s twentieth-century commercial development.  Built by Rennebohm Drug Stores, Inc. in 1925, it housed the company’s flagship store for nearly 60 years.

The building is slated for demolition in order for the University of Wisconsin to build a new research facility.  The Rennebohm building spotlights the challenges of saving historic buildings when universities and other large institutions seek to expand.  The decision is often to tear down and build a new building rather than utilize existing resources.

To view the 2004 Ten Most Endangered Properties List click here

To view the 2003 Ten Most Endangered Properties List click here

Last modified: Thursday, May 19, 2005.