| 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.
ARCHITECTURAL STATEMENT:
THE PARKER-HILDEBRAND CO. BUILDING WAS COMPLETED IN 1904, AT A TOTAL COST OF $15,000. THE BUFF COLORED STONE EMPLOYED IN THE DESIGN WAS SUPPLIED BY THE LOCAL QUARRY OF L. SALZGBER AND LAID IN RANDOM COURSES. E. RAE, A STONEMASON FROM PLATTEVILLE, WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE STONEWORK. THE STRUCTURE MEASURES 52' BY 100' AND THE MAIN TWO STORIES REST ON A RAISED BASEMENT. WINDOW OPENINGS ARE SIMPLE RECTANGLES SET BENEATH STONE LINTELS, UNFORTUNATELY THE SECOND FLOOR OPENINGS HAVE BEEN PARTIALLY BLOCKED TO ACCOMMODATE SMALLER SASH.
AT THE TIME OF ITS COMPLETION, THE BUILDING WAS DESCRIBED AS A NORMAN STYLE DESIGN, REFERRING TO THE RUGGED, CASTELLATED APPEARANCE. THE ENTIRE PARAPET IS MARKED BY CRENELLATION, WHICH, AT THE SOUTHEAST CORNER MERGES WITH A BARTIZAN. A SIMILAR MOTIF ACCENTS THE APPROXIMATE CENTER OF THE FACADE. THE ROCK FACED STONE WORK IMPARTS A MASSIVENESS APPROPRIATE TO THE STYLE.
THE PARKER-HILDEBRAND BUILDING IS THE ONLY STRUCTURE IN THE CITY CONSTRUCTED IN THIS ROMANTIC STYLE AND REMAINS SIGNIFICANT AS A FINE EXAMPLE OF THE PERIOD AS WELL AS AN EXAMPLE OF OUTSTANDING MASONRY.
HISTORICAL STATEMENT:
THE MERCANTILE FIRM OF PARKER-HILDEBRAND WAS BEGUN BY DWIGHT PARKER IN THE LATE 1850'S, WITH GOERGE HILDEBRAND BECOMING HIS PARTNER IN THE EARLY 1860'S. THE SHARE OF THE THIRD PARTNER, JOHN PEPPER WAS EVENTUALLY PURCHASED BY GEORGE PARKER. (C)
GEORGE HILDEBRAND LEFT MONEY FOR THE CITY HALL.
1992- "This very fine eclectic design rectilinear plan 52-foot-wide by 110-foot-deep building was built in 1904, and it is one of the largest commercial buildings in the district. The two-story building occupies a prominent lot that comprises the northwest corner formed by the intersection of Wisconsin Avenue and Bluff street. Quarry-faced regularly coursed ashlar stone basement walls that are partially exposed on the rear (west) and south side elevations enclose a full basement story and these walls are crowned by a watertable of similar design that encircles the building. The exterior walls above are also constructed of locally quarried quarry-faced regular-coursed cut stones that have raised mortar joints. These walls then rise up to the tall encircling castellated cut stone parapet wall that edges the roof of the building.
The main facade faces east, it is asymmetrical in design, and it has an eight-bay-wide second story and a first story that consists of a nearly full-width storefront. This storefront is largely original and features a deeply recessed, canted entrance that is flanked on either side by two large display windows. 'l'hese windows consist of very large single panes that are held in place by metal frames that have an ornamental pattern stamped on them. The recessed main entrance still contains its original paired one-light wooden entrance doors and a single flush one-light over three-panel entrance door that opens onto a staircase that ascends to the second story is placed just to the right of the storefront. The storefront is enframed with broad smooth-faced stone pilaster strips that have dressed stone capitals and quarry-faced stone bases that have raised mortar joints. The storefront is essentially unchanged except for the upper portions of the display windows and the transom above the second story entrance door, each of which is now hidden by a modern signboard that spans the width of the storefront.
The second story is eight-bays-wide and each bay contains a flat-arched window opening, that has a quarry-faced stone sill and lintel. Each of these openings originally contained a one-over-one light double hung window, but these have since been replaced with smaller windows of the same type and the upper portions of the openings have been filled with plywood panels. The most striking feature of the building is the tall crenelated stone parapet that terminates the main facade and the side and rear elevations. A corbelled stone beltcourse decorated with stone dentils forms the base of this parapet and cut stone bartizans are used to decorate it. The bartizan that is placed on the corner of the building is circular in plan and features inset panels suggestive of arrow slits. A triangular plan bartizan is centered on the main tacade's parapet and it too has panels that suggest arrow slits.
The longer south-facing side elevation is asymmetrical in design. Both the first story and second stories are ten-bays-wide, but for the most part the first story of each bay contains an element that is different from the one above. 'l'he first, third, and fifth through ninth first story bays each contain small, identically sized flat-arched window openings that are now filled with plywood panels. The second bay contains a taller window opening of the same design that is also filled with plywood, the fourth bay contains a semi-circular-arched side door opening ornamented with massive stone voussoirs, and the tenth bay contains a single large display window that is a continuation of the main facade's storefront. The second story bays consists entirely of window openings. 'l'he first, second, third, fifth, sixth, eight, ninth, and tenth bays were originally identical with the ones on the main facade and all but the first three have been altered in the same manner (the first three openings are entirely filled with plywood sheets). 'I'he fourth and seventh bays both originally contained paired window openings, each individual window of which was identical to the ones in the other bays. Currently, the openings in the fourth bay have been filled with plywood sheets while those in the seventh bay have been partially filled in the manner described above.
The first story interior of this building was originally occupied by a large general store and rows of iron posts support the building framework. The room also had a ceiling covered in pressed metal squares, which may still be intact. The exterior, however, is in excellent condition and is largely intact save for the altered windows."
- Prepared by Timothy F Heggland (1992). |
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