Property Record
533 MAIN ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Adams House |
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| Other Name: | Bernies Bar |
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| Reference Number: | 60099 |
| Location (Address): | 533 MAIN ST |
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| County: | Fond du Lac |
| City: | Campbellsport |
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| Unincorporated Community: | |
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| Year Built: | 1870 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 19742015 |
| Historic Use: | retail building |
| Architectural Style: | Italianate |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
| Architect: | |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| Additional Information: | Red brick painted white. This two-story vernacular building was built c.1870. It is clad in painted brick and rests on a fieldstone foundation. The hip roof is covered in asphalt shingles and features brick corbels beneath a brick cornice. A modern shed roof portico shelters the main entrance centered on the front (north) facade. Paired windows that flank the entrance door have been enclosed and replaced with modern fixed windows with casements. A second-story entrance door on the front facade has been enclosed with brick; only the segmented arch brick header and stone sill remain in place. Windows on the first-story side (east) elevation have been downsized and replaced with one-over-one, double-hung sash, but still feature the segmented brick arch brick headers. Windows on the remainder of the building are a combination of the original six-oversix, double-hung and two-over-six, double-hung sash with segmented arch headers and stone sills. The building, originally known as the Adams House, functioned as a hotel and tavern with living quarters on the first floor and a dance hall on the second floor. The building currently operates as Tall Tale Saloon on the first floor. The first floor interior has been significantly altered by the addition of a drop ceiling and linoleum flooring, and the removal of original woodwork. Access to the dance hall was not permitted at the time of survey and is currently used as storage. The Adams House was not the first tavern constructed in Campbellsport, the earliest of which was built in 1856. Many businesses were established in Campbellsport in the 1870s in response to the construction of the railroad, and the community had several hotels and saloons by 1880. Research did not indicate that Adams House played a significant role in the commercial development of Campbellsport. The property is not eligible under Criterion A: History. The lower story continues to function as a bar, but has been heavily altered and does not convey its historic use as a nineteenth-century tavern. The property is an example of a vernacular form with little architectural detail. Although the upper story retains a decorative cornice and arched windows, the lower story has been altered with downsized window and door openings, a replacement portico, and the addition of large picture windows on the front facade. |
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| Bibliographic References: |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |