By Michael Bridgeman This is the third in an occasional series of posts focusing on a single site and how it has changed over time. Earlier entries have looked at the locations of St. John’s Lutheran Church and Manchester’s Department Store.  Click image to view full screen. Main and Carroll Streets, circa 1913 [1] The intersection of Main and Carroll Streets has long been a prominent site on the Capitol Square. While that’s due partly to the presence of the Park Hotel, it’s also a function of topography. Moving counterclockwise around the capitol, whether on foot or on wheels, the slow ..read more

By Michael Bridgeman Cast iron is an ancient material. By the eighteenth century it was employed in the United States for framing industrial buildings and by the 1840s was used for cast-iron façades. As it became popular across the country in the 1850s, decorative cast-iron appeared on Madison buildings, too. For architectural purposes it could be put to many uses, structural and decorative, since it was easily cast in a range of forms and styles, and it was inexpensive, especially compared to stone. [a] Click images to view full screen. Madison’s second capitol building [1] The most monument ..read more

By Michael Bridgeman View fullsize The La Follette House [1] View fullsize North Hall [2] Click images to view full screen The National Register of Historic Places was created in 1966 as a provision of the National Historic Preservation Act. When President Lyndon Johnson signed the bill on October 16, two buildings became the first Dane County entries on the register: the Robert M. La Follette House in Maple Bluff (733 Lakewood Blvd.) and North Hall on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. Dane County now has 272 buildings, structures, effigy mounds, and other places on the National Re ..read more

By Michael Bridgeman Television ad, 1948 [1] This time of year, I get itchy feet. There are buildings and places to see, but limited daylight, cold temperatures, and snow and ice (when they come) make that difficult if not impossible. One way to satisfy the itch is through the small screen, be it a TV or laptop. This month I offer a small sample of television programs, video presentations, and lectures that may help the architecture enthusiast cope as daylight slowly increases and temperatures creep up. Sources I’ve narrowed my recommendations to make them decidedly local; they are about plac ..read more

By Michael Bridgeman & Jennifer Gurske Celebrating Madison’s historic places is at the heart of our mission at Madison Trust for Historic Preservation. Since this is a season full of celebrations, there is no better time to spread the joy to be found in vintage buildings than with a gift from the Madison Trust—an annual membership, private or summer walking tour tickets, and note cards, oh my! We also have further suggestions for locally focused gifts, including books, ornaments and even a typewriter mug, that spotlight the places that make not only Madison, but Wisconsin special. Madison ..read more

by Michael Bridgeman Artists sometimes paint self-portraits, authors occasionally write autobiographies, and architects often design their own houses. This month, I look at houses designed by three Madison architects for their own families. Each architect had a career that spanned decades and did a range of work for a variety of clients. Being their own clients did not eliminate the constraints faced by any project, including deadlines, budget, site, and regulations. Keep in mind that these three men were not solo clients; they had to consider the needs of others in their households, too. Clic ..read more

By Scott Lothes The Milwaukee Road’s Varsity passenger train departs Madison for its three-hour run to Chicago late in the afternoon of October 21, 1967, reflected perfectly in Monona Bay. Photograph by Thomas F. McIlwraith, collection of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art, McIlwraith-01-014-02 Railroads—instrumental to the making of the United States as we know it—played a profound role in Madison’s growth and development. At their zenith, steel rails of three companies fanned out from the city in nine directions. Around the turn of the twentieth century, well more than one hundre ..read more

by Michael Bridgeman James Barton Bowen, circa 1880 [1] Madison got off to a slow start. It was a city on paper when selected as the territorial capital in 1836. Ten years later, when Madison received its village charter, there were only 626 residents. But soon, the boom began and Madison attracted entrepreneurs and hustlers, capitalist and swindlers, opportunists and optimists. When chartered as a city in 1856, the population was 6,863. The Bowens Arrive Among the newcomers were James and Susan Bowen, who arrived in 1852. Wisconsin had achieved statehood four years prior and state government ..read more

by Michael Bridgeman The prow roof saw widespread use in the years following World War II, projecting an image of the modern in a country energized by unprecedented growth. At their most exuberant, thrusting and soaring prows evoke the Jet Age, while more commonplace uses demonstrate the adaptability of the form. Last month I focused on places of worship and this month I turn my attention to the prow roof in residential, commercial, and recreational applications. View fullsize Henry T. Wilson House View fullsize 2145 Regent St. Two early prow roofs in Madison date to the first decade after W ..read more

By Michael Bridgeman The prow roof has a long history, but is best known today for its use in mid-century design from the 1940s to the 1970s. Twentieth-century prows are the focus of my posts for the next two months, first highlighting ecclesiastical prows and then featuring prows on nonreligious buildings next month. As is my practice in these posts, the emphasis will be on local buildings which are easily seen in person, though I’ll expand my scope with examples from elsewhere in Wisconsin. Madison has never been a large metro area and remains relatively small today. Consequently, we don’t a ..read more