Property Record
1814 N Oxford Avenue
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Pioneer Furniture Company Warehouse |
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| Reference Number: | 41578 |
| Location (Address): | 1814 N Oxford Avenue |
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| County: | Eau Claire |
| City: | Eau Claire |
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| Year Built: | 1888 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 19972021 |
| Historic Use: | warehouse |
| Architectural Style: | Astylistic Utilitarian Building |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
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| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
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| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| Additional Information: | The former Pioneer Furniture Company Warehouse is a large, three story rectangular (100 ft. x 60 ft.) building. A low gable roof caps the brick structure. Originally the building was marked by rows of windows but a majority of these openings have been covered. The building was also at one time connected to the furniture factory directly across the street. Additions, both frame and concrete block, appear on the north and west sides. The Pioneer Furniture Company, in operation from 1888 to 1938, received twenty thousand dollars from the city of Eau Claire as a bonus for establishing a factory and employing 200 workes. This financial assistance reflected the city's concern with the declining lumber industry and the need for a diversified economic base (See Smith's thesis for further info.). The first officers of the furniture company were David Drummon, president; W.H. Watson, vice-president; and D.G. Calkins, secretary. W.E. Curry served as the plant superintendent. The pamphlet, Eau Claire Illustrated, described the company and noted that bedroom furniture was the firm's specialty. 2021 - No change in appearance |
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| Bibliographic References: | (A) 1889 Sanborn-Perris Map. (B) Eau Claire Illustrated, 1891-92, p. 85, photo on p. 22. (C) Smith, J.B. 1967. "The Movements for Diversified Industry in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, 1879-1907: Boosterism and Urban Development Strategy in a Declining Lumber Town." MA, UW-Madison. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |