National Register of Historic Places listings in Brown County, Wisconsin facts for kids

Location of Brown County in Wisconsin

Welcome to Brown County, Wisconsin! Did you know that many buildings, places, and even objects here are super old and important? They are so special that they are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This is like a national hall of fame for historic sites across the United States.

When a place is on this list, it means it's been recognized for its important history, amazing architecture, or special connection to past events. In Brown County, there are 61 places on this list, and each one tells a unique story about the past. Let's explore some of these cool historic spots!

Historic Buildings and Homes

Many of Brown County's historic places are old buildings and houses. They show us how people lived and worked long ago.

Allouez Pump House (1925)

The Allouez Pump House was built in 1925. It was designed in a cool style called Mediterranean Revival architecture. This building was part of the new water department, helping to bring water to the town.

Allouez Water Department and Town Hall (1947)

Also in Allouez, this building was finished in 1947. It housed the water department offices and the town hall. Its style is Colonial Revival, which looks back to older American building designs.

Astor Historic District

Imagine a neighborhood filled with old, beautiful houses! The Astor Historic District in Green Bay is one such place. It has many homes from the Victorian era and the early 1900s. These houses belonged to important leaders in Green Bay's past. The district is named after John Jacob Astor, who helped start the town of Astor in 1835.

John Baeten Store (1903)

In De Pere, the John Baeten Store is a brick building from 1903. It has cool cast-iron columns and a fancy metal ceiling. The first floor was a store, and the second floor had apartments. The Baeten family owned this store for a long time, into the 1970s!

Baird Law Office (1841-1865)

This Greek Revival style building was built by Samuel Wooten Beall. From 1841 to 1865, it was the law office of Henry S. Baird. Today, you can find this historic office at Heritage Hill State Historical Park.

Broadway-Dousman Historic District

This district in Green Bay is a commercial area with 12 buildings built between 1873 and 1947. It used to have all sorts of businesses, like shops, warehouses, and hotels.

Broadway-Walnut Historic District

Another commercial district in Green Bay, this area has 20 buildings from 1879 to 1947. It once housed dry-goods stores, warehouses, and even a dance hall!

Brown County Courthouse (1908-1911)

The Brown County Courthouse in Green Bay is a grand, three-story building. It was built between 1908 and 1911 in the Beaux-Arts style, which is very fancy. It has a copper dome and historic murals inside. Outside, there's a sculpture of important historical figures like Nicolas Perrot and Claude-Jean Allouez.

Chicago and North Western Railway Passenger Depot (1898)

This train station in Green Bay was built in 1898. It's designed in the Italian Renaissance Revival style and has a tall, five-story clock tower. Today, this historic building is home to the Titletown Brewing Company!

Christ Episcopal Church Complex (1899)

This beautiful church in Green Bay was built in 1899. It's in the Gothic Revival style, which means it looks like old European cathedrals with pointed arches and tall windows.

Cotton House (1840s)

The Cotton House is a Greek Revival home built in the 1840s by John and Mary Cotton. It was originally located at Beaupre and Webster Streets but has since been moved to Heritage Hill State Historical Park.

De Pere Public Library (1937)

The De Pere Public Library was built in 1937 during the Great Depression. It got help from the Public Works Administration (PWA), a government program that created jobs. The library's design is called Cotswold style, with some Classical Revival touches.

Joel S. Fisk House (1862-1867)

This Italianate style house in Green Bay was built between 1862 and 1867. It has a unique small dome on its roof called a cupola. Joel S. Fisk was a busy man: a lawyer, postmaster, and he even helped plan the city of Fort Howard.

Fort Howard Hospital (1834-1835)

This Federal-style building was constructed from 1834 to 1835 at the old Fort Howard. It served as the hospital for the soldiers stationed there. Today, it's also at Heritage Hill State Historical Park.

Fort Howard Officers' Quarters (1830)

Built in 1830, this Federal-style building was where the officers of Fort Howard lived with their families. You can see it at Heritage Hill State Historical Park.

Fort Howard Ward Building (1816)

This building was part of Fort Howard's army hospital and was built way back in 1816! It was originally located at 402 N. Chestnut Ave. before being moved to Heritage Hill State Historical Park.

Fox Theatre (1929)

The Fox Theatre in Green Bay is an amazing Atmospheric theatre built in 1929. It has an Art Deco outside and a Spanish Colonial Revival inside, designed to make you feel like you're in a Spanish courtyard under the stars!

Green Bay YMCA (1924)

The Green Bay YMCA is a large stone building. The original part, built in 1924, is in the Tudor Revival style, which looks like old English homes. A newer part was added in 1968 in a more modern style.

Otto and Hilda Gretzinger House (1915)

This house in De Pere was built in 1915 in the Bungalow/Craftsman style. Otto Gretzinger managed a lumber company, and his wife Hilda was a teacher.

Edwin and Jennie Gutknecht House (1913)

This American Foursquare house in De Pere was built in 1913. It's covered in stucco, a type of plaster.

Hazelwood (1837)

Hazelwood is a Greek Revival home built in 1837 by Morgan Lewis Martin for his wife. Morgan Martin was a very important person: a lawyer, a community leader, and he even helped write Wisconsin's constitution!

Henry House (1869)

In Suamico, the Henry House is a simple house built around 1869 during the time when lumber was a big industry. It was also known as the Weed Mill Inn.

Henry and Mary Heyrman House (1903)

This Queen Anne style house in De Pere was built in 1903. Queen Anne homes often have towers, turrets, and decorative details.

Holy Cross Church and Convent (1932)

This Roman Catholic church in Green Bay was built in 1932 in the Romanesque style. Romanesque buildings often have round arches and thick walls.

