Property Record
101 BLACK RIVER AVE
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Ole Thoreson House |
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| Other Name: | Westby Area Historical Society Museum |
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| Reference Number: | 68733 |
| Location (Address): | 101 BLACK RIVER AVE |
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| County: | Vernon |
| City: | Westby |
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| Year Built: | 1895 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 1995 |
| Historic Use: | house |
| Architectural Style: | Queen Anne |
| Structural System: | Unknown |
| Wall Material: | Clapboard |
| Architect: | |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| 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, State Historic Preservation Office. Sanborn-Perris maps show that this unusual Late Victorian period house was built prior to 1938. Other sources say it was built for the Thoreson family. The house was purchased by the Westby Area Historical Society for a house museum in 1993 and it has been undergoing restoration ever since. It is not known how faithful the present appearance is to the original design. 1995- "Ole Thoreson House (Westby Area Historical Society Museum), VE24/5. Sanborn maps show that this Late Victorian period L-plan two-story house was built prior to 1911, and other sources say that it was built still earlier for the Thoreson family. The building was purchased by the Westby Area Historical Society for a museum in 1993 and has been in the process of restoration since then. Set on a beautifully landscaped 2-1/2 acre lot, the house has exterior walls clad in clapboard and it is sheltered by a shallow-pitched hip roof that is surmounted by a deck. Windows are one-over-one-light throughout and the most distinctive feature of the house is the elegant open verandah that spans the width of the south-facing main facade, although it is not known if this porch is original or a reproduction. In addition to the house there is also a small shed attached to the eastfacing side elevation of the house by a partially open breezeway and Sanborn maps show that this connection existed at least as far back as 1911. Because the design of this house is not typical for the area and because the extent of the recent restoration is not known, enough doubt exists as to the integrity of the house to preclude listing it in the NRHP at this time. It is also doubtful that this house is located in the APE for Options 1 & 2." - "USH 14 Transportation Study ", WisDOT ID #1646-07-00, Prepared by Timothy F Heggland (1995). |
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| Bibliographic References: | History of Vernon County, Wisconsin. Springfield, IL: Union Publishing Co., 1884, p. 560. Vernon County Heritage. Viroqua: Vernon County Historical Society, 1994, p. 27. Viroqua Vernon County Broadcaster 8/8/1996. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |