Property Record
442 TOEPFER AVE
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | ELMER BRUNSELL HOUSE |
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| Other Name: | |
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| Reference Number: | 221765 |
| Location (Address): | 442 TOEPFER AVE |
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| County: | Dane |
| City: | Madison |
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| Year Built: | 1937 |
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| Additions: | 2009 |
| Survey Date: | 2012 |
| Historic Use: | house |
| Architectural Style: | International Style |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Stucco |
| Architect: | Beatty and Strang |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| Additional Information: | THIS WAS ORIGINALLY A ONE-STORY-TALL HOUSE THAT WAS DESIGNED BY BEATTY AND STRANG AND BUILT FOR ELMER BRUNSELL, A PARTNER IN BRUNSELL LUMBER & MILLWORK CO. A SECOND STORY THAT REPLICATED THE ORIGINAL DESIGN ELEMENTS AND EXTERIOR CLADDING (STUCCO) WAS ADDED IN 2009. "A handful of dwellings built in the International Style are found in Westmorland, including a significant, if modified, example at 442 Toepfer Avenue. Originally, a modest, one-story dwelling the house was designed by local architects Beatty and Strang and built by brothers Elmer and William Brunsell in 1937. Beatty and Strang often partnered with Brunsell Lumber and Millworks--a local building supply company run by the Brunsell brothers--but this particular house is especially interesting as it was built for Elmer Brunsell's family. Aside from being designed by well-respected architects, many of the houses designed in the International Style in Madison during the Great Depression were marketed as modest, low-cost houses. These home were typically one or two stories with two or three bedrooms, allowing for variations and opportunities for expansion. According to a Wisconsin State Journal article from 1930, the chance for new home buyers to purchase a cost-effective home that also allowed for expansion was a very attractive feature in designs by firms who worked in the International Style, including Beatty and Strang. The house received a significant change in 2008, when the owners built a second story to accommodate the needs of their growing family. They preserved the open character of the floor plan as well as some of the interior details. One particularly interesting feature is the interior doorways, which use a quarter-round moulding for finish rather than casings--a strategy which saved costs as well as contributed to a streamlined interior." Westmorland Neighborhood Association, Westmorland A Walking Tour, 2012. |
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| Bibliographic References: | CITY OF MADISON ASSESSOR'S RECORDS. CONVERSATION WITH THE OWNER IN 2012. WESTMORLAND: A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE. MADISON: WESTMORLAND NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOC., 2011, PP. 38-39. Housing Madison: Where We Live, Where We Work. Ed. Anna Vemer Andrzejewski and Arnold R. Alanen for “Nature + City: Vernacular Buildings and Landscapes of the Upper Midwest,” 2012 Meeting of the Vernacular Architecture Forum (VAF). Westmorland Neighborhood Association, Westmorland A Walking Tour, 2012. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |