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233 W COOK ST | Property Record | Wisconsin Historical Society

Property Record

233 W COOK ST

Architecture and History Inventory
233 W COOK ST | Property Record | Wisconsin Historical Society
NAMES
Historic Name:Rund Sham & Wrecker/ John Bassi Building
Other Name:Grady's Janitorial Supply
Contributing: Yes
Reference Number:45410
PROPERTY LOCATION
Location (Address):233 W COOK ST
County:Columbia
City:Portage
Township/Village:
Unincorporated Community:
Town:
Range:
Direction:
Section:
Quarter Section:
Quarter/Quarter Section:
PROPERTY FEATURES
Year Built:1901
Additions:
Survey Date:1992
Historic Use:retail building
Architectural Style:Commercial Vernacular
Structural System:Balloon Frame
Wall Material:Brick
Architect:
Other Buildings On Site:
Demolished?:No
Demolished Date:
NATIONAL AND STATE REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
National/State Register Listing Name: Portage Retail Historic District
National Register Listing Date:4/27/1995
State Register Listing Date:10/24/1994
National Register Multiple Property Name:
NOTES
Additional Information:"John Bassi, who sold musical instruments as well as wallpaper, paint, and home furnishings, operated a store at this site by 1867. He replaced it with [this] building in 1901. Bassi's civic contributions included forming the German Liederkrantz Society, a male choral group, in 1856 well before the Civil War. In 1909 Frank Heidt acquired a German newspaper, the Wrecker, and also published the Rundshau at 233 W. Cook, as shown in the close-up below. The Wrecker was established in 1874 by Gustave A. Selback to serve Portage's large German population. In addition to the German newspapers, Heidt also sold wallpaper. Julius Schnell took over the German newspapers in about 1920, but not the wallpaper. Remodeled with carrara glass in the 1930s and 1940s, the building's remaining original feature in the corbelling visible along the base of the parapet and is shown in the underlying drawing." Historic Portage, WI: Downtown & Waterfront Walking Tour, 1995.
Bibliographic References:Historic Portage, WI: Downtown & Waterfront Walking Tour, 1995.
RECORD LOCATION
Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin

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