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Property Record

600 21ST ST

Historic Name:
Racine College - Taylor Hall
Other Name:
(as of 2006) Dekoven Foundation for Churchwork - Taylor Hall
Reference Number:
11417

Property Location

Location (Address)
600 21ST ST
County
Racine
City/Village
Racine
Township
Unincorporated community
Town
Range
Direction
Section
Quarter Section
Quarter Quarter Section

Property Features

Year Built
1867
Additions
1875
Survey Date
1975,2013
Architectural Style
Structural System
Wall Material
Cream Brick
Architect
J.f. Miller,Lucas Bradley-1867
Other Buildings On Site
Demolished
No
Demolished Date
Additional Comments
Two 'site files' exists for this property named 'Racine College' and 'Dekoven Foundation'. They contain additional information such as correspondence, newspaper clippings, or historical information. They are a public record and may be viewed in person at the Wisconsin Historical Society, State Historic Preservation Office. CREAM BRICK W/RED BRICK POLYCHROME. TALL PAIRED GOTHIC ARCH WINDOWS. LARGE BRICK BUTTRESSES AT CNRS. TOWER W/CRENELLATED ROOFLINE. CORBELLED CORNICE. 2010: It was built in 1867 at a cost of $30,000 with funds provided by Isaac Taylor and his wife, Emerline, who were devoted friends of Racine College. Isaac died in 1865 and stipulated in his will that after Emerline's death (1866), the $130,000 estate would be equally divided between Racine College and a proposed orphanage. Lucas Bradley is considered the building contractor for Racine College, including this building. The College Mercury states that Mr. J.F. Miller of New York is the architect. Originally this building provided dormitory space for fifty boys, a library, five classrooms, and apartments for the warden and sub-warden. In the winter of 1875, this building was destroyed by fire and rebuilt by September 1876. In 1873, at a cost of $2,000, three bells were purchased for the clock tower of Taylor Hall. These bells chimed on the quarter hour in Westminister melody. The tower survived the 1875 and 1943 fires, but was demolished in 1961. One of the three bells is installed in the East Building of the DeKoven Center and chimes on the hour. A wooden porch on the southeast side of this building, probably added after the 1875 fire, has been removed. Except for these changes, Taylor Hall's exterior remains basically unchanged from when it was built. Taylor Hall is part of the DeKoven Center, administered by the Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee. Student rooms have been converted into guest rooms; the library has become St. Mary's Chapel; and staff offices are located in this building. 2013: Exterior remains unchanged.
Bibliographic References
RACINE JOURNAL TIMES 10/6/1994. RACINE JOURNAL TIMES 9/26/1996. Tour of Historic Places guide book, 2002. "Century Buildings for 2010," Preservation Racine, Inc., Newsletter, Summer 2010. Renewing Our Roots: A Guide To Racine, Wisconsin, Central City, Southside, Preservation-Racine, 1977.

National And State Register Of Historic Places Listings

National/State Register Listing Name
Racine College
National Register Listing Date
Dec 12, 1976
State Register Listing Date
Jan 01, 1989
Contributing
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Attribution

For a credit line: Wisconsin Historical Society, Creator, Title, Unique Identifier. 

The Unique Identifier can be found at the top or bottom of the page for each item. The name of a downloaded file is NOT the unique identifier.

For bibliographic citations please consult the UW-Madison Libraries Citation Research Guide to ensure compliance with appropriate style guidelines.

 

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