Property Record
114 W MAIN ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Monroe County Telephone Exchange/Ray's Sparta Supermarket |
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| Other Name: | Ray's Sparta Supermarket |
| Contributing: | No |
| Reference Number: | 27939 |
| Location (Address): | 114 W MAIN ST |
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| County: | Monroe |
| City: | Sparta |
| Township/Village: | |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
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| Year Built: | 1920 |
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| Additions: | 1966 |
| Survey Date: | 1989 |
| Historic Use: | retail building |
| Architectural Style: | Astylistic Utilitarian Building |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Stucco |
| Architect: | |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Water Street Commercial Historic District |
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| National Register Listing Date: | 11/12/1992 |
| State Register Listing Date: | 7/3/1992 |
| National Register Multiple Property Name: |
| Additional Information: | This contemporary styled building is comprised of a one-story stucco-covered concrete block building that has a taller, stucco-covered brick section on the west end. The facade of the west section is characterized by a rectangular double window while the facade of the east section features a storefront with a pseudo-stone apron and recessed entrance. This building was built in 1965-66 on the site of the 1904 Teasdale building that was damaged by fire in the 1960s. It has also incorporated the adjacent telephone exchange building [the present west section of the building] constructed on the adjacent property in the 1920s. The red brick Monroe Telephone Company building was vacated in 1965 when the company moved to new facilities at 311 South Court Street. Rays Super Market does not meet the NRHP criteria for architectural significance because it is less than 50 years of age. The west half of the building, constructed in the 1920s for the Monroe County Telephone Company, does not meet the criteria of the NRHP because of a lack of integrity. Its facade is covered by stucco and the interior spaces has been incorporated into the section built in 1965-66. As a result this building does not contribute to the historic character of the proposed Water Street Historic District. This building was constructed in the 1920's by the Monroe County Telephone Company. North of this building at one time was another building that housed the telephone companies supplies. In May 1965, the telephone company moved to its present location at 311 South Court Street. In 1966, the building was modified significantly. Previous to its construction, the Monroe County Telephone Company was located on the second floor of the Howard Teasdale Building (not extant) to the east of this building. The Monroe County Telephone Exchange/Ray's Sparta Supermarket building possesses potential historical significance under Criteria A because itonce was the home of the Monroe County Telephone Company, an important utility in Sparta's past as outlined in the Commerce Theme. However, the building's lack of architectural integrity due to modifications in 1966 inhibits its association with the building's period of significance from the 1920s to 1965. |
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| Bibliographic References: | (A) Sanborn-Perris Insurance Maps 1884, 1889, 1894, 1900, 1911, 1922, 1931. (B) City of Sparta Property Tax Rolls, 1870-1940. (C) City Directory of the City of Sparta, Wisconsin. Sparta: compiled and published by E.B. Bell, 1916. (D) Sparta Centennial Celebration Committee, Sparta Incorporation City Centennial: 1883-1983 (1983), unpublished pamphlet, p. 30. (E) Sparta Herald July 19, 1904; July 26, 1904; "Sparta: A Centennial Portfolio," June 6, 1983. (F) City of Sparta, WI, Office of City Clerk, Building Permit File. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |