Property Record
106 E GALE AVE
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Gilbertson & Myhre Company Store |
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| Other Name: | Gilbertson-Myhre-Casberg Inc. |
| Contributing: | Yes |
| Reference Number: | 54343 |
| Location (Address): | 106 E GALE AVE |
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| County: | Trempealeau |
| City: | Galesville |
| Township/Village: | |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
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| Year Built: | 1884 |
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| Additions: | C. 1890 |
| Survey Date: | 1994 |
| Historic Use: | large retail building |
| Architectural Style: | Commercial Vernacular |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
| Architect: | |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Downtown Historic District |
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| National Register Listing Date: | 9/18/1984 |
| State Register Listing Date: | 1/1/1989 |
| National Register Multiple Property Name: | Multiple Resources of Galesville |
| Additional Information: | A 'site file' exists for this property. It contains additional information such as correspondence, newspaper clippings, or historical information. It is a public record and may be viewed in person at the State Historical Society, Division of Historic Preservation. The third story addition was added in the twentieth century and has lessened the architectural interest of this corner building on the square. The store front is intact and, as such, is a good example of a common type. The second story was remodeled in the early 1890s from a hall to additional retail space. As built, the Gilbertson and Myhre store provided the community with an "Opera House." The second floor, equipped with a stage, scenery, and balcony, served as a theater and hall. The entry and stairs were located at the rear of the building on Main Street. When the roller skating craze hit the nation in the early 1880s, the hall was converted to a roller rink. In the early '90s the hall was closed to accomodate a men's clothing department for the store. Gilbertson-Myhre Company, which was incorporated in 1910, was a business established on a small scale in 1873. G.O. Gilbertson was one of Galesville's most successful businessmen. He became the President of the Farmers and Merchant's State Bank of Galesville in 1913. Gilbertson was also active in the early operation of the Arctic Springs Creamery, a Cooperative, founded in 1899. |
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| Bibliographic References: | (A) Cornice inscription. (B) "The Galesville Centennial," 1954, p. 37. (C) Wisconsin Industrial Review - Galesville Edition, Vol. XIV, No. 164, August 1913, pp. 12, 17. (D) Franklyn Curtiss-Wedge, History of Trempealeau County, Wisconsin (Chicago, 1917), p. 806, 813. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |