Property Record
311 E MILWAUKEE ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Skinner House |
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| Other Name: | |
| Contributing: | Yes |
| Reference Number: | 77061 |
| Location (Address): | 311 E MILWAUKEE ST |
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| County: | Jefferson |
| City: | Watertown |
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| Year Built: | 1860 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 1986 |
| Historic Use: | house |
| Architectural Style: | Colonial Revival/Georgian Revival |
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| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
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| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| National Register Listing Date: | |
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| Additional Information: | A 'site file' titled "Memorial Park Historic District" 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, Division of Historic Preservation-Public History. This house was the home of pioneer attorney Calvin B. Skinner from the 1860s to around 1900. It was also the home of his son, Charles A. Skinner between around 1900 until at least 1930. Skinner was a native New Yorker. He graduated from Albany Law School in 1852 and practiced law briefly in New York before coming to Watertown in 1855. In Watertown he practiced law and held numerous political offices including mayor between 1860-62. Charles A. Skinner was also a prominent attorney in his own right. This house is significant for local history under National Register criterion B because it is associated with Calvin B. Skinner, an important pioneer attorney. Skinner was one of the pioneers who helped establish a legal community in Watertown in the mid-nineteenth century. He also helped guide the community politically during his term as mayor, and in other political offices he held. Because of his long-term residence at this location, it is significant for its association with Skinner. The house also has significance because it was the long-term home for Charles A. Skinner, a prominent attorney of the early twentieth century. This house does not meet the criteria of the NRHP for architectural significance because of a lack of integrity. However, this house has sufficient architectural character to meet the historical significance. |
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| Bibliographic References: | (A) Watertown City Directories, 1866-1930, Watertown, Wisconsin Public Library. (B) C.W. Butterfield, The History of Jefferson County, Wisconsin, Chicago: Western Historical Company, 1879, p. 625-626. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |