1139 Pennsylvania Ave

1139 Pennsylvania Ave

Sheboygan

Sheboygan

1906

2002,2020

depot

Astylistic Utilitarian Building

Brick

Frost and Granger

No

A 'site file' 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. 2020-2024 Targeted Resurvey of Sheboygan recommendation write-up: This property consists of a 1906 passenger depot (north end) that is connected to the railway express office (south end) via a gabled roof with glass walls on either side. Constructed of brick and trimmed with stone, the passenger depot is comprised of a central, two-story section with parapet endwalls; a one-story, hipped-roof wing extends to the north, while a gabled one-story wing extends to the south. Each of the three bays of the central, two-story section carries a window comprised of three double-hung sash topped by a round-arched upper sash. Remaining windows consist of both round-arched and rectangular, multiple-light sash. A flat-roof canopy of modern construction (but based on historic photos) runs along the west façade of the passenger station. Historic photos indicate that the gap between the two buildings was once enclosed with brick walls. Additionally, a large brick archway inscribed with “Sheboygan” once extended from the north end of the passenger station. Designed by the Chicago firm of Frost and Granger, this building was completed in 1906 as the Chicago and North Western Railroad Station. The first train arrived at 6:40pm on 23 November 1906. The last passenger train ran in 1971 and the depot was last used by the railroad in 1984, by which time the canopy along the west side of the building had been removed. Two years later, the deteriorating station property--with holes in the roof and boarded over windows--was purchased for $26,000 by Prigge’s Chartered Buses, Inc. and the building was rehabilitated and developed into offices. In 1990, the depot was named a Sheboygan County landmark. In 2006, additional renovation and restoration work was completed with Community Development Block grant funding, after which the office of Prigge’s Discovery Tours was moved into the building, where it remains today.

LJM Architects, Inc. City of Sheboygan, Wisconsin: Architectural and Historical Intensive Survey Report. City of Sheboygan Historic Preservation Commission & Department of City Development; 2002, 2004 & 2006. Citations for the 2020-2024 Targeted Resurvey of Sheboygan recommendation write-up: Sanborn maps would seem to indicate that the depot and railway express office were, at one time, not physically connected, Sanborn Fire Insurance Map of Sheboygan, Wis., 1903, updated to 1949; Historic photos of the depot, various dates, on file at the Sheboygan County Historical Research Center, Sheboygan Falls, WI, as well as photos included in WHPD. “Railroad Wants to Close Old Depot,” The Sheboygan Press, 18 April 1986, 3; Bill Schulz, “Old Rail Depot to be Restored,” The Sheboygan Press, 24 February 1987, 18; “Depot Getting Landmark Status,” The Sheboygan Press, 6 December 1990, 15; Dawn Jax Belleau, “On Track: Restored Depot Newest Landmark,” The Sheboygan Press, 9 December 1990, 1; “Final Survey Report,” 79; Gary C. Klein, “Throwback Thursday: Sheboygan’s Chicago and Northwestern Depot,” The Sheboygan Press, 30 April 2020. Although original renovation and restoration plans submitted in 2006 were deemed to be an adverse effect on the historic building, plans were resubmitted following the recommendations provided by the city’s consultant, LJM Architects, Inc., “Request for SHPO Comment and Consultation on a Federal Undertaking: Historic Preservation Grant for 1139 Pennsylvania Avenue,” Case #06-0713/SB, 2006 Paperwork completed by LJM Architects, Inc., On file at the Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, WI.