Property Record
1059 BRIGHTON DR
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | William & Majel Kellett Residence |
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| Reference Number: | 60218 |
| Location (Address): | 1059 BRIGHTON DR |
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| County: | Winnebago |
| City: | Menasha |
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| Year Built: | 1940 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 20091984 |
| Historic Use: | house |
| Architectural Style: | International Style |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Board |
| Architect: | George F. Keck |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | Yes |
| Demolished Date: | 0 |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| 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 Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Historic Preservation. The William Kellett House was designed by William Fredrick Keck of Chicago and constructed in 1940 at a cost of $14,000.(A) One of the elegant homes constructed in the 1914 Brighton Drive plat, the house was built for William Kellett, an executive of Kimberly-Clark Corporation. Kellett, a lifelong sailing enthusiast, remains prominent in state political and educational circles. The William Kellet House is associated with a local industrialist whose life has been achieving state significance in recent years. Situated on the headwaters of the Lower Fox River, the William Kellett home is a two-story contemporary residence. The building is constructed on a U-plan and the roof is flat. The roofing materials are unknown; the walls are board and batten on the second floor, stone on the first; and the foundations are concrete. The fenestration is asymetrically balanced and the overall appearance is that of a ship. The William Kellett House is architecturally significant as the only Menasha example of master architect George Frederick Keck. William Kellett is one of the most prominent figures in industry, politics, and education in the state. A native of Neenah, Kellett was graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a degree in chemical engineering. He spent his time off from school working for Kimberly-Clark Corporation, where later he was promoted from manager to vice-president of manufacturing and later to executive vice-president. In 1959 until his retirement in 1964 he was president of the corporation, where he was known for his many inventions in paper making. Prominently involved in government, Kellett served as president of the Menasha School Board, and chairman of the Task Force Committee on Education, and was appointed director of the Commission on Education. Other activities included serving as head of the Committee on Legislative Salaries, as chairman of the State Legislature Committee on Reorganization of State Government, and as a member of the governing council of the National Municipal League in New York. A director of the First National Bank of Neenah, Kellett also served as president of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation received an honorary Doctorate in Science at the University of Wisconsin, and was voted "Wisconsinite of the Year" in 1970.(A) The William Kellett House was designed by William Fredrick Keck of Chicago and constructed in 1940 at a cost of $14,000.(B) Kellett, a lifelong sailing enthusiast, remains prominent in state political and educational circles. 2009--Although limited access to the property was gained, no apparent exterior changes have been made since the house was last surveyed in 1984. The following material is from the 2009 Intensive Survey Report of Menasha: This two-story, International Style house is partially sheathed with a stone veneer on the first floor, while the remainder is comprised of wood (specifically red fir) and glass. Although appearing strictly rectilinear from the front (the Brighton Drive-facing elevation) through its dominant bands of windows along both the first and second floors, the home curves ever-so-slightly along its shoreline-facing facade. Although providing for great views of the lake through the large expanses of glass of the rear elevation, the house was built for function and efficiency and included at its completion the following: clothes chute; dumb waiter; self-storing storm windows; radiant heating; storage walls; recessed flourescent lighting and an intercom system. Designed by George Fred Keck and dubbed by Keck as "The House of Tomorrow," this house was built on Winnefox Point in 1940 at an approximate cost of $14,000 for William Kellett. Kellett, born in Neenah in 1899, received his degree in chemical engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1922. While off from college for the summer, he was employed at Kimberly-Clark, where he continued to work after graduation. Kellett worked his way up from manager to vice president of manufacturing and, ultimately, to president of the company. During his career, he received a number of patents for innovations in the paper-making industry. Outside of work and among other positions, he served as a director of the First National Bank of Neenah and president of the Menasha School Board. After his retirement in 1965, he was voted in 1970 "Wisconsinite of the Year" and in 1995, was inducted into the Paper Industry Hall of Fame. Kellett died in 1997, at the age of 98. |
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| Bibliographic References: | (A)Menasha Record; January 3, 1940; pge 1, column 2. Interview with William Kellett, undated. (A) William Kellett; Elisha D. Smith Public Library Historical Files, Menasha, Wisconsin. (B) Menasha Record; January 3, 1940, page 1. Mrs. James W. Smith and Mrs. Jerry Clawson, "Rugged Stone, Woods, Combine with Fragile Glass for Sleek Modernity," unidentified newspaper clipping, 20 September 1962, clipping in the "Houses" file at the Menasha Historical Society Research Center. "What Houses Will be Like After the War," House Beautiful, 84 (July-August 1942), 30, 72. https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/1059-Brighton-Dr_Menasha_WI_54952_M81149-93642#photo25 |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |