| Additional Information: | A 'site file' exists for this property. It contains additional information such as correspondence, newspaper clippings, or historical information. It is a public record and may be viewed in person at the Wisconsin Historical Society, State Historic Preservation Office. MOTEL COMPLEX INCLUDES APPROX. 14 CABINS, ONE OFFICE, AND ONE MEETING HOUSE. LOCATED IN THE VILLAGE OF DELLWOOD.
2009- "The Hiawatha Motel, established on site in 1964, is composed of 11 buildings surrounded by shrubbery and an extensive grass lawn. The property, as described in the Architectural History Survey Form, is composed of two parcels that are considered as the same tax parcel with a single address. The motel complex is located on the southern parcel, and two buildings that were built after the motel complex was established are situated on the northern parcel. The latter are not considered to be a part of the historic property.
The surrounding properties are almost all privately-owned summer cottages and year-round residences, that sprang up after the Wisconsin River was dammed ca. 1949, creating a large lake/inlet. The resultant shoreline is likely the reason that this small resort enclave was established at its present location. The Hiawatha Motel is just south of the inlet, on the east side of CTH Z, and the lakeshore is across the highway to the west.
The cabins and office building were moved to the site in 1964 from a different motel site in nearby Wisconsin Dells, where they were originally erected in 1958.1 The motel complex is L-shaped. A row of cabins is situated perpendicular to the road, facing north, along the southern boundary of the property. The driveway runs in front of the cabins and then turns north, running in front of the four-unit building that forms the other side of the L. The office is inside the two arms of the L near the street.
Located close to the road behind a low Roman brick wall is a small one-story wood frame office building. The facade facing the road (west) is actually a side of the building and the main facade faces south. Wide overhangs extend the roof over all four sides, and the flat roof slopes slightly to the north side of the building. The roof appears to be built up of layers of asphalt and gravel. The building is sided in wide horizontal clapboards of particle board with a band of vertically grooved Texture 1-11 under the eaves. The facade facing the road has two window openings. The larger opening is a Chicago-style picture window with one large pane of glass in the center. To each side of the center pane is a narrow double-hung window with one horizontal muntin in each sash. The window opening to the right has two double awning windows, side by side. In keeping with the modern 1950s style of the motel, each window pane and both window openings on this facade are horizontally oriented. The main fac;:ade of the building has a wooden entrance door and another Chicago-style window. The door is also in the modern style with a window divided into three horizontal panes and a single rectangular panel below it. The east side of the office has a high horizontal window opening of two side-by-side panes with an air conditioner below and a group of two double-hung windows, each with a single horizontal muntin in each sash. The north side of the office has one Chicago-style window matching the others.
The eight single cabins are all of the same original design and all face north. The flat roofs of the cabins are sloped slightly to the back and appear to be built-up. The siding on the cabins was originally wide wood clapboards and is still extant on a few side walls. Most walls are covered in particle board clapboards that are somewhat wider than the original wooden clapboards. Projecting wooden rafters extend under the wide eaves on all sides. The facade of each is composed of an entrance door of plain wood, which appear to be original, and a metal combination storm door. The latter are in the Colonial cross-buck style and detract from the original appearance of the buildings. To one side of the door is a grouping of three windows, each with three horizontal muntin bars, adding to the horizontality of the original modern design. The center windows are fixed with a casement window to each side. The sides of the cabins have no windows. The rear elevation of each has a group of two double-hung windows in the main room, under which are modern air conditioners. Small four-pane windows light the bathrooms. Recently installed in the four easterly cabins are metal replacement windows in the original openings. These windows are side-by-side sliders that detract from the appearance of the cabins. Between each cabin is a low wooden fence composed of top and bottom rails with two angled boards crossing in the middle. A concrete sidewalk runs along the fronts of the cabins.
The one duplex unit has the same window configuration as the single cabins but there are an extra few feet in the middle to make room for a smaller window that lights the kitchen. This window contains an upper and lower pane, both of which operate as awning windows.
The four-unit building that runs perpendicular to the cabins is of a similar design. As with the duplex, the design is symmetrical with corner windows and alternating doors and window openings. The original windows are two side-by-side, wooden, double-hung units with two horizontal panes in each sash. The wood doors, which also appear to be original, have an upper window divided by muntins into three horizontal panes. Below is a group of three horizontal panels. Alterations to the fenestration include replacement of the easternmost window with a white metal slider and one of the doors with a metal combination door of recent vintage.
All of the motel units contain a sleeping/living room and a small bathroom with toilet, sink, and shower. The interior of the units contains knotty pine paneling throughout. One of the small cabins contains a tiny kitchen, and one of the rooms in the duplex cabin also contains a kitchen. The interiors appear to be largely original.
The low Roman brick wall extends along the road-facing side of the motel complex, with a break at the drive. Chest-high corner posts topped with small Colonial style electric lanterns on concrete caps are present on either side of the driveway entrance. The posts at the terminal ends of the wall are knee high, with caps but no lanterns. The wall and posts are in a pattern of horizontal stripes of orange and cream Roman brick. A metal sign stands behind the brick wall. Projecting from a standard are two rectangular white can signs. One sign reads "Hiawatha" in red letters, and the other reads "Motel" in black letters. It appears from its style that the sign is original to the site.
Landscaping of the complex is simple. Mature cedars are located on either side of the driveway entrance, and a row of cedars trims the entire north side of the driveway, opposite the cabins. The rest of the space is an open greensward with the occasional young evergreen tree around the edges.
The office and the westernmost cabin are the closest buildings to the road. Both are approximately 20 feet, 8 inches from the brick wall, which is 17 feet, 3 inches from the edge of the CTH Z pavement.
Two other buildings, located in the northern parcel, are not included within the historic boundary, because they were built after the motel complex was established (i.e., after the period of significance). One of these buildings is a large house that is the owner's residence, estimated by the owner to have been built ca. 1970. It is a two-story wood frame building with a front-facing gabled roof. The roof is shallowly pitched and has a wide overhang at the front of the building. The overhang has exposed rafters, perhaps a nod to the older complex on the site. The siding is vertical board panels on the first floor and wide horizontal clapboards on the second floor. A wide balcony of unfinished, treated lumber extends across the front of the building. The balcony is of the type commonly used in the 1970s, with a horizontal board railing serving double duty as the back of built-in benches. The windows are metal sliders and casements and groups of sliding patio doors are on the front of the house.
The second building located in the northern parcel is a garage/workshop present behind the house, which appears to be of very recent vintage. The north half has a side gabled gambrel roof and the south half has a side gabled roof. It is finished with modern metal sliding windows, asphalt shingles on the roof, and Texture 1-11 siding."
-"Hiawatha Motel", WisDOT 6355-00-04, Prepared by Katherine Rankin, (2009).
2021 - Resurveyed, appearance unchanged |
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