Property Record
942 E SYLVAN AVE
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | The Pines, Dr. Thaddeus & Alice J. Williams House |
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| Other Name: | |
| Contributing: | Yes |
| Reference Number: | 154241 |
| Location (Address): | 942 E SYLVAN AVE |
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| County: | Milwaukee |
| City: | Whitefish Bay |
| Township/Village: | |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | |
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| Year Built: | 1893 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 2011 |
| Historic Use: | house |
| Architectural Style: | Queen Anne |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Clapboard |
| Architect: | |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| National Register Listing Date: | |
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| Additional Information: | This stately frame residence with Victorian influences was built as a small single-family house, but has been subsequently enlarged and remodeled at least twice since then. One of the modifications converted the residence into a duplex. The 'Mimi Bird' files maintained as part of the Whitefish Bay Historical Files reports that this house was originally built for Dr. Thaddeus Williams, one of the Village's "founding fathers," in 1893. He enlarged it by the late 1890s and named it "The Pines". However, other information suggests that the original 'core' of the residence may be somewhat older than that date. An oral history by an early resident of the Village states that John Luck lived in the residence during the time that he ran a commercial fishing enterprise in Whitefish Bay. According to that report, Mr. Luck was the first commercial fisherman in the Village and moved to the community in 1862. If this is the same house that he lived in, the original portion of the house could be among the oldest residences in the Village. The property records show that significant modifications were made to the home in 1927 including excavating the basement, lowering the house 2 feet, adding a new roof, adding hard wood floors, and adding new wiring. The drawing that accompanied the permit application also indicates that the house was moved back on the property, perhaps to line up with other homes subsequently built on East Sylvan Avenue, and a bay on the southeast corner of the residence was removed. Following incorporation of the Village in 1893, Williams became its first Health Officer, and one of its first Trustees. He also served as the Village's second president, from 1895-1896. |
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| Bibliographic References: | Building permit records on file at Whitefish Bay Village Hall. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |