220 UNION ST

Summary

Schwartz Family House
220 Union Street, Hartford, Washington County
Architect: Ernst Julius Peege
Date of Construction: 1915

Immigrating to the United States in 1854, the Peter Schwartz family was among the earliest settlers in the Town of Hartford, where they engaged in farming. One of six children, son Joseph (born 1838) would also take up farming; however, in 1901, he purchased the brewing operations of George Portz, known as the Hartford City Brewery. Joseph’s sons Peter, Andrew and Joseph Jr. were also involved in the brewery business and, in 1914, the sons began plans to erect a new home that would ultimately house not only the three bachelor brothers, but also their father, and Joseph Sr.’s two unmarried sisters.

Milwaukee architect Ernst Julius Peege, who had just designed a second-story addition to the brewery’s bottling plant, was chosen as the architect for the house. Completed in 1915, the American Craftsman-style house—with its stucco finish and red slate roof embellished with wooden brackets and exposed rafter tails--would have stood out from its neighbors, as most were executed in the earlier Queen Anne style or were largely vernacular in design. Unique to its interior is an original hand-painted landscape mural, as well as Arts & Crafts-style stenciling, reportedly completed by itinerant artists. Although the family’s patriarch, Joseph Sr., died in 1917, Schwartz family members continued to occupy the home through 1964. The following year, Joseph Sr.’s grandson sold the house to the Kluck family, who served as the home’s caretaker for the next fifty years. In 2016, the house was purchased by the Hartford Historic Preservation Foundation (HHPF), the same organization that was responsible for the successful restoration of the former Schwartz Ballroom, known today as the Chandelier Ballroom. Purchase and restoration of the Schwartz Family House is in keeping with the HHPF’s mission to preserve historic properties in the Hartford community.

This property is private. Please respect the rights and privacy of the owners.

The Fuldner Heritage Fund paid for the preparation of this nomination. This endowed fund, created through a generous donation by the Jeffris Family Foundation and administered by the Wisconsin Historical Society, supports the nomination of historically and architecturally significant rural and small town properties.

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