Hotel Northland (1924)

The Hotel Northland in Green Bay was built in 1924 in the Tudor Revival style. At the time, it was the biggest hotel in Wisconsin! It even hosted Vince Lombardi's first press conference when he became coach of the Green Bay Packers, and some of the Packers' opposing teams stayed there.

Kellogg Public Library and Neville Public Museum (1903, 1926)

This impressive complex in Green Bay includes the Kellogg Public Library, built in 1903, and the Neville Public Museum, added in 1926. Both are in the Classical Revival style, which looks like ancient Greek and Roman buildings. The library was the first Carnegie library in Wisconsin, built with money from famous businessman Andrew Carnegie.

Julius Krause Store Building (1882)

In De Pere, this brick shoe store was built in 1882 in a simple Commercial Vernacular style.

C. A. Lawton Company (1879)

This building in De Pere was a general machine shop built in 1879. Charles Lawton, the owner, invented a special machine to separate bran from flour. It operated until 1971 and is now apartments.

Main Hall (1903)

Main Hall, completed in 1903, was once the entire St. Norbert College in De Pere! It had classrooms, dorms, and common areas. It's built in the Richardsonian Romanesque style, known for its heavy stone and round arches. Today, it's still the architectural heart of the campus.

Milwaukee Road Passenger Depot (1898)

This train station in Green Bay was built in 1898 for the Milwaukee Road railway. It's in the Flemish Renaissance Revival style. It served the east side of Green Bay until 1957.

Mueller-Wright House (1840s)

This Greek Revival style home in Wrightstown was built in the 1840s. Hoel and Orilla Wright started the settlement in 1833, running a trading post, a ferry, and an inn. Later, Carl Mueller ran a general store, sawmill, and brewery here.

John T. and Margaret Nichols House (1951)

This house in Allouez was built in 1951 in a Modernist style. Modernist homes often have clean lines and open spaces.

Old Nicolet High School (1923)

This school building in De Pere was designed in the Neoclassical style and built in 1923. It was a public high school until 1958, then a Catholic school, and now St. Norbert College uses it for classrooms and offices.

North Broadway Street Historic District

This district in De Pere has homes built in many different styles between 1836 and 1923. It's like a timeline of architectural styles!

North Michigan Street-North Superior Street Historic District

This is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Wisconsin, with houses built as early as 1867. You can see homes in Colonial Revival, Queen Anne, American Foursquare, and Bungalow styles here.

Oakland-Dousman Historic District

This residential area in Green Bay has homes built as early as 1888, showing a variety of architectural styles.

Randall Avenue Historic District

This neighborhood in De Pere was mostly built during the Great Depression. It includes homes in the Colonial Revival style.

Angeline Champeau Rioux House (1828)

Lucas Rioux built this house in Howard in 1828, making it very old! It even housed soldiers from Fort Howard and might have been a stop on the Underground Railroad, a secret network that helped enslaved people find freedom.

Rockwood Lodge Barn and Pigsty (1938)

This large wooden barn and brick pigsty were built in 1938 in Green Bay. It was also known as the Kenneth Rabas farm.

J.B. Smith House and Granary (1885)

This house and granary (a building for storing grain) were built in Green Bay in 1885. It was also known as the Kenneth Rabas house.

South Broadway Historic District

After a big fire in 1882 destroyed many wooden businesses in De Pere, they rebuilt with brick. This district shows how the new brick buildings almost blended together because they used similar cream-colored bricks.

Steckart and Falck Double Block (1888)

This large commercial building in De Pere was built in 1888 in a fancy Italianate style. The street level had a meat market, saloon, and liquor store, while the second floor had apartments.

Tank Cottage (1803)

The oldest part of Tank Cottage was built in 1803 as a fur trader's cabin. It was built in a special style called piece sur piece. Otto Tank bought it in 1850 and added more sections. Later, it was moved to Heritage Hill State Historical Park.

Union House Hotel (1883)

This Late Victorian hotel in De Pere was started in 1883, after a fire destroyed three earlier hotels. It's now the oldest hotel in the area that has been open continuously!

Wisconsin State Reformatory (1897)

This large building in Allouez was started in 1898. It was built as a place for young male offenders to learn and reform. In 1972, it became a maximum security prison for adult males.

Fun and Unique Historic Places

Not all historic places are buildings! Some are special structures or even amusement park rides.

De Pere Lock and Dam Historic District

This district includes the last of 24 locks on the Fox River between Portage and De Pere. Locks are like water elevators that help boats move between different water levels. This one has been working since the 1850s and even has a lock-keeper's house in the Dutch Colonial Revival style. It's one of only two hand-operated locks left in the U.S.!

Grassy Island Range Lights (1872)

These lights were built in 1872 to help guide ships safely through the channel and into Green Bay's harbor. They are called range lights because when a ship lines them up, it knows it's on the right path.

Little Kaukauna Lock and Dam Historic District

This is the second-to-last lock in the Lower Fox River system. It has also been operating since the 1850s and includes a Dutch Colonial Revival lock-keeper's house.

Zippin Pippin (1912)

Get ready for a thrill! The Zippin Pippin is one of the oldest wooden roller coasters in the United States. It was first built in 1912 in Memphis, Tennessee. In 2010, it was taken apart and moved all the way to Bay Beach Amusement Park in Green Bay, where you can still ride it today!

Formerly Listed Places

Sometimes, places are removed from the National Register, often because they are moved or no longer exist.

East Moravian Church (1851-1852)

This Greek Revival style church was built in Green Bay in 1851-52 by a Moravian congregation. It was later moved to Heritage Hill State Historical Park.

Kaap's Restaurant (1914)

Kaap's Restaurant in Green Bay was a popular candy shop, bakery, tea room, and restaurant that opened in 1914. Sadly, the building is no longer there.