Elizabeth Plankinton House
Elizabeth Plankinton House | |
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Alternative names | Knights of Columbus Building |
Etymology | Elizabeth Plankinton |
General information | |
Architectural style | Richardsonian Romanesque |
Address | 1492 W. Wisconsin Avenue |
Town or city | Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
Country | United States |
Coordinates | 43°2′20″N 87°55′53″W / 43.03889°N 87.93139°W |
Construction started | 1886 |
Construction stopped | 1888 |
Demolished | October 11, 1980 |
Cost | $100,000 |
Technical details | |
Material | Stone |
Floor count | 3 |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | Edward Townsend Mix |
The Elizabeth Plankinton House was a stone structure in
Construction
The three-bedroom house was located at 1432 Grand Avenue, later known as 1492 West Wisconsin Avenue (north side between 14th Street and 15th Street), in Milwaukee. The Knights of Columbus had the house number changed from "1432" to the more historic (and Columbus-related) "1492" date,
The basic building was square and had three projecting bays. The front of the house had a three-story conical turret, a stone porch, a
The main entrance facing south had a one-and-a-half-story entrance porch with arches. The house roof had red clay tiles. On the east side of the house was a
According to Zimmermann, the Plankinton mansion was exceptional in that "almost the entire project is designed and drawn by an architect [which] shows in the way all of the components of a given room are compatibly related to the whole."
History
The Elizabeth Plankinton House was a mansion in Milwaukee built in 1886 as a wedding gift to Elizabeth from her father, businessman John Plankinton, known as "A Merchant Prince and Princely Merchant" for his philanthropy.[11][12] The house was designed in the Richardsonian Romanesque architectural style. It was one of many such mansions owned by the wealthy in the west part of Milwaukee in the late 19th century. It was in the residential area on Grand Avenue (later Wisconsin Avenue) in the downtown district of the city.[5]
Elizabeth was abandoned by her fiancé, sculptor
Gallery of pictures
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Third floor balcony of turret exterior
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Third floor balcony column capital
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East side of house porte-cochere
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Third floor window of house
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East view of 1st floor main hall
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East view of northeast bedroom
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East view of southeast bedroom
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East view of staircase to 3rd floor
Demolition
A 1978 newspaper article discussing the house was titled "Ugly Behemoth Blocks Progress",[17] and there were many negative characterizations of the house.[4] Representatives of Marquette University argued that the "Knights of Columbus mansion is neither historical nor architecturally significant. It is the product of the whims of the owner and the architect, and does not represent a true example of any particular style of architecture" and that "to offer an eyesore like the Knights of Columbus building as an example of our great architectural tradition will make Milwaukee the laughing stock of the nation. . . . This mansion has no significant historical value . . . [and is] a monument to Victorian bad taste."[4] Zimmermann offered a strong defense of the building in a 1979 article in Milwaukee, the Metropolitan Magazine, arguing it was "Milwaukee's finest residential example of the Richardsonian Romanesque style", designed by "the area's most prominent 19th century architect," and was still in "relatively fine original condition".[4] On the point of its condition at that time, the HABS report described it as having a pristine exterior and an intact interior.[5] Zimmermann concluded:
There can be no question about the quality of Milwaukee craftsmanship in this imposing mansion. Nor, for many often-repeated reasons, can we find fault with the Plankinton's history or the architect's reputation. And those who personally dislike the exterior design should be reminded that, by every standard required in the National Register Criteria for Evaluation, this specimen is a deserving recipient of that high honor. The number of good Victorian buildings in Milwaukee has been so reduced that we can no longer afford to look the other way when one of National Register status is on trial. The Elizabeth Plankinton mansion should remain as a permanent marker in Milwaukee's historical continuum.[4]
By 1980, the House was entirely surrounded by other buildings of the university.[5] Marquette had it demolished on October 11, 1980, approximately two months after the HABS survey report was issued,[18] and despite its 1976 inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places.[16] Its destruction led to the formation of the City of Milwaukee Historic Preservation Commission in 1981, with the aim of protecting Milwaukee's architectural heritage.[19]
See also
References
- ^ Gross Domestic Product deflatorfigures follow the MeasuringWorth series.
- ^ Milwaukee County Land Information Office and Sanborn Map Company (2020). "1910 Sanborn Overlay" (Map). Historical Maps Swipe App. Variable. Milwaukee County. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
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: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ "Biographies and Family Information-JOHN PLANKINTON". Milwaukee County-Online Genealogy and Family History Library. Links To The Past. 2017. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i 1979HUD, United States government (1979). "Milwaukee, Plankinton House, Marquette Urban Tenewal Area". Environmental Impact Statement. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
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: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ a b c d e f g Wenger, Robin (August 5, 1980). "Elizabeth Plankinton House – Historic American Buildings Survey No. WI-280" (PDF). Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Retrieved January 26, 2017 – via Library of Congress.
- .
- ^ .
- ^ "Building Description Elizabeth Plankinton House". Historic Structures. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
- ISBN 9780893260446.
- The Milwaukee Sentinel. March 30, 1891 – via Wisconsin Historical Society.
- ^ a b c "Wisconsin Avenue (Grand Avenue), E.A. Plankinton House". Retrieved January 10, 2017.
- University of Wisconsin-Madison. 1995. pp. 33–35. Archived from the original(PDF) on February 11, 2022. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
Having started at the bottom of the ladder and becoming a multi-millionaire, he was referred to as 'A Merchant Prince and Princely Merchant'.
- ^ a b "Elizabeth Plankinton House in Milwaukee, Wisconsin". Historic Structures. November 19, 2009. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
She was to have been married to Richard Hamilton Park, the British sculptor of the [bronze statue of George Washington which stands in the court of honor (West Wisconsin Avenue between North 9th and North 11th Streets)], but was deserted in favor of a dancer from Minneapolis. Distraught, she completely rejected her wedding gift house and was never to occupy it.
- ^ Record #175 in marriages in the County of Ottawa, Michigan
- ^ Israel, Herbert M. (June 12, 1933). "Famous Milwaukee Women – Story of Miss Elizabeth A. Plankinton". Wisconsin News. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Retrieved January 31, 2017 – via Wisconsin Historical Society.
- ^ a b "Photograph: Elizabeth Plankinton House". Wisconsin Historical Society. 1975. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
- ^ "Ugly Behemoth Blocks Progress". Milwaukee: 44. 1979. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
- ^ "Elizabeth Plankinton Residence". Raynor Memorial Libraries, Marquette University. Marquette University. 2017. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
- ^ "City Clerk's Office: Historic Preservation Commission". Official Website of the City of Milwaukee. City of Milwaukee. 2017. Retrieved January 29, 2017.