Port Washington Downtown Historic District

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Port Washington Downtown Historic District
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A portion of the district.
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Location Port Washington, Wisconsin
Coordinates 43°23′20″N87°52′09″W / 43.388987°N 87.869303°W / 43.388987; -87.869303
NRHP reference No. 00001070
Added to NRHPSeptember 8, 2000

The Port Washington Downtown Historic District is the largely intact remainder of the old commercial downtown of Port Washington, Wisconsin, United States. It consists of about 40 contributing buildings built from the 1850s to the 1950s in various styles. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2000 for significance to both architecture and the history of commerce. [1] [2]

Port Washington was founded in 1835, when Wooster Harrison and several other land speculators laid out a town on the sheltered slope where Sauk Creek flows into Lake Michigan. After some early growing pains, it became a village in 1848, and in 1851 740 ships docked at the pier. By 1853 the population was 1500. In 1873 the village was reached by the Milwaukee, Lakeshore and Western Railroad. In 1882 the city incorporated, and in 1889 the Wisconsin Chair Co. was founded, which was the major employer for many years. [2]

Here is a sample of interesting buildings in the district:

Leland Stanford, who went on to become a U.S. Senator and Governor of California and found Stanford University, once practiced law in the district.[ citation needed ]

References

  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Heggland, Timothy F. (December 9, 1999). "Port Washington Downtown Historic District". NRHP Inventory-Nomination Form. National Park Service. Retrieved February 20, 2017. With 16 photos.
  3. "Barnum Blake Building". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
  4. "Wisconsin House Hotel". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
  5. "Theodore Nosen Building". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
  6. "Michael Bink Block". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
  7. "The Wilson Hotel". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
  8. "M. Zimmerman Building". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
  9. "First National Bank of Port Washington". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
  10. "M.J. Schumacher Monument Co". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
  11. "William F. Schanen Building". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
  12. "Smith Bros. Building". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved February 20, 2017.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Port Washington Downtown Historic District at Wikimedia Commons