Property Record
601 E DAY AVE
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Frank E. & Ruth G. Baker House |
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| Other Name: | |
| Contributing: | Yes |
| Reference Number: | 154161 |
| Location (Address): | 601 E DAY AVE |
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| County: | Milwaukee |
| City: | Whitefish Bay |
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| Year Built: | 1928 |
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| Additions: | 1987 |
| Survey Date: | 2011 |
| Historic Use: | house |
| Architectural Style: | Colonial Revival/Georgian Revival |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Clapboard |
| Architect: | Willis Leenhouts |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
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| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| 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. Has an original attached two-car garage. The gabled cedar roof has dormer windows and skylight, which was added in 1987. An addition was built in 1987. Frank Baker was president of the State Teacher's College (which later became UW-Milwaukee) from 1926 to 1946. As president, Baker led the College into national prominence. Baker Fieldhouse was named after him. The house was designed by noted architect Willis Leenhouts, in collaboration with his father, Cornelius Leenhouts - both the firm of Leenhouts and Guthrie. According to Willis' daughter, this was one of his first projects after joining his father's firm. The house stayed in the Baker family until the Rosenbaums purchased it in 1946. 2011- Frank E. Baker served from 1924 to 1946 as the president of the Wisconsin State Teachers College in Milwaukee, forerunner to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Under his leadership, the college gained a national reputation for innovation and experimental programs in teacher education and was considered one of the top teacher training colleges in the United States. Baker held strict admission standards, limiting enrollment and maintaining excellence. Baker’s house, designed by architect Willis Leenhouts, was constructed on Day Avenue in Whitefish Bay in 1928. |
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| Bibliographic References: | Building permit records on file at Whitefish Bay Village Hall. "New Homes Typical of the North Shore Neighborhood," images and a caption, in The Milwaukee Journal, 20 May 1928, includes a rendering of the home. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |