Property Record
413 N MAIN ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | La Crosse City Hall, Fire Station, Jail |
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| Other Name: | Clothes' Encounter |
| Contributing: | Yes |
| Reference Number: | 35003 |
| Location (Address): | 413 N MAIN ST |
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| County: | La Crosse |
| City: | La Crosse |
| Township/Village: | |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | |
| Range: | |
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| Year Built: | 1869 |
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| Additions: | 1887 1900 1917 |
| Survey Date: | 1996 |
| Historic Use: | city/town/village hall/auditorium |
| Architectural Style: | Commercial Vernacular |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
| Architect: | W.j. Nichols |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | Yes |
| Demolished Date: | 1995 |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | La Crosse Commercial Historic District |
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| National Register Listing Date: | 9/2/1994 |
| State Register Listing Date: | 10/8/1993 |
| National Register Multiple Property Name: |
| 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 State Historical Society, Division of Historic Preservation. Two-story stone city hall structure converted to retail use with plain neutral brick facade with altered store fronts, and several brick rear additions. Stone wall on east elevation is the only visual remains of original building. The stone wall facing the alley is the only portion still visible of the first City Hall, Fire Station, and Jail constructed in 1869. Originally designed with a 90 foot high observation tower and a hose drying tower on the mansard roof the building constructed of local limestone was altered by several brick additions at the rear and by a new brick front in 1917. The architectural merit of this structure has been completely destroyed. Once it was purchased by the city in 1865, the first City Hall, Fire Station, and Jail was constructed in 1869 from a design by W.J. Nichols commissioned in 1868 as a consequence of residents' demands, after a fire destroyed several blocks of the downtown on March 24, 1868. The construction was done by Drake Brothers and Joseph and Frank Schwalbe. On August 19, 1887, the city sold the structure to Alex McMillan and then rented the building for several years until a new city hall was built in 1892. Various commercial interests including the Reitzel Dry Goods Co. in 1907 have occupied the structure since. The original city hall of La Crosse is important in the development of local government. The fire station was the first one in the city and the whole complex probably came about after a disastrous series of blazes consumed downtown La Crosse during the 1860s. DEMOLISHED FOR A PARKING LOT. |
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| Bibliographic References: | Joan Rausch, "The History of the First City Hall, Fire Station, and Jail in the City of La Crosse, Wisconsin," Historical Notes, La Crosse Historical Society, August, 1979. City of La Crosse Tax Records, ARC Murphy Library, U.W.-La Crosse. 1857-1930. LACROSSE TRIBUNE 3/28/1995. LACROSSE TRIBUNE 7/25/1995. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |