Property Record
N5390 STATE HIGHWAY 57
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | F.J. Karrels Farm |
|---|---|
| Other Name: | Wayne Wolff Farm |
| Contributing: | |
| Reference Number: | 114744 |
| Location (Address): | N5390 STATE HIGHWAY 57 |
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| County: | Ozaukee |
| City: | |
| Township/Village: | Fredonia |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | 12 |
| Range: | 21 |
| Direction: | E |
| Section: | 25 |
| Quarter Section: | SW |
| Quarter/Quarter Section: | SW |
| Year Built: | |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 1998 |
| Historic Use: | silo |
| Architectural Style: | Astylistic Utilitarian Building |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Concrete |
| Architect: | |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| National Register Listing Date: | |
| State Register Listing Date: |
| Additional Information: | 1998- Farmstead consisting of cruciform-plan farmhouse with aluminum siding, gambrel-roofed bank barn, Harvestore silo, metal shed and a concrete block garage. The most intriguing element of this otherwise undistinguished farmstead is a ca. 1920s poured concrete silo with a barley-legible, painted advertisement for a motel. Descernible words include "Motel", "Wisconsin Avenue" and "Beer." The mere existence of the painted ad, being a vestige of the dawning automobile age, is more significant than the ad's content. Large-scale ads on billboards, buildings and other structures like silos beckoned to drivers moving past them at higher speeds. Agricultural outbuildings such as barns and silos served as the nation's earliest media in this format. According to the survey for the 1998 WisDOT project the poor condition of the painted sign and the lack of distinguishing characteristics of the farm buildings eliminate the need for NRHP eligibility consideration. |
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| Bibliographic References: | 1915 plat map. 1998 Heritage Research Ltd. Architecture / History Survey for WisDOT project # 4015-00-00 (WHS compliance #98-5008/02/SB) |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |