Property Record
2420 N TERRACE AVE
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Frederick C. Bogk House |
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| Other Name: | |
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| Reference Number: | 16278 |
| Location (Address): | 2420 N TERRACE AVE |
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| County: | Milwaukee |
| City: | Milwaukee |
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| Unincorporated Community: | |
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| Year Built: | 1917 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 1986 |
| Historic Use: | house |
| Architectural Style: | Prairie School |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
| Architect: | Wright, Frank Lloyd |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Bogk, Frederick C., House |
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| National Register Listing Date: | 10/18/1972 |
| State Register Listing Date: | 1/1/1989 |
| National Register Multiple Property Name: |
| 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. HABS WI-252. Built for a local businessman and politician, this Prairie style house is the only one built under the direct supervision of his office. The original plans for the Bogk House date from 1905, during Wright's Prairie School period, but the structure was not erected until 1916, when Wright began to express newfound interest in the aesthetics of Asian architecture and in the decorative possibilities of precast concrete. His other buildings dating from these transitional "Japanese years" include the A. D. German Warehouse (RI001) in Richland Center, Wisconsin, and the now-destroyed Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, Japan. The Bogk House is unusual among Wright's houses for its compact, boxy shape and three-story height. Yet, the design features his characteristic strong horizontal lines, geometric patterns, recessed windows, and extraordinarily deep overhanging eaves. The intricate leaded windows with their gold squares of glass add to the rich exterior treatment. A striking feature is the abstract concrete frieze at the third-story level. The repetitive motifs evoke visions of Mayan art, an influence that became more prominent as Wright explored indigenous ornament to replace European influence. The Bogk House interior focuses on a large fireplace; Wright believed the hearth should be the social and architectural focal point of the home. Around the hearth, rooms flow into one another in a complex, multi-level, open floor plan. This arrangement minimized the need for hallways that Wright considered wasted space. |
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| Bibliographic References: | THE HISTORIC NAME AND DATE OF CONSTRUCTION ARE FROM THE BUILDING PERMIT. MILWAUKEE HISTORIC BUILDINGS TOUR: NORTH POINT, CITY OF MILWAUKEE DEPARTMENT OF CITY DEVELOPMENT, 1994. Buildings in Wisconsin manuscript. Perrin, Richard W. E., Historic Wisconsin Architecture, First Revised Edition (Milwaukee, 1976). Wright and Like 2011: Milwaukee Originals June 10th Through 12th, FLW FDN, Scottsdale AZ, 2011. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |