174 E. Wisconsin Ave.
Historic Name: | Oconomowoc City Hall |
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Reference Number: | 80000205 |
Location (Address): | 174 E. Wisconsin Ave. |
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County: | Waukesha |
City/Village: | Oconomowoc |
Township: |
Oconomowoc City Hall 174 East Wisconsin Avenue, Oconomowoc, Waukesha County Architect: George B. Ferry Date of Construction: 1886 Oconomowoc designed its City Hall to be a full-service governmental and civic headquarters. The building housed all city functions and offices including police and fire departments, municipal court and the offices of the mayor and city clerk. Like many small town civic buildings, it served as a major center of social and cultural activity. The first activity held in the new city hall was a meeting of the Farmer¿s Institute in 1887. Well-known Wisconsin architect George B. Ferry designed the building. He chose a striking Romantic Revival design, dominated by a tall clock tower in the center of the front façade. The tower¿s triple arched lancet windows decorate the tower just below the clock face. The most striking aspect of the design is the incorporation of 18 orange and turquoise stained glass transoms above the windows. Matching orange brick originally trimmed the building and orange wood framing once marked the first story entrance in the tower. The original plan of the building included jail cells, courtrooms and judge¿s chambers, and a staged auditorium with a ticket office and dressing rooms. In more recent years, the building has changed to support the evolving needs of local government, but retains much it its historic charm. The building is publicly owned and open during normal business hours.
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Period of Significance: | 1850-1874 |
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Area of Significance: | Architecture |
Area of Significance: | Politics/Government |
Applicable Criteria: | Architecture/Engineering |
Applicable Criteria: | Event |
Historic Use: | Government: City Hall |
Architectural Style: | Early Republic |
Resource Type: | Building |
Architect: | Ferry,George B. |
Historic Status: | Listed in the National Register |
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Historic Status: | Listed in the State Register |
National Register Listing Date: | 04/10/1980 |
State Register Listing Date: | 01/01/1989 |
Number of Contributing Buildings: | 1 |
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Number of Contributing Sites: | 0 |
Number of Contributing Structures: | 0 |
Number of Contributing Objects: | 0 |
Number of Non-Contributing Sites: | 0 |
Number of Non-Contributing Structures: | 0 |
Number of Non-Contributing Objects: | 0 |
National Register and State Register of Historic Places, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |