Marshfield Central Avenue Historic District facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Marshfield Central Avenue Historic District
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The east side of the 100 block
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| Location | Roughly, Central Ave. from Depot St. to Third St., Marshfield, Wisconsin |
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| Area | 10.5 acres (4.2 ha) |
| NRHP reference No. | 93001166 |
| Added to NRHP | November 4, 1993 |
The Marshfield Central Avenue Historic District is a special part of the old downtown in Marshfield, Wisconsin. Imagine a huge fire in 1887 that burned down most of the original wooden buildings. But don't worry, the town quickly rebuilt! Many of the brick buildings constructed right after that fire are still standing today. You can find them especially close to the railroad tracks. Other buildings were added later, and the district also includes some places just off Central Avenue, like the old city hall and the train station.
Contents
Marshfield's Early Days
Marshfield was once a quiet forest until 1872. That year, the Wisconsin Central Railroad built tracks through the woods. They picked an easy spot to cross a low ridge, and that place became the city of Marshfield.
People expected railroad workers and businesses to come. So, Louis and Frank Rivers built a simple two-room hotel, tavern, and store from logs. This rough building was the very first one in what would become Marshfield.
How the Town Grew
The town grew very quickly. By 1875, Marshfield had 22 wooden buildings. Its streets were even laid out to follow the railroad tracks, not the usual north-south direction. This is why Central Avenue runs from southwest to northeast!
In 1878, William and Charles Upham built the town's first sawmill and a general store. Marshfield officially became a city in 1883. By 1885, nearly 2,000 people lived there. William Upham added more factories, like a furniture factory. Other businesses opened, selling everything from groceries to clothes and fresh bread.
The Great Fire of 1887
Early Marshfield businesses mainly focused on transporting lumber. Many buildings were made of wood because it was cheap and easy to build with. Central Avenue was lined with wooden stores. The streets were dirt, but wooden sidewalks ran in front of the shops.
On June 27, 1887, a fire started at Upham's factory. It was a hot and windy day. The fire quickly spread through piles of drying wood. The town's limited firefighting tools couldn't stop it. The fire destroyed Upham's factory complex and the train depot. Then, it swept through the wooden buildings on Central Avenue.
People tried to blow up some stores to create a gap, but the fire jumped over the rubble. By the time it stopped, almost every business building in town was gone. Luckily, no one died. However, it was a huge disaster for the young city.
Rebuilding After the Fire (1887)
The day after the fire, William Upham announced he would rebuild his factories. The city learned a big lesson. They decided that all new buildings on Central Avenue had to be made of fireproof materials, not wood.
Reconstruction started right away. Some businesses set up temporary wooden shacks in the street. They sold goods from these shacks while their new brick stores were being built behind them. Marshfield never had another fire like that one.
Many buildings constructed right after the fire are still standing. You can see them especially south of the railroad tracks, where the business district first began.
Important Buildings from 1887
- The Thomas House Hotel at 103 S. Central is a three-story brick hotel. It stands on a busy corner. It has beautiful brickwork and an Italianate style. This means it has decorative elements like arched window tops and a fancy top edge (cornice). The 1887 fire destroyed an older hotel on this same spot. This hotel operated until 1915. Later, it was moved back 30 feet to make space for a wider road.
- The F. Doll building at 107-111 S. Central Avenue is a two-story cream brick building from 1887. It also has Italianate style with arched window tops. This building first housed a furniture store. Over the years, it held different shops, including a hat shop and a grocery store.
- The Noll building at 117-121 S. Central Ave. is a two-story brick store. The larger part was built in 1887. Its second-story windows have decorative tops. The name "Noll" is written on the top of the building. Frank Noll first ran a hardware store here.
- The building at 137-139 S. Central Ave. is another two-story brick store. It was built between 1887 and 1891. Its street-level storefront still has its original cast iron pillars. The windows on the second story have arched tops with decorative stones. This building first housed a shoe store.
- The Thiel Building at 301-305 S. Central Ave is a two-story cream brick building. It was built between 1884 and 1887, likely after the fire. It's on a street corner, so it has nice brickwork on two sides. It has arched windows and a decorative top edge. The building is labeled "Thiel Building." It first housed a meat shop. Later, the Marshfield Clinic used the second floor for ten years.
