Property Record
14 E MAIN ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Bank of Watertown |
|---|---|
| Other Name: | Cornerstone Gift Shop |
| Contributing: | Yes |
| Reference Number: | 76219 |
| Location (Address): | 14 E MAIN ST |
|---|---|
| County: | Jefferson |
| City: | Watertown |
| Township/Village: | |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | |
| Range: | |
| Direction: | |
| Section: | |
| Quarter Section: | |
| Quarter/Quarter Section: |
| Year Built: | 1911 |
|---|---|
| Additions: | 1954 |
| Survey Date: | 19862020 |
| Historic Use: | bank/financial institution |
| Architectural Style: | Neoclassical/Beaux Arts |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Stone Veneer |
| Architect: | |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Main Street Commercial Historic District |
|---|---|
| National Register Listing Date: | 6/2/1989 |
| National Register Multiple Property Name: |
| Additional Information: | This is the second building on this site for the important Bank of Watertown. The Bank of Watertown was founded in 1854 by A.L. Pritchard, who was a New York financier. Its first and longtime Cashier was William H. Clark, a New Yorker who came to Watertown in 1854. The Bank of Watertown built a three-story buliding at this location in the 1850s. Not only was this an important bank, but the original building housed the offices of prominent pioneer attorney Theodore Prentiss, and its upstairs was the early home of Watertown's most significant fraternal group, the Masons. In 1911 this current buliding was built for the bank. It remained in this location until recent years when it moved to a new downtown location and into a "modern" bank building there. The bank itself still exists today but is part of the M & I chain of banks in Wisconsin. This building has significance for local history, under National Register criterion A, because it was the second, and only, historic location of the Bank of Watertown. The old Wisconsin National Bank and the Bank of Watertown are the most significant and oldest banks in Watertown. Although this building was the second one for the Bank of Watertown, it was built on its original location and served the bank until recent years. Its prominent corner location and neo-classical styling indicated its prominence in Watertown's downtown. Because it has served some of the financial needs of the community for over 130 years, the Bank of Watertown is individually significant for local history. The Bank of Watertown building also contributes to the overall development of commerce in the Main Street Commercial historic district, because it has been the location of financial or retail businesses since 1911. Built in 1911 on the site of the original 1854 Bank of Watertown site, this Neo-classical structure is characterized by a plain parapet and entablature ornamented only by a row od dentils underneath the cornice that is visually supported by the fluted Ionic columns flanking the corner entrance bay and applied capitals along the south and east facades. Covered by stone veneer, this bank building is further characterized by paired rectangular windows on the second story placed above recessed panels and a gable roofed door hood with cornice returns and scroll consoles over the entrance at the rear of the east facade. Remodeled in 1954, the former bank building has been altered by the installation of metal storm windows on the second floor and by the covering of the majority of windows on the lower story as well as by the addition of a modern storefront in front of the original corner entrance. Only two original windows located at the north end remain on the structure. The Bank of Watertown is significant under criterion C as a good example of Neo-classical architecture and one of the few examples of the early 20th century Neo-classical style in the city of Watertown. Other good examples of the style in Watertown include the Watertown Public Library, 1100 South Water (65-23), Archie Brothers monument Works at 218 So. First (62-32) and the King House at 802 So. 8th (38-11). Constructed on the site of the previous bank built in 1856, this former bank building exhibits an entablature featuring a cornice and dentil trim, fluted classical columns, and applied pilasters, demonstrating the influence of the Neo-classical style. Although the lower facade and corner entrance has been altered to facilitate contemporary retail use, the bank building has retained sufficient integrity as an example of the Neo-classical influence, the style most commonly used for public buildings. |
|---|---|
| Bibliographic References: | (A) Tax Records, City of Watertown, 1860-1910, Area Research Center, Library, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. (B) Watertown Daily Times, Centennial Issue, "Eight Business Firms Have Been in Operation for over 100 Years, June 26, 1954; Feb. 7, 1968. (C) Watertown Democrat Oct. 23, 1856. (D) John H. Ott, Ed., Jefferson County Wisconsin and Its People, Chicago, S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1917, p. 246. (E) C.W. Butterfield, The History of Jefferson county, Wisconsin, Chicago: Western Historical Company, 1879, p. 431, 602. (F) Watertown City Directories, 1866-1930, Watertown Public Library. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |