| 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.
Commercial block is in the Moderne style with its geometricized Gothic; this is a long block and adds continuity to the street. Original cost of construction was $127,000; builder was Consolidated Water Power and Paper Co. Woolworth's opened first in this building in 11/1924 and then Frank Abel's in 3/1925. Other original occupants were A&P, Whitrock and Wolt drugs, Western Union, Rapids Bakery, Fritz and Pete Pool Table and Eron plumbing. The second floor housed offices for doctors, lawyers, dentists and insurance companies.
Isaac Witter, a banker, and George Mead, who managed the Consolidated Power and Paper Company, the city’s leading industry, built this late Gothic Revival style block as a commercial real estate venture, replacing a long row of eleven buildings, some of which dated to the 1890s. Large linear blocks like this one eventually led to the strip shopping center. The two-story structure spans a full city block, and a nearly continuous ribbon of windows amplifies its horizontality. Breaking up that horizontal line, the architects divided the block into eleven bays for a shop in each; the bays are further divided by pronounced mullions, which rise above the cornice as knob finials. Between these mullions, trios of lancet arches embellish the recessed frieze panels. Gothic-arched entries provide access to the second story near each end of the building. The main entrance pavilion, however, occupies the central bay, rising several feet above the roofline and terminating in elaborate finials. Within the pavilion, a broad elliptical arch spans the entrance, embracing a multi-paned clerestory. The glazed terracotta walls survive, although the windows and storefronts have been altered. |
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