Property Record
200 S. River St.
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Janesville Barbed Wire Company |
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| Other Name: | Harris Ace Hardware |
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| Reference Number: | 186401 |
| Location (Address): | 200 S. River St. |
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| County: | Rock |
| City: | Janesville |
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| Year Built: | 1895 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 2011 |
| Historic Use: | large retail building |
| Architectural Style: | Astylistic Utilitarian Building |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
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| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| 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, Division of Historic Preservation-Public History. The building was constructed around 1900 to serve as a warehouse for the Janesville Barbed Wire Company. In 1921, that company began producing fence posts and wire fencing, and changed its name to the Janesville Fence and Post Company. Around 1938, the Janesville Fence and Post Company opened a retail store operated by the Harris family. By the early 1950s, the building had become Harris Ace Hardware. As the home of Harris Ace Hardware, the building is primarily notable for the large c.1959 neon "ACE HARDWARE" sign mounted to its roof above S. River St. |
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| Bibliographic References: | Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, 1890, 1895, 1901, 1909, 1915 and 1926. “Architecture and History Survey: South River Street” WHS project number 12-0071/RO. March 2011. Prepared by Gail Klein for GLARC. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |