Property Record
1003 MAIN ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Dr. Alexander Palmer House |
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| Other Name: | |
| Contributing: | Yes |
| Reference Number: | 67439 |
| Location (Address): | 1003 MAIN ST |
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| County: | Walworth |
| City: | Lake Geneva |
| Township/Village: | |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | |
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| Year Built: | 1890 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 1985 |
| Historic Use: | house |
| Architectural Style: | Second Empire |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Clapboard |
| Architect: | C.O. LaSalle |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Maple Park Historic District |
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| National Register Listing Date: | 6/17/2005 |
| State Register Listing Date: | 1/21/2005 |
| National Register Multiple Property Name: |
| Additional Information: | The house was moved from its original location on Broad St. to its current location in the 1970s. "Circa 1860. Second Empire. The Dr. Alexander Palmer House...is an example of a style very rare in the area. An elegant style, it originated in Paris during the Second Empire Period under Napoleon III and the Empress Eugenie. Note the destinctive Mansard roof, invented by Francoise Mansard, the 17th Century French Architect. This kind of roof allows an extra story in the attic. Building codes in Paris limited the number of stories and levied taxes for each story excluding space above the eaves. The Mansard roof enabled a wooden story atop a structure of brick or stone, saving considerable taxes. The symmetrical facade of this house includes a central bay with tower, a balcony on the second story, as well as one on the attic story, arched dormer windows and paired lower story windows. Delicate wood detail complete the carefully restored clapboards and wood shingled house. Dr. Palmer first came to Lake Geneva in 1847, and was very prominent in local politics. He was assemblyman, Village President and Chairman of the Board of Supervisors. The house was moved in the 1970s from Broad Street to its present location." A Walking Tour of Olde Lake Geneva Towne, The Lake Geneva Plaque and Walking Tour Commission, 1993. |
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| Bibliographic References: | Plat Map of Walworth County, 1857. Redding and Watson. Map of Lake Geneva. A Walking Tour of Olde Lake Geneva Towne by the Lake Geneva Plaque and Walking Tour Commission, Spring 1993. A Walking Tour of Lake Geneva, WI, Lake Geneva Historic Preservation Commission, 2015. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |