Property Record
N SIDE OF EAU CLAIRE RIVER, END OF RAILROAD ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Eau Claire Gas Light Company Gas Plant |
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| Other Name: | vacant |
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| Reference Number: | 41081 |
| Location (Address): | N SIDE OF EAU CLAIRE RIVER, END OF RAILROAD ST |
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| County: | Eau Claire |
| City: | Eau Claire |
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| Year Built: | 1902 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 1997 |
| Historic Use: | industrial building |
| Architectural Style: | Italianate |
| Structural System: | Masonry |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
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| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| Additional Information: | Erected in 1902 by the Eau Claire Gas and Light Company, the gas plant contained the necessary equipment to provide city residents with manufactured gas (coal generated). The building was used for this purpose until 1947 when the Northern States Power Company switched to petroleum gas (A). The brick building is rectangular in plan and is capped by a medium gable roof. The sides of the structure feature alternating segmental arch bays and pilasters (most of these windows have been filled in). At the south end of the building is a narrow two story section with an uneven gable roof. According to the 1931 Sanborn map, this area served as the meter room and attached to it (but no longer standing) was another section containing scrubbers and purifiers. A photo of the building is included with the newspaper article (A). The Eau Claire Dells Gas Light and Coke Company, incorporated in July, 1877, provided the first gas service in Eau Claire. The plant was located on the west side of the Chippewa River at the present site of Owen Park. The company was reorganized in 1882 as the Eau Claire Gas Company. J.T. Barber acquired the property in 1891 and two years later sold it to David Drummond. In 1894 the company was again sold - this time to the Eau Claire Gas Light Company who operated the concern until 1914, when it was purchased by the Wisconsin-Minnesota Light and Power Company which had earlier taken over the properties of the Chippewa Valley Railway, Light and Power Company. In 1924 the Northern States Power Company, a Minnesota based firm, acquired the holdings of the Wisconsin-Minnesota Light and Power Company (A). |
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| Bibliographic References: | (A) Eau Claire Telegram, August 6, 1947. (B) Another map code for this building is EC 21/7 and its corresponding Survey map name is Plat Map #8. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |