| Additional Information: | Constructed in 1895 (See Bib. Ref. A), this two-story Contemporary styled retail building features a rectangular shaped plan configuration, a brick exterior, and a flat roof. Alterations, which had occurred on or about 1976 or 1982, completely changed the original appearance of the building. A simple brick facade replaced the former stone and brick exterior. Because of the recent alterations, the building was designated non-contributing to the district. The structure, however, is in excellent condition.
The occupants of this building included a bank, from 1895 to 1919 (See Historical Background), and a Post Office in 1927. (See Bib. Ref. D).
Historical Background:
Samuel W. Reese, a prominent Dodgeville, citizen and lawyer, established the Dodgeville Bank, the first financial institution in the community, in 1871. According to one account, "At first it was a small affair, but under his (Reese's) wise and careful direction it weathered all the financial storms that have swept the country since its establishment, and has grown to be an institution of wide reputation for stability and sound business management." (See Bib. Ref. B).
From an 1894 map it appears the bank may have occupied part of the Jones & Owens Block (146-154 N. Iowa Street, 44/8) before the Reese Building was constructed in 1895. In 1919, a new bank, an imposing Neoclassical structure (178 N. Iowa Street, 44/12), was erected and this building converted for use as the city's post office. (See Bib. Ref. D). (In 1954, a new post office was constructed at 108 W. Merrimac Street, 49/28). The bank at the new location was known as the First National Bank of Dodgeville.
The Samuel Reese residence is located at 401 S. Iowa Street, 46/1. |
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| Bibliographic References: | A. On Building (before alteration). See 1976 inventory card, Historic Preservation Division, State Historical Society.
B. George and Robert M. Crawford, eds. "Memoirs of Iowa County, Wisconsin," 2 vols. (Chicago: Northwestern Historical Association, 1913), 1:161.
C. 1894 Sanborn Perris Map.
D. 1927 Sanborn Perris Map. |
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