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Abraham H. Esbenshade House facts for kids

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Abraham H. Esbenshade House
Abe Esbenshade House Mar10.jpg
Abraham H. Esbenshade House
Location 3119 W. Wells St.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Built 1899
Architect Charles D. Crane/Carl C. Barkhausen
Architectural style Queen Anne
NRHP reference No. 86000106
Added to NRHP January 16, 1986

The Abraham H. Esbenshade House is a cool old house built in 1899. It is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in the United States. This house shows off a unique style called Queen Anne. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986 because of its special history and design.

History of the House

Abraham Esbenshade was a businessman. He was a secretary and treasurer for the F. Westphal Co. This company made tools like files. Abraham and his wife, Alice, wanted a new home. They hired two architects from Milwaukee, Crane & Barkhausen, to design it. The house was finished in 1899.

What Makes the House Special?

The Esbenshade House has two stories, which means it has two main floors. It also has a special roof called a hip roof, which slopes down on all four sides. The house looks mostly square from above.

  • Unique Design: The house is not perfectly even on both sides. This is called asymmetry.
  • Cool Features: It has a round tower, called a turret, on one corner.
  • Mixed Materials: You can see different materials on the outside. These include brick, limestone, and stucco. Using many textures like this is common in the Queen Anne style.

Unusual Architectural Details

Even though it's Queen Anne style, some parts of the house are very unusual!

  • Flemish Gable: The fancy wall part that sticks up in the center front is called a parapeted gable. It looks like something from the Flemish Renaissance style.
  • Bell-Shaped Roof: The flat, bell-shaped roof on the turret is also very unique. It might be inspired by Eastern European designs.
  • Decorative Woodwork: The scroll-sawed bargeboards are decorative wooden pieces. They might remind you of the older Gothic Revival style.
  • Gable Decorations: Some of the decorations in the gable ends (the triangular parts of the wall under the roof) match the Flemish gable. They are different from the "fish-scale" shingles often seen in Queen Anne homes.

The Abraham H. Esbenshade House is located at 3119 West Wells Street. It is part of the historic Concordia district in Milwaukee.

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