- The building at 307 S. Central Ave. is another two-story brick building with Italianate style. It was built between 1884 and 1887. Its windows have decorative tops. This building has more elaborate decorations, including a fancy triangular top in the center. It housed a business until 1898, then a grocery store.
- The store at 160 S. Central Ave. was also built between 1884 and 1887. It's a two-story brick store. It first housed a bakery. Later, it was split between a flour and feed shop and a jewelry store.
The east side of the 100 block of Central Avenue is still very much like it was right after 1887. Almost the entire block was rebuilt then. Other buildings were also constructed after the fire but no longer exist. For example, the Wisconsin Central Railroad rebuilt its depot, but it burned down again in 1907.
Marshfield Before WWI (1888-1915)
After Upham's factories were rebuilt, Marshfield had many jobs, and the town's economy grew. In 1890, A.K. Hatteberg started his own veneer factory, which made thin sheets of wood. This factory later became Roddis Lumber and Veneer. Other woodworking factories also opened. However, the pine forests were running out, and things began to change. Upham's sawmill closed in 1899.
The Rise of Cheese
Local cheesemaking started in 1885 and became very profitable. More cheese factories popped up in the nearby countryside. In 1907, the first cold storage plant for cheese was built in Marshfield. In 1911, the Blum Brothers started making cheese boxes. All these things, along with the railroad connection, made Marshfield a central place for shipping cheese to big cities like Milwaukee and Chicago. C.E. Blodgett's Cheese, Butter and Egg Company became the largest company of its kind in Wisconsin.
By 1910, Marshfield's population had grown to 5,783 people.
The buildings constructed right after the fire were mostly Italianate in style. However, the buildings from this later period (1888-1915) show more variety:
- The store at 166 S. Central Ave. was built between 1891 and 1898. It's a two-story brick building with Italianate details. It housed a shoe store, then a pool room. Later, a bakery took its place. Around that time, the street-level storefront was updated with new windows and black glass, which was a more modern Art Deco style. It was common for buildings to update their ground floor to fit new fashions while leaving the upper floors unchanged.
- The Deming Building at 201-207 S. Central Ave. is a two-story building built in 1898. It housed a store that sold dry goods, shoes, and clothes on the first floor. Offices were upstairs, including those of the owner, lawyer Edgar M. Deming.
- The building at 126 S. Central Ave. was built between 1898 and 1904. It was designed to match the building next door. It first housed a business. Later, it became the Majestic Hotel. More recently, it has housed restaurants.
- The old Marshfield Public Library at 204 S Maple Ave is a Neoclassical style brick building. It was designed by Van Ryn & DeGelleke and built in 1900. It has red brick walls, white columns, and a sloped roof. The main entrance used to be a story higher than it is now. Marshfield had a library since 1880, but this was its first dedicated building.
- The old Marshfield City Hall at 110 E 2nd St is a unique building built in 1901. It has two stories and a full attic. It features a tall clock tower on one corner and a fire tower on another. It was also designed by Van Ryn & DeGelleke. Its round-arched windows are from the Romanesque Revival style. The columns suggest Neoclassical style. This building first housed the fire department and the new city library.
- The third Wisconsin Central Depot (now a restaurant) was built in 1910. It has a Craftsman style, with wide, overhanging roofs to protect travelers from rain. The first two depots had burned down. This third one was built with strong stone walls, and it did not burn. The depot was moved in the 2000s to make space for a new road.
WWI and After
Starting in 1914, Central Avenue was paved with bricks. Around the same time, Central Avenue became part of Wisconsin's state highway system. This meant more cars and traffic came through town. By 1925, Marshfield had 7,400 people and about 1,500 cars. Many garages and service stations were built along Central Avenue.
Buildings from This Period
- The Charles Hotel at 168-172 S. Central Ave. is a tall, three-story hotel. The first part was built in 1925. An addition in 1928 made it even larger. The walls are red brick with lighter concrete trim. The third-floor windows look like small Greek temples. The hotel was built by Charles E. Blodgett.
- The building at 209-211 S. Central Ave is a two-story building with an Art Deco style. It has cool sculptured metal panels above the windows that show human figures. These panels are framed by sandstone. This part of the building was likely built in the 1930s or 1940s. It was once occupied by Citizens National Bank.
Images for kids
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The east side of the 100 block
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The Thomas House Hotel
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The Charles Hotel, shading 166 S. Central to its right
