Property Record
1610 Gilson Street
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Ben's Barber Shop |
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| Other Name: | Style and Grace Barber Shop |
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| Reference Number: | 241086 |
| Location (Address): | 1610 Gilson Street |
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| County: | Dane |
| City: | Madison |
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| Year Built: | 1962 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 2019 |
| Historic Use: | large retail building |
| Architectural Style: | Contemporary |
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| Wall Material: | Brick |
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| Demolished?: | No |
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| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| Additional Information: | City of Madison, Wisconsin Underrepresented Communities Historic Resource Survey Report: Ben’s Barber Shop served as a social space and as a place to cut and style hair for the African American community. The shop, the oldest African American barbershop in Madison, was divided in two, one side for women and the other for men and provided a wide range of hair treatments and styles. Ben Parks moved to Madison from Georgia as a young man in 1953 and lived in the Greenbush neighborhood. Parks initially worked for Reverend James and Jackie Wright, who owned and operated the Jackie and Jimmy’s Beauty Shop. Eventually, Parks opened his shop. In 1962, Ben’s Barber Shop moved into a contemporary style building at 1610 Gilson Street, relocating from the Greenbush neighborhood. Ben Parks retired in the late 1990s when the shop was renamed Style and Grace. One of the most prominent barbers at the shop, Taylor “Smitty” Smith, was a fixture in the community who had been working as a barber in Madison since 1954. He has also trained many of the barbers that continue to work in the community. Jeff Patterson, who was mentored by Smitty, established JP Hair Design, located at 584 Grand Canyon Drive on the west side of Madison, that continues in the role of Ben’s Barber Shop as a social gathering place within the wider Madison community. Ben Parks died in 2013. |
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| Bibliographic References: |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |