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Property Location
Property Features
Built in 1894 [2], this two story house displays elements of both the Queen Anne and the Shingle styles. It features an irregular shaped plan configuration, a ganite stone and concrete foundation, and an asphalt shingled multi-galbed roof with dormers. Exterior materials include clapboard, wood shingles and wood, with a wood trim. The residence is in good condition. It is related to a carriage house (GL 23/14).
Architectural/Engineering Significance:
This structure contributes to the significance of the Nathan Strong Park Historic District under Criterion C as a fine example of a picturesque Queen Anne Cottage with a conpatibly deisgned 1920's lattice-arched porch, as well as unusual, latticed bargeboards in the elaborately decorated front gable. This handsome house is an excellent example of a decorated cottaged unified by a repeated sunburst motif. At the rear of the lot is a well-preserved wooden Queen Anne carrige house.
Historical Background:
In 1893, Henry R. Laing came to Berlin from Scotland to visit some of his relatives who had settled here. He soon fell in love and married his cousin Jean Christie and with the help of his brother, designed and built a home which they moved into in 1894. [1].
Henry became a land abstractor and shared an office with Perry Niskern, who was a lawyer and county judge. Mr. Laing also was a resident manager of a group of cranberry marshes north of Berlin. [1].
In 1937, the Laing heirs sold the house to Barney Swan. Mr. Swan was the president of the Truesdell Fur Company from 1948 to 1971. [1].
National And State Register Of Historic Places Listings
Architecture & History Inventory
The Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory (AHI) is a digital source of information on historic buildings, structures, and objects that have been surveyed by the State Historic Preservation Office in Wisconsin. Each property has a digital record providing basic information about the property and images.
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