Property Record
301 S MAIN ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | CUBA CITY NEWS BUILDING |
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| Other Name: | TRI-COUNTY PRESS |
| Contributing: | |
| Reference Number: | 44327 |
| Location (Address): | 301 S MAIN ST |
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| County: | Grant |
| City: | Cuba City |
| Township/Village: | |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | |
| Range: | |
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| Year Built: | 1908 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 1982 |
| Historic Use: | retail building |
| Architectural Style: | Commercial Vernacular |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Rock-Faced Concrete Block |
| Architect: | |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| National Register Listing Date: | |
| State Register Listing Date: |
| Additional Information: | ARCHITECURAL STATEMENT: THIS MOULDED CEMENT BLOCK TWO STORY COMMERCIAL BUILDING WITH A FLAT ROOF HAS A UNDECORATED PROJECTING CORNICE RUNNING COMPLETELY AROUND THE BUILDING. FLAT STONE LINTELS AND SILLS ACCNET THE WINDOWS. A BRICK FRONT HAS ALTERED THE STREET FACADE AND THERE IS A WOODEN EXTENSION AT THE REAR. THIS STRUCTURE, A REPRESENTATIVE OF EARLY 19TH CENTURY CEMENT CONSTRUCTION, HAS REMAINED AS IT WAS, EXCEPT FOR THE ALTERATION OF THE FRONT STREET LEVEL FACADE. HISTORICAL STATEMENT: THIS BUILDING IS HISTORICALLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE COMMERICAL DEVELOPMENT OF CUBA CITY. THE FIRST NEWSPAPER IN CUBA CITY WAS FOUNDED IN 1893 BY TOM SNYDER. SNYDER HAD FORMERLY BEEN A COMPOSITOR ON THE DUBUQUE DAILY NEWS PRIOR TO ESTABLISHING THE CUBA CITY NEWS. W. H. GOLDTHORPE OF PLATTEVILLE MOVED TO CUBA CITY IN 1901 AND JOINED SNYDER. GOLDTHORPE SHORTLY AFTER BOUGHT SNYDER OUT AND TOOK OVER AS EDITOR AND PUBLISHER OF THE CUBA CITY NEWS. AT ONE TIME A SECOND NEWSPAPER HAD BEEN STARTED BUT WAS TAKEN OVER BY THE NEWS AND THE COMBINED PAPERS WERE RENANED THE CUBA CITY NEWS-HEROLD. (C) BETWEEN 1900 AND 1908, THE NEWS-HERALD MOVED INTO THE PRESENT CEMENT BLOCK STRUCTURE. (A) IN 1959, GOLDTHORPE BOUGHT THE BENTON ADVOCATE FROM CLANDEN VAIL AND MERGED IT WITH THE NEWS-HERALD. THEREAFTER, THE NEWSPAPER WAS KNOWN AS THE TRI-COUNTY PRESS. GOLDTHORPE DIED IN 1964 AND HIS SON REX TOOK OVER THE NEWSPAPER. |
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| Bibliographic References: | A. SANBORN-PERRIS MAP OF CUBA CITY, 1900, 1908. B. EDWARD O'NEILL, INTERVIEW, 12/07/82. C. O'NEILL, CUBA CITY CENTENNIAL, 1975. P. 27. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |