Washington Avenue Historic District (Cedarburg, Wisconsin)

Washington Avenue Historic District
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
Washington House Inn
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Location	Roughly bounded by Elm St., Cedar Creek, Hamilton Rd., and Washington Ave., Cedarburg, Wisconsin
Coordinates	43°18′1″N 87°59′16″W / 43.30028°N 87.98778°W / 43.30028; -87.98778Coordinates: 43°18′1″N 87°59′16″W / 43.30028°N 87.98778°W / 43.30028; -87.98778
Architect	Multiple
Architectural style	Greek Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne Style architecture. Many buildings were done using the Vernacular architecture method.
NRHP Reference #	86000218[1]
Added to NRHP	January 17, 1986

Washington Avenue Historic District in Cedarburg, Wisconsin is a historic district that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1986.^[1]

Many of the buildings in this district that were built between the 1840s and the early 1900s were built out of locally mined limestone and fieldstone. In addition to this style, known as Vernacular architecture, three other architectural styles were commonly used. These styles are Greek Revival architecture, Italianate architecture, and Queen Anne Style architecture.^[2]

It includes the Hilgen and Wittenberg Woolen Mills and Cedarburg Mill which are also separately NRHP-listed.

Lincoln and Washington Buildings

The Lincoln and Washington buildings were built to be used as public schools. The Lincoln building, built in 1894, was originally intended to serve grades one through twelve, but due to the growing population of Cedarburg, a high school was built not far from the Lincoln Building. This building, named the Washington Building, was built in 1908. The Lincoln Building then only served first through eighth graders. Later on, the first though fifth graders were moved to the Hacker Building, just west and south along the school campus playground. In 1956, when the high school, was moved to its current location, grades four and five occupied the Washington Building, with grades six through eight housed in the Lincoln Building. The grade school complex included a red brick gymnasium facing on Washington Ave. Eventually a new elementary school was built, the Westlawn Elementary School. The middle school, serving sixth and seventh graders, took over The Washington and Hacker buildings as well as still controlling the Lincoln building and the gymnasium. Sixth graders where taught in the Hacker building. The seventh grade was divided into two groups. One group went to the Lincoln Building, the other went to the Washington building. Everyone shared the gymnasium. In 1973, the middle school was moved to Webster Transitional School. The Lincoln and Washington buildings were renovated in 1987. The Washington building is now the Cedarburg City Hall and the Lincoln building is now the Cedarburg Senior Center.^[3][4] The Hacker building is now an apartment complex.^[5]

Kuhefuss House

The Kuhefuss house was built in 1849 by the Kuhefuss family. The house originally had only two rooms and was made of only wood. In 1864, an addition, made of locally quarried limestone, was added. Five generations of the Kuhefuss family lived in the house before it was donated to the Cedarburg Cultural Center in 1989. The house was remodeled and became a museum in 1990.^[6]

Stagecoach Inn

The Stagecoach Inn is a bed and breakfast located in the Washington Avenue Historic District. The Stagecoach Inn was built in 1853 as a stage coach stop on the road between Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Green Bay, Wisconsin. The inn is one of the buildings in the Washington Avenue Historic District that was built using the Vernacular method, as it is made of locally quarried limestone. When it was first built, the inn housed a pub and guest rooms as well as having a stable and blacksmith next to it. The inn was restored in 1984.^[7]

Union House Hotel

A Cedarburg landmark plaque

The Union House Hotel was a cream city brick hotel built in 1883 by John C. Kuhefuss and his father, John. The building is no longer a hotel. Instead, it houses R.J. Thirsty's Tavern and Fritz’s Barber Shop.^[8]

Washington House Inn

The Washington House Inn (pictured) is a 34 room bed and breakfast located in the Washington Avenue Historic District. The first Washington House was built on the same spot as the current structure is located but was somewhat smaller. the current Victorian style structure was built in 1886, of cream city brick, as a hotel and continued to be used as a hotel until the 1920s when it was then converted into offices and apartments.^[9] In 1983, the Washington House (as it was called at the time since it was no longer a hotel) was made back into a hotel, or rather a bed and breakfast.^[10]

Images

• 
  The Lincoln Building
• 
  The Washington Building
• 
  The Kuhefuss House
• 
  The Stagecoach Inn

References