Property Record
2635 N BROOKFIELD RD
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Hiram Showerman House |
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| Other Name: | |
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| Reference Number: | 7769 |
| Location (Address): | 2635 N BROOKFIELD RD |
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| County: | Waukesha |
| City: | Brookfield |
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| Year Built: | 1860 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 1979 |
| Historic Use: | house |
| Architectural Style: | Gabled Ell |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Aluminum/Vinyl Siding |
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| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| Additional Information: | The B in the photo code stands for BKFD. Another map name is City Engineer 10-1-92. DESCRIPTION: The most distinctive features of the Showerman House are the ornate scroll-cut bargeboards that edge the gables facing east (main facade) and north. The patterns of the bargebaords combine geometric and floral patterns. The two-story residence has an L-plan with intersecting gables of steep pitch. Window trim is of diminutive scale and included drip molds, now lost or covered with vinyl siding. Window proportions are tall and narrow; two windows are placed on each floor in the gable fronted facade. Windows appear to contiain triple-hung sash, with the upper sash half the height of the lower shash. A large picture window has been added to the "L" on the first floor. ARCHITECTURAL/ENGINEERING SIGNIFICANCE: The most significant feature of the Showerman House is the ornately carved bargeboard trim on the north and east gables. Combined with the roof pitch, the bargeboards identify this builidng as a good example of Gothic Revival architecture. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: Hiram Showerman operated a small store at Brookfield Junction, a short distance from his residence, up Brookfield Road south of the main line and a little east of the station. The store site was also the post office and was known as the Brookfield Center. Showerman was the first station agent and telegrapher. He is listed in the 1855 and 1865 State Census; he is also listed in the 1870 Federal Census as having come form New York, being 52 years old, married with three children, the youngest of whom, as an infant, was Grant Showerman. Hiram's property was valued at $10,000 in 1870; the property was insured as early as 1876. Grant Showerman, Hiram's son, became head of Latin Studies at the University of Wisconsin. He is recognized as one of the State's most prominent literary men. In 1917, he wrote "A Country Chronicle," one of the best accounts of farm life in Brookfield, Wisconsin from 1870 to 1890. The book recalls farm work, the activities of an American family -- their social connection, amusements and perplexities. Showerman desicribes the school with special interest. |
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| Bibliographic References: | 1859, 1873, 1891 Plat Maps. Questers, Historic Landmark Tour, 1991. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |