Property Record
312-316 EAU CLAIRE ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | State Theatre/Northern States Building |
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| Other Name: | Eau Claire Regional Arts Center |
| Contributing: | Yes |
| Reference Number: | 41073 |
| Location (Address): | 312-316 EAU CLAIRE ST |
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| County: | Eau Claire |
| City: | Eau Claire |
| Township/Village: | |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
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| Year Built: | 1925 |
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| Additions: | 1936 |
| Survey Date: | 2006 |
| Historic Use: | theater/opera house/concert hall |
| Architectural Style: | Art Deco |
| Structural System: | Masonry |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
| Architect: | J. E. Nason |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Confluence Commercial Historic District |
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| National Register Listing Date: | 10/3/2007 |
| State Register Listing Date: | 1/19/2007 |
| National Register Multiple Property Name: |
| Additional Information: | The State Theatre building which is actually composed of two structures - one containing the theatre, the other originally served as the bus station - is a large two story brick structure characterized by a four part facade. Currently the original bus station area serves as the office and gallery for the Eau Claire Regional Arts Center. The most western section which is more ornamented than the remaining sections includes the theatre entrance. This portion of the building, like the others, is marked by pilasters which terminate at the roofline in square capitals crowned by spherical elements. A stepped parapet also highlights the roofline. On the second floor of the theatre three roundheaded arches (these are flush with the wall surface) form a stringcourse which is continued to the other sections but in a linear fashion marking the window openings. Beneath the arches a checkerboard brick pattern provides detail. The marquee on the ground level is a new addition (C). Of special interest are the stone lion's heads which also decorate the theatre's facade. The three remianing sections which originally included the bus station on the ground floor are, as mentioned above, almost identical to the theatre - the major difference being the windows. Three of these large rectangular openings (they are now partially enclosed) are included in each section. The former bus station area has been totally altered through the application of wood siding. According to an early photo (C), the facade of the bus station was a fine Art Deco element, faced with carrarra glass and featuring rounded windows. According to Barland (B), the State Theatre, "one of the Finkelstein and Ruben chain, opened in January 1926 with the showing of 'Classified' starring Corinne Griffith." The bus depot for the city of Eau Claire occupied the eastern section of the building beginning in 1927. A new depot was opened in 1946 and the former space was used for various commercial establishments including a restaurant and bowling alley(B). The building was designed by Minneapolis architect Joseph E. Nason. 2016- "Designed by Minneapolis based architect/engineer and theater entrepreneur Joseph E. Nason, the State Theatre is a large two-story brick building built in the Art Deco Style, which is readily expressed in the building's interior. Itr is actually composed of two structures, one containing the theatre and the other having originally served as a bus station and the office and gallery for the Eau Claire Regional Arts Center. Built for $315,000 as a vaudeville theatre, the State Theatre was one of nearly one hundred theatres built in the upper Midwest by the theatre enterprise of Finkelstein and Ruben. It was later converted to a movie house, operating as such until 1982. It was donated to the Eau Claire Regional Arts Council in 1984. The renovated building reopened in 1986 to host theatre productions, concerts, and other community events." -"Eau Claire Landmarks: Designated Historic Properties in Eau Claire, Wisconsin", Eau Claire Landmarks Commission, P.O. Box 5148, 2016. |
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| Bibliographic References: | (A) 1931 Sanborn-Perris Map. (B) Barland, L. 1965. The Rivers Flow On, pp. 281-298. (C) Photo (c. 1942) - photo collection of the Chippewa Valley Museum. (D) "Eau Claire's Old Buildings," Eau Claire Leader, pamphlet file, L.E. Phillips Library, Eau Claire, Dec., 1926. (E) Another map code for this building is EC 21/18 and its corresponding Survey map name is Plat Map #8. Eau Claire Leader Telegram 9/13/1997. Take a Walk on Main Street: Historic Walking Tours in Wisconsin's Main Street Communities, Wisconsin Main Street Program, 1998. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |