Preservation Post: Newburg Menswear Building, La Crosse WI

The past 133 years have brought a lot a change to the four buildings at 320-326 Pearl Street. Originally four separate structures, a series of purchases by the Newburg Menswear Company combined the buildings into the single structure that we see today. 

The buildings were originally known as the following: 

• 326 Pearl Street, historically the Gund Building, c. 1888 by Gund Brewing

• 324 Pearl Street, historically the Newburg Menswear Building, c. 1888 as residence and commercial space for Peter Newburg Company

• 322 Pearl Street, historically the Miller & Horne Building, c. 1889

• 320 Pearl Street, historically the Trane Building, c. 1889 by James A. Trane & Company. This was the beginnings of what would become The Trane Company, a global leader and innovator in Heating, Venting and Air Conditioning.

View looking south at Gund Building, 326 Pearl Street.  Circa 1892.  Courtesy of Murphy Library Special Collections, University of Wisconsin – La Crosse.

View looking south at Trane Buildings 320 Pearl Street.  Circa 1892.  Courtesy of Murphy Library Special Collections, University of Wisconsin – La Crosse.

View looking southwest at 324 Pearl Street.  Circa 1950s.  Courtesy of La Crosse Public Library Archives – La Crosse.

Expansion: The Gund Building

Historic photos of these four buildings show first floor wood storefronts with cast iron columns dividing the bays and recessed door alcoves. Each second floor is composed of brick broken up by double-hung windows capped by arched headers with limestone keystones and anchored by a lug stone sill. Each building a variation on the same theme. 

Circa 1896 Peter Newburg purchased the adjacent Gund Building and expanded his clothing store.  The brick party wall was removed on first floor and was replaced with a row of cast iron columns.  Sometime prior to 1921, the front of the two buildings was removed and replaced with a white terra cotta façade with what was probably a bronze storefront.  The building was again remodeled circa 1937 when the adjacent Miller and Horne Building was acquired at 322 Pearl Street.  A new Carrara Glass Storefront was installed over all three bays of the building to unify the store’s appearance.

View of 320-328 Pearl Street looking south.  Circa 1980s.  Courtesy of Murphy Library Special Collections, University of Wisconsin – La Crosse.

Expansion: The Trane Building

The final expansion occurred circa 1973 when the Newburg Menswear Company purchased the former Trane Building at 320 Pearl Street. With this purchase, the entire front façade was ‘modernized’.  A black metal slip cover was installed over the second floor, pre-cast concrete panels covered the storefront transoms and a new aluminum storefront with brown tiles was installed for the first floor storefront. 

The main entrance was moved to the center of the renovated façade.  The Newburg Menswear stayed in this location until 1986 when it closed its doors for good after 100 years in business.  After a couple years of vacancy, the building was used as a beauty school, but the school was gone by 2010 leaving most of the building vacant. Sometime around 2010 the metal slip cover was removed, revealing the once grand facades of the building.

320-328 Pearl St, photo courtesy of Marc Zettler, 2017

Historic Restoration work

A questionnaire was submitted to the WI Historical Society in early 2019 – the result was that the building’s historic status was changed to contributing in the La Crosse Commercial Historic District. Once approved, the building became eligible for State and Federal Historic Tax Credits. Architectural drawings were completed by Zettler Design Studio, LLC in late summer of 2019, construction commenced in late fall of 2019. 

Work Included

Front façade restoration of all 4 bays of the building, creation of 4 luxury apartments on second floor, roof terrace (for residents), rehabilitation of back and side facades, and “white box” preparation for a first floor commercial tenant.

Construction for Phase 1 - focusing on the exterior and new second floor apartments - was completed in November 2021! Phase 2 will be the build-out for a commercial tenant on first floor.

For more information, please reach out to Marc Zettler, of Zettler Design Studio. Marc served as Preservation Architect for the project.

What Does Historic Designation Mean in Wisconsin? Explaining the Three Levels

 There are three levels of historic designation in Wisconsin:

1. Federal

2. State

3. Local

This article will explain what each designation means for a property and the differences between them.

The National Historic Preservation Act & The National Register of Historic Places

In 1966, The National Historic Preservation Act was passed by the Federal government effectively establishing the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) as the official federal list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects that are worthy of preservation.

It also required each state to establish a preservation plan and an office for historic preservation, called the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). National designation as a historic property is an honorific. The intent of the act was, and is, to affirm historic preservation as a public good.

The Act does not, however, create any limitations on private property ownership. Federal agencies, are obligated by the Act to identify, evaluate, and nominate to the NRHP any properties they deem eligible. In addition, any properties, including those privately owned, that receive Federal funding or involve Federal action or approval, are required to undergo a review intended to protect historic features, called a Section 106 Review, This review only encourages historic consideration and does not require it.

Wisconsin’s State Historic Preservation Office

Wisconsin’s State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) reviews all applications to the National Register (NRHP). This office is a resource for Wisconsin citizens to apply for the NRHP and will assist in the process.

 The SHPO will advise if the application is deemed eligible for the NRHP. If so, they will forward the application to the National Park Service (NPS), which administers the NRHP. Rarely will an application approved by the Wisconsin SHPO be denied by the NPS. Additionally, once the Wisconsin SHPO deems a property eligible, it is automatically considered eligible for the State Designation.

The State Register of Historic Places

The Wisconsin SHPO maintains the State Register of Historic Places. Being listed on the State Register of Historic Places does not place any restrictions on property owners. More information can be found at the SHPO website: “How to Get a State or National Historic Designation for Your Building.”

National Historic Landmark Status

In addition to the National Register of Historic Places, properties that are deemed having exceptional national significance may be listed as a National Historic Landmark (NHL). This is a separate process from a National Register nomination and is solely a federal process through the National Park Service. As of May 2021, there are currently 44 Wisconsin properties listed as NHLs compared to over 2,500 Wisconsin property listings in the NRHP.

Historic Preservation Commissions

On the local level, a municipal Historic Preservation Commission (or similar name), may review local properties for historic designation. Not every municipality will have a Historic Preservation Commission, depending on local ordinances. Restrictions on property, if locally designated as historic, will also vary by ordinance. Only a local designation, depending on the local law, could restrict property ownership. Typically, local governments with preservation ordinances confer the highest degree of protection to historic properties, as a review board will consider any proposed alterations to the property.

Historic Tax Credit Program

Two separate programs, administered by the Internal Revenue Service and the Wisconsin Department of Revenue, are available to Federal and State designated properties, called the Historic Tax Credit Program. This is not available to properties that are only designated on a local register. This program offers a 20% Federal Tax Credit and a 20% State Tax Credit to income-producing properties.

Work to rehabilitate a historically designated building can be deducted as a tax credit. All work must meet the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation and the property must be held by the owner for at least five years. Other requirements apply. While the Wisconsin SHPO will certify that rehabilitation work meets the Standards, they do not administer the tax credits. Further information may be found here: Tax Credits for Historic Income-Producing Buildings.

Please reach out to the Wisconsin Trust for Historic Preservation or the SHPO if you have further questions. We are here to help!

Not Always a Happy Ending

Oshkosh's Coles Bashford House (constructed in 1854/no longer extant) was the residence of Wisconsin's first Republican Governor, who was known for his strident anti-slavery stance. Elected in 1856, Governor Bashford served a single term. He later moved southwest and was the first appointed attorney general, and held a number of other positions, in the territorial government of the Arizona.

Bashford's Oshkosh residence, which reportedly had been constructed in a Greek Revival style, was modified by subsequent owners into the Gothic Revival residence seen in the circa 1887 photo (above) provided by the Oshkosh Public Museum. In 1911, the residence was purchased by the Elizabeth B. Davis Trust to be used as an orphanage for girls.

Continuously maintained by the E. B. Davis Foundation, the house later was used as a half-way house for boys. It was functioning as a daycare center in 2004, when the foundation built a new facility and vacated the residence. Despite the efforts of a group formed specifically to save the house, which included a successful fund-raising effort and its listing on the 2006 Wisconsin Trust's "1o Most Endangered" list, the house was demolished that same year. As one of the oldest houses in the community, and one that also had a significant association with a prominent Wisconsin citizen, this was a big loss for the City of Oshkosh.

It is part of the mission of the Wisconsin Trust to impart the idea of historic preservation as a core community value, and that demolition (as opposed to rehabilitation) be considered only as a last resort for much of our historic building stock. This is especially true for our historically and architecturally significant structures, such as the Coles Bashford House.