Property Record
306 NORRIS CT.
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Norris Court Apartments |
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| Other Name: | |
| Contributing: | Yes |
| Reference Number: | 91763 |
| Location (Address): | 306 NORRIS CT. |
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| County: | Dane |
| City: | Madison |
| Township/Village: | |
| Unincorporated Community: | |
| Town: | |
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| Year Built: | 1924 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 19742012 |
| Historic Use: | apartment/condominium |
| Architectural Style: | Craftsman |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
| Architect: | E.H. Marks |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Fourth Lake Ridge Historic District |
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| National Register Listing Date: | 2/26/1998 |
| State Register Listing Date: | 11/6/1996 |
| National Register Multiple Property Name: |
| Additional Information: | The Norris Court Aprartments were developed incrementally, beginning in 1915, by Harvey E. Nichols. Nichols hired builder/architect Eugene H. Marks to design the first building in the Norris Court complex, #305 (91762). The Craftsman-Prairie influenced style of that first building set the tone for all the buildings that followed. Ultimately, five more buildings [including 301, 302, and 306 Norris Court (91760, 91761, and 91763)] were erected facing onto the beautifully landscaped greenspace known as Norris Court - the heart of the complex. The Norris Court Apartments are a contributing resource of the Fourth Lake Ridge Historic District. The project area contains four of the twelve separate Craftsman buildings that comprise the apartment complex. These four buildings were constructed between 1915 and 1924 and face southeast. Two of the buildings have 1-story storefront bays along the front elevation. All of the buildings are rectangular in plan with brick walls and asphalt-shingled hipped roofs with wide overhanging eaves. The two buildings without storefronts have central front entrances that have massive cut stone surrounds with segmental arch crowns. Windows are 6-over-1 , although some have been replaced by newer 1-over-1 windows. The interior of the storefront at 305 Norris Ct [91762] currently functions as a hair salon with the original window hardware and woodworking and new vinyl flooring. The interior of the storefront at 306 Norris Ct [91763] currently functions as a bicycle shop and contains the original window hardware and woodworking and the original tile flooring. "Apartment living did not become a truly acceptable option for middle class Americans in most areas of the country until the early twentieth century. Madison's earliest apartment complex is the group of twelve buildings located at the west end of the block bounded by Gorham, Johnson, and Paterson Streets. The Norris Court apartments were developed on an incremental basis, beginning in 1915, by Harvey E. Nichols (1881-1953), a Madison real estate dealer who names this and several of his other developments for his children: the Wayne Apartments at 213 North Hamilton Street (1909), the Clifford Court Apartments (gone) and Florence Court on Lake Monona (1914). Nichols hired local builder/architect Eugene H. Marks to design the first building (305) in the Norris Court complex. This two-story brick Craftsman-Prairie influenced building set the pattern for all the buildings that followed. Ultimately, five more buildings were erected facing onto the beautifully landscaped green space known as Norris Court--the heart of the complex. Six others were added around them. The result was a quiet oasis, complete with its own mews and shops, located between two of the isthmus' busiest streets." Old Market Place Neighborhood walking tour guide. Madison Landmarks Commission and Old Market Place Neighborhood Association, 1991. |
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| Bibliographic References: | “Architecture/History Survey: Reconstruct E. Johnson St.: N. Butler St. To N. Baldwin St.” WHS project number 13-0193/DA. 2013. Great Lakes Area Research Center (Gail Klein). Old Market Place Neighborhood walking tour guide. Madison Landmarks Commission and Old Market Place Neighborhood Association, 1991.Architecture Network, Inc., The Arts & Crafts Movement: A Conference, October 23 & 24, 1999. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |