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HISTORICAL & ARCHITECTURAL RESOURCE SURVEY • City of Fond du Lac, Fond du Lac County, WI • Prepared for: Fond du Lac Historic Preservation Commission Fond du Lac, Wisconsin Prepared by: 31 August 2011 Revised October 2011 HERITAGE RESEARCH, LTD. N89 W16785 Appleton Avenue Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin 53213 262.251.7792 www.hrltd.org Cover Image: Postcard of the U.S. Post Office (1937), Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. Printed by E.C. Kropp, Milwaukee, WI. (circa 1949). Original postcard on file at Heritage Research, Menomonee Falls, WI. Historical & Architectural Resource Survey City of Fond du Lac, Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin Page 1 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Heritage Research, Ltd., would like to thank the City of Fond du Lac and the Historic Preservation Commission (the names of whom are listed on the following page) for their assistance throughout the project. This program receives Federal financial assistance for identification and protection of historic properties. Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended, the U.S. Department of the Interior prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, or disability or age in its federally assisted programs. If you believe that you have been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility described above, or if you desire further information, please write to: Office of Equal Opportunity, National Park Service, 1849 C Street NW, Washington, D.C., 20240. The activity that is the subject of this architectural and historical survey has been financed entirely with Federal Funds from the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, and administered by the Wisconsin Historical Society. However, the contents and opinions do not necessarily reflect the view or policies of the Department of the Interior or the Wisconsin Historical Society. Nor does the mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation by the Department of the Interior or the Wisconsin Historical Society. Historical & Architectural Resource Survey City of Fond du Lac, Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin Page 2 CITY OF FOND DU LAC HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION The current (as of the Summer 2011) Historic Preservation Commission consists of the following members: Peter Sorensen, Vice Chair Lisa Pauly, Secretary Joanne Alexander Shawn Kelly Randy Martin Tracy Reinhardt Rick Gudex, City Council Representative Dyann Benson, Redevelopment Planner/HPC staff liaison, City of Fond du Lac We would also like to thank the following former commission members (those who sat on the commission at the beginning of the project in Fall 2010): Mary Mullen, William Weinschrott and Jeremy Thiesfeldt, as well as former HPC staff liaison Joellyn Dahlin, Principal Planner, City of Fond du Lac. Historical & Architectural Resource Survey City of Fond du Lac, Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin Page 3 ABSTRACT The purpose of this project is to provide an updated survey (to one previously completed by Carol Lohry Cartwright in 1991-1992) of the architectural and historical resources located within the City of Fond du Lac. This material may be useful in the development of local preservation plans; to identify buildings, structures, sites and historic districts that meet the criteria for listing in the National Register of Historic Places; and to increase public and private sector awareness of the community’s historical and architectural heritage. Funded in part through a National Park Service grant-in-aid administered by the Wisconsin Historical Society, the City of Fond du Lac contracted with Heritage Research, Ltd., to conduct a re-survey of the city within a specific Scope of Work (found in the Introduction & Survey Methodology). One of the two primary goals of the re-survey effort was to identify and inventory properties built between 1945 and 1965 (+). The second goal was to re-evaluate the potentially eligible properties identified in 1991-1992 and to determine whether or not they remained potentially eligible. Among the resources surveyed, three historic districts and forty-four individual properties were considered for National Register eligibility and are discussed in this report. Two of the historic districts were found to be potentially eligible for the National Register, while additional research is required in order to make the best determination for the remaining district. Of the forty-four individual properties, thirty-five were found to be potentially eligible, while one requires additional research before a final determination can be made and two were recommended as ineligible for listing. The remaining six properties (or components thereof) have not reached fifty years of age and should be re-evaluated when they come of age. Historical & Architectural Resource Survey City of Fond du Lac, Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin Page 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction and Survey Methodology 5 Recommendations 9 Bibliography 80 Appendix A: Review of 1988-1992 Survey Results 85 Appendix B: Newly Surveyed Properties as of 2010-2011 91 Appendix C: Forest Avenue Commercial Historic District 96 (Resource List and Map) Appendix D: Fond du Lac Home Building Company Historic District 98 (Resource List and Map) Appendix E: Champion Avenue Foursquares Residential Historic District 100 (Resource List and Map) Appendix F: National Register-Listed/Determined Eligible Properties in Fond du Lac 102 Appendix G: City of Fond du Lac Designated Properties 103 Appendix H: Plans on file at the Wisconsin Architectural Archive 105 Appendix I: National Register Criteria 109 Historical & Architectural Resource Survey City of Fond du Lac, Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin Page 5 INTRODUCTION AND SURVEY METHODOLOGY In 2010-2011, the City of Fond du Lac applied for, and received, a historic preservation grant-in-aid from the National Park Service–a grant administered by the Wisconsin Historical Society (WHS). The objective was to provide an updated survey (a previous survey was completed in 1988-1989 by Sundberg, Carlson & Associates (Marquette, Michigan), after which Carol Lohry Cartwright completed the Intensive Survey Report in 1991-1992) of the architectural and historical resources located within the City of Fond du Lac. The ultimate purpose of such a survey is to identify those historic districts and/or individual properties that are potentially eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. Consequently, Heritage Research, Ltd., a historical/environmental consulting firm in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, was contracted to conduct a re-survey of the city within a specific Scope of Work. Ms. Traci E. Schnell, M.A., Senior Architectural Historian, served as the Project Manager and Principal Investigator; Schnell was assisted by Project Historian Brian J. Faltinson, M.A. In order to understand the Scope of Work for this project, it is necessary to review the October 1992 report results/recommendations. Following the 1992 report, nearly 3,000 properties had been inventoried, resulting in a survey card (with a photo) placed on file at the WHS. The 1992 survey report included general contextual research which established the historical evolution of the city, while additional chapters addressed the following community-related themes: Agriculture; Archaeology; Architecture; Art and Literature; Commerce; Education; Government; Industry; Planning and Landscape Architecture; Recreation and Entertainment; Religion; Social and Political Movements and Transportation. Results of that survey identified seven potentially eligible historic districts (including 237 total properties), while 153 properties were identified as potentially individually eligible. Of those seven identified districts, one (South Main Street Historic District) was National Register listed as part of the earlier survey endeavor, while two others (Linden Street and North Main Street) were listed in 2002. More recently, a combination of two earlier identified historic districts (Division Street and Sheboygan Street) were listed in 2010 as the East Division Street-Sheboygan Street Historic District. In addition, nine individual properties were listed in the National Register since 1992. Nearly twenty years have passed since the 1992 survey was completed. As one might expect after the passing of almost two decades, a number of alterations may have occurred to those properties that had previously been identified as potentially eligible or, worse, they may have been demolished. As well, there is always the possibility of rehabilitation and/or restoration. Since 1992, the number of previously surveyed properties in Fond du Lac on file at the WHS (at the time the project began) total 2,952. In order to provide the most usable document for the City of Fond du Lac, the Scope of Work for the re-survey was defined in our 2010 proposal as follows (and comments as a result of this survey follow if appropriate): Historical & Architectural Resource Survey City of Fond du Lac, Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin Page 6 A. Review the city for surveyable properties that date to between 1945 and 1965. Create an inventory list of those properties, as well as create a new Recommendations Chapter/Section (Intensive Survey) that will address those potentially eligible properties in detail. Included in the recommendation discussions will be a short architectural description, associated historical information, as well as a brief paragraph that will clearly substantiate the property’s eligibility