Property Record
538 BROAD ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | |
|---|---|
| Other Name: | |
| Contributing: | |
| Reference Number: | 60512 |
| Location (Address): | 538 BROAD ST |
|---|---|
| County: | Winnebago |
| City: | Menasha |
| Township/Village: | |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | |
| Range: | |
| Direction: | |
| Section: | |
| Quarter Section: | |
| Quarter/Quarter Section: |
| Year Built: | 1884 |
|---|---|
| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 2009 |
| Historic Use: | retail building |
| Architectural Style: | Boomtown |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
| Architect: | |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
|---|---|
| National Register Listing Date: | |
| State Register Listing Date: |
| Additional Information: | #590. At one time Menasha had three commercial districts: at the intersection of Broad and Appleton, Main and Mill, and Main and Tayco. Commercial activities at Broad and Appleton were attracted by the boat landing and plank roads that lead from that spot as a point of transshipment. This area declined in significance with the completion of rail connections in 1861, leaving only a few reminders of its former commercial importance. This commercial building was standing in 1884, when it was used as a grocery store and saloon.(A) 538 Broad Street may be one of the remaining structures from this early commercial district, but little evidence has been found to substantiate any such claim. Situated east of the intersection of Broad and Appleton, 538 Broad Street is a two-story boomtown form commercial building. Its plan configuration is rectangular, and its roof is gabled. The roofing materials are asphalt shingles, the walls are painted brick, and the foundation is stone. The windows are reduced on the first floor and are double-hung, single-paned sash on all floors. Decorative features are limited to a heavy boxed cornice and two central sets of paired, stilted-arch windows. 538 Broad Street is not a distinguished example of the boomtown form, nor is its integrity sufficient to recommend architectural significance. 2009--The only apparent change since last surveyed in 1984 is that the board infill of the windows has been resheathed with vinyl. |
|---|---|
| Bibliographic References: | #690. (A) Sanborn-Perris Maps; Menasha, Wisconsin; 1884. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |