Historic Preservation Awards

2009

Riverside Ballroom,

Green Bay

2009

St. John the Evangelist Parish Hall, Green Bay

The St. John's School was built in 1932 to replace the previous dilapidated building that was condemned and demolished.  After the school was closed in 1977, the building served as a home for religious education, a Multi-Cultural Center, and a Montessori school.  By 2007, the building piping was nearly unserviceable and the heating plant was limping along.  Around the same time, they opened the gymnasium to area homeless people.  While this act of Christian kindness surprisingly received mixed political reactions, it also generated an upwelling of community support and donations, to the point where renovation of the building was made feasible.  The roof, windows, mechanical piping, and electrical wiring were all replaced.  Over the years, the west wall had settled 4", resulting in cracked walls and sloped floors.  The wall was jacked up and stabilized, and the floors releveled.   The building has now been preserved to foster the St. John's mission and serve the Green Bay community.

2009
Bellin Building,
Green Bay

Dr. Julius Bellin built his seven story office building in 1915 as a rental space for physicians, dentists, and other medical professionals.  In 1924, he added the eighth story and a penthouse to surpass the height of the Minahan-McCormick Building constructed across the street.  Over the years, its landmark tenants included WHBY (the first radio station north of Chicago) and The National Cheese Exchange, which set cheese prices for nearly the entire country.  As the neighborhood surrounding the building transitioned to an entertainment district, the new owners decided that the Bellin Building could play a role.  The small offices on the first and second floors were relocated, and much of those spaces were opened up to create a modern coffee shop and an upscale bar on the first floor, with a grand staircase leading up to a second floor restaurant.  The building exterior has been cleaned and restored, and the exterior lighting once again identifies the Bellin Building as a high profile address.  

2009
Joannes House, 
Green Bay

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the four Joannes brothers found success in the Green Bay wholesale grocery business, and that continuing prosperity enabled the brothers and their children to build several of the landmark homes in the Astor Neighborhood.  In 1900, Mitchell Joannes built his impressive red brick mansion that was designed by renowned local architect Henry Foeller.  In 1917, he provided the house with an apartment for his daughter Arleen and her husband Dr. McCarey, and the family continued to live there until 1956.  Later, the upstairs ballroom was also turned into an apartment.  Recently, Jim Neceda, Joe Aprile, Rick Koenig, and Paul Ebel purchased the home and started restorations back to a single family residence.  They replaced the roof and rotted trim, updated the wiring and HVAC, and converted the upstairs apartment back into a family space accessible from the main stairs.  The house has been beautifully preserved as an Astor Neighborhood showpiece.

2009
Celestine Jeffreys, 
Green Bay

By the late 1860s, the buildings of the decommissioned Fort Howard were being moved or demolished to clear for the railroad.  Several were moved into the surrounding neighborhood, including the Guard House to 410 Bond Street as the VandenBrook family's residence.  By December 2008, the house was abandoned, dilapidated, and subject to a city Raze or Repair Order.  While the absentee landlord, bank, and city argued over mortgage and tax arrears, historical groups felt helpless as the building seemingly neared demolition.  Understanding early on the historical importance of the building, Alderwoman Celestine Jeffreys coordinated with the city, On Broadway, the Brown County Historical Society, and Heritage Hill to ensure that the building would survive until a solution was found, and then helped secure city funding for its December 2009 move to Heritage Hill.  The Guardhouse is now safe and secure, awaiting a historic restoration that will help tell the rich story of Fort Howard.

2008

Ice House Coffee and Creamery,

De Pere

It all started back in 2004.  When the old 1909 red brick schoolhouse on Creamery Road in Ledgeview was threatened, Pat Drury stepped in to buy the building and use part of it as his offices.  When the front portion of the school became an antiques shop, Pat thought that the shop would be complemented by a few more businesses, and Olde-School Square was born.  One by one, the business development has grown with actual old buildings and turn of the century reproductions.  The most recent addition is the Ice House.  After it was built in the early 1900's, it was used for 50 years to store ice harvested from the East River.  With the advent of refrigeration, the building became a mere storage shed.  In 2007, Pat purchased the building for relocation to his "village".  After removal of the roof structure to clear street pole wires and the three layers of board and hay insulation on the walls, the building was moved the 200 feet to its present location and renovated.  The completed coffee and ice cream shop now provides a welcome stop for drivers and bicyclists from the East River Trail.

2008

Wild Root Salon,

De Pere

In 2007, Sue and Paul Fritsch were looking for a location for Sue's proposed hair salon.  When they visited 114 Michigan, the location was great (just off George Street), but the building itself required a large amount of visualization.  Built around 1891, the building had sat empty for a period of time, and the floor, walls, windows, and siding were all in bad shape and the house had no insulation.  Also, the small room floor plan didn't lend itself to the larger space needed for an efficient hair salon.  But with Paul being employed in the construction industry and the couple's experience with other smaller projects, they decided to take the plunge.  Beginning in March with only the help of a few family members, they installed insulation and resided the house, replaced windows and doors, removed interior partition walls, installed new birch and cherry flooring from trees cut at their previous Denmark home, and decorated with a warm and inviting color scheme.  By September, the Wild Root Salon was open for business in an attractive building salvaged from a former East De Pere house.

2008

Annen Residence,

De Pere

This stately Queen Anne Colonial Revival house was built in 1886 by William Kellogg.  In 1898, it was sold to R.J. McGeehan, a De Pere businessman who later became state senator, and it remained in the McGeehan family until 1950.  Over the next 50 years, the house had several owners and saw less maintenance and repairs.  In 2003, Rich and Mary Annen purchased the house as an "interesting project".  Their patience was tested early when they discovered that the house had been vacant and unheated for at least a year, which caused frozen heating pipes to leak water throughout the house.  Over the last five years, the Annens restored all the radiators and piping to go with a new boiler heating system, as well as removed and replaced the several layers of roof shingles, repainted the exterior, repaired displaced foundation walls, reinforced the floor framing, and built a garage and workshop in the style of a period carriage house.  Their continuing restoration now includes moving from room to room, restoring the windows and refinishing the woodwork.   

2008

Moravian Cemetery Chapel,

Ashwaubenon

The Moravian Congregation of Fort Howard was organized in the "prayer room" of Tank Cottage in 1850, and in 1867, a church was built at the corner of 4^th and Maple on a plot of land donated by Mrs. Tank. As early as 1869, there were members of the congregation who lived in Ashwaubenon.  Since it was difficult to make the weekly trip into Fort Howard, they usually met for worship in someone's house and then made a monthly trip into town for the sacraments.  In 1890, they built their own simple chapel on a half acre of land that soon became a site for the cemetery.  By 1960, the chapel fell into disuse as families moved into the city, transportation improved, and the Congregation moved into their more conveniently located new church building on Oneida Street.  In 1972, the chapel was threatened by the new construction of Hwy 172.  While some members of the congregation felt that the Chapel should just be demolished, a small group convinced the others to instead move the building to the back edge of the site.  In 2007, the congregation decided to address issues related to security and deterioration.  Structural renovations included foundation repairs, reinforcement of the floor framing, and repairs to the lower levels of siding.  Inside, newer paneling was removed to reveal the original plaster walls, and the walls and ceiling were repaired and given a fresh coat of paint.  Finally, the two doorways were fitted with securely locked modern reproduction doors to protect the newly restored Chapel for many years to come.

2007

St. Francis Xavier Cathedral - Bell Towers Restoration,

Green Bay

The Cathedral was dedicated in 1881, but the original construction only included the lower portions of the towers - the upper belfry portion wasn't finished until 1904.  A few years ago, church maintenance found pieces of bricks on the sidewalk in front of the church.  A closer look skyward showed significant brick masonry damage, and closer inspection revealed deteriorated flashings, roof tiles, and interior wood supports.  900 pound stone blocks set in the walls were found to be losing their corbelled brick masonry support.  After the 120 foot high scaffolding was built around each tower, the brick masonry was repaired with 3500 new bricks, new flashings were installed, and the broken slate shingled dome roofs were replaced with new copper roofs topped by copper-clad crosses.  After $500,000 for masonry repointing and replacement and $250,000 for new steeple work, the restored towers now stand proudly to greet the Cathedral's visitors below.

2007

605 George Street,

De Pere

This building was originally a residence, and more recently had been divided into apartments.  When Steve and Carey Danen purchased the building, their first intention was to restore it to its original condition, but multiple interior and exterior renovations, including replacement of the wood siding with a brick veneer, made that rather unfeasible.  At about the same time, Steve Taylor and Charles Aslakson were looking for a new business location, and this building caught their eye.  Together, the four of them redesigned the interior to suit the new business, while the exterior brick masonry was restored, the roof replaced, and the doors, windows, and trim either repaired or replaced.  The business is thrilled with their new offices, and the building now lends a dressed-up look to edge of downtown East De Pere.

2007

Reedesville Granary,

De Pere

In the 1850s, a three-story 8,800 square foot flour mill was built in the Town of Reedsville (about 20 miles south of Green Bay), and in the 1920s, it was converted into a granary.  While it served the community well, it eventually fell victim to modern technology, was vacated, and was destined for demolition.  Days before it was to be torn down, Pat Drury learned of the building and asked if he could help save it.  When he found that Paul Renard and John Michaud were interested in having the building for their new offices, the dream started to become a reality.  The building was dismantled and re-erected in the Town of Ledgeview.  The interior still displays much of the original materials - the timber framing was made visible, the old wall sheathing boards that had been covered by metal siding were reused as wood flooring, and artifacts such as the pulley drive elevator were reinstalled for display.  The old Granary now lives on in its handsome new use.

2007

Arketype, Inc.,

Green Bay

Founded in 1838, Grace Presbyterian Church congregation has had a long history in Green Bay.  The present church was built in 1910, and was expanded with a rectory addition in 1918 and the sanctuary addition in 1929.   In recent years, however, the congregation was declining, and by 2003, the building was no longer in use as a church.  Around the same time, Arketype, Inc., a Green Bay creative design and advertising firm, was trying to juggle business success with increasingly cramped quarters on Washington Street.  In 2004, the firm decided to purchase the church building and renovate it for their new offices.  Their goal was to maintain the architectural integrity of the building, while at the same time taking advantage of open spaces well suited to a design studio.  The maple floors have been refinished, several gothic-style light fixtures were restored, and the majestic stained glass windows were repaired and cleaned.  As a bonus, two stained glass windows that had been hidden behind a wall were also brought to new light.  The open-concept spaces are given a new brightness with the white-painted walls and glassed-in offices.  Ever respectful of the building's history, Arketype invited the former congregation for an open house, and while many were still wistful at the loss of their church, all were enthusiastic about the wonderful transformation of their building.  The perfect new testament for an old building born again.

2006

Polo Resto,

Voyageur Park, De Pere

Between 1915 and 1925, a complex of buildings, including a restaurant, a gas station, and some cabins, were constructed on the north side of De Pere.  Due to its proximity to the De Pere Polo Field across the street (on the site of what is now St. Norbert College's Minihan Field), the complex became known as the Polo Resto.  The sport of polo was thriving in the 1920s, and with horses being brought up for the matches from Milwaukee and Chicago, the Polo Resto facilities were available for players, crew, and spectators alike.  The Polo Resto Gas Station, which was one of the first filling stations on that road between De Pere and Green Bay, was operated by the Wadham Oil and Grease Co., who owned stations throughout Wisconsin.  In an effort to catch the attention of the passing motorist, Wadham, like other early oil companies, used exotic filling station designs that resembled pagodas or English cottages. 

In the 1950s or 60s, ownership and use changed, and the buildings eventually became the Village Gate Shopping Center, which more recently included a flower shop, an antique store, and a bird feeder store.   In 2004, the property was sold and slated for demolition.  While some of the original buildings had been demolished or significantly altered over time, the gas station was still rather intact.  Concerned citizens, with the cooperation of the De Pere Historical Society, initiated a campaign to move the building down the hill to Voyageur Park along the Fox River Recreation Trail.  The former gas station, restored to include the original gas pumps, now serves as a rest stop and information center run by the De Pere Historical Society.

2006

Lyga Residence,

Green Bay

In 2002, newlyweds Chris and Teri Lyga set out to find themselves a new home in a nice neighborhood, hoping to find an affordable Victorian style house with many original features still intact.  While it was obvious that the 100 year old house on South Huron needed work, they felt that they had found their home.  Chris has meticulously researched the history of the house, uncovering nearly a dozen owners over the years.  Significant changes had been made over the years, including removal of the covered front porch, and a conversion to a two-family dwelling in 1949 and a conversion back to a single family in the 1980s.  Many details survived, however, including hardwood maple floors downstairs and simple wide plank flooring upstairs, leaded and etched glass windows, an ornate paneled front door with intricate scrollwork, and the original claw-foot bathtub.  Exterior renovation work has included replacement of a stairs, repainting the porches and trim, and complementary landscaping.  The to-do list is still long, but they feel that the efforts required to bring the house closer to its Victorian beginnings has been worth the time, effort, and investment.

2006

Johnson Residence,

Green Bay

In 2003, Teri Johnson went to an estate sale on Emilie Street.  Oblivious to all the household belongings on the tables and the floors, Teri's attention was directed upwards at the architectural features and solid construction of the house.  Having restored several houses in the Milwaukee area, she knew exactly what she and her husband Jonathon would be looking for as their next project.  She called him on the phone and proclaimed "John, it's straight!".  Thus began a labor of love as they began to reclaim and restore the house.  Designed in the 1920s by local architect Henry Foeller, the house was constructed by Foeller's brother to be his own residence, but soon after completion, he sold it to Dr. W.C. Kelly and his wife, whose family occupied the house until just a few years ago. 

John's first task was to obtain a copy of the original Foeller design drawings that were still in the archives of Berners-Schober Associates Inc. (the descendent company of Foeller's original firm). 
With the original design in hand, John and Teri identified and preserved the original features of the house.  The kitchen and bathroom were completely gutted so that heavily corroded piping could be replaced with new free-flowing copper.  The bathroom was restored to its original layout, while the kitchen was modernized in a style in keeping with that of the house.  The rest of the house was repainted inside and out, with dated interior wallpaper replaced with a fresh paint scheme.  Over the years, the edge of the side alley had "expanded" to within inches of the house, and the backyard had become overflow parking for the neighbors.  John located and identified the legal limits and easements, and reclaimed and restored the back and side yards to once again accent the house.  The residence is once again an attractive jewel in the Astor Neighborhood.

2005

Blonde Homestead,

Green Bay

In 2002, Dan and Michelle Schrap purchased the house that was constructed by the Blonde family in 1898.  While it was not in the best condition, they knew that they wanted to preserve as much of the original as possible, and with Dan's experience as a homebuilder, they felt that they could take on the project.  The carpet was lifted to expose hardwood floors, which they beautifully refinished.  Since the original siding was quite deteriorated, it was removed and replaced with new, freshly painted cedar siding.  The original windows have been restored, and walls have been cleaned and painted to provide a bright and cheery interior.  The house once again stands proudly on the hill overlooking Preble.

2005

Snow White Cottage,

Edgewater Beach,

Green Bay

In 1923, Max Schober, a well known Green Bay architect, purchased an Edgewater Beach property and began to build a cottage, by himself, by hand.  At 400 square feet, this was to be neither a practical dwelling nor a traditional cottage, but a rustic cabin with design features that would display his vivid imagination.  The walls are built of fieldstones pulled up by sled from the shore at the bottom of the hill.  Each window has mullions made of branches, and shutters with intricate animal carvings. The doors, which are covered with a decorative pattern of narrow cedar half-logs, are flanked by colorful stone benches. During the lean years of the Depression, Max could often be found working out at the cottage, but as work picked up during World War II, he was able to spend less and less time on the project. Finally, in 1940, he sold the unfinished cottage to Carl Emmel, who finished the interior and added the stone fireplace and chimney.  Subsequent owners installed a bathroom and a copper roof.  In 2002, the property was placed for sale, and based only on photographs, John and Gaye Meyer of Stoughton fell in love with the cottage and finalized the purchase, sight unseen.  To restore the image of a rustic "forest cabin", the Meyers removed the obtrusive driveway and installed a stairs as the only access down from Edgewater Beach Road.  General restoration has included the reproduction of the original intricate shingle pattern on Max Schober's log-framed gazebo.  The Meyers anxiously make the 3 hour drive to enjoy their newly preserved, uniquely charming cottage.

2005

Curley Lambeau Boyhood Home,

Irwin Street, Green Bay

In 2003, after reading a book about Green Bay Packer legend Earl "Curly" Lambeau, Ken Calewarts and his son, John, became curious about the location where Lambeau lived after his birth in 1898.  Although it was known that Lambeau lived on the east side and attended East High School, the city directory at that time listed the Lambeau family as residing at 615 North 12th Street, a street name that no longer exists on the east side.  After much research, they discovered that "12th Street" was renamed "Irwin Avenue" about 100 years ago.  615 North Irwin Avenue, which was confirmed as Lambeau's boyhood home, had the added distinction of being one of the oldest homes in Green Bay that retains its original exterior walls and is standing on its original foundation.  Calewarts formed a group of investors to purchase the house.  Based on plans prepared by Mike McMahon (a former BCHS Preservation Award recipient), the house has been brought to code, the exterior renovated, and the lot enclosed with period fencing with a memorial plaque placed in front.  The group hopes to sell the restored house, with proceeds going to benefit Nicolet School located across the street.

2005

LeMieux Chapel,

University of Wisconsin - Green Bay Campus

In 1925, Joe and Odile LeMieux built a chapel along the limestone ridge, behind their house located on the west side of Bay Settlement Road.  Since their son was studying to become a Catholic priest, and since Odile would occasionally have health problems, she thought that a chapel would be a quiet place for him to meditate when he came home and a convenient place for her to pray on days when travel to Holy Cross Church would prove too difficult.  Joe, a mason, and Odile's brother Fabian, a carpenter, constructed the chapel using limestone from the ridge.  The Chapel was dedicated to St. Anthony of Padua, the patron saint of lost articles.  The Chapel was used continuously by the LeMieux family and their descendants (including the VanLanens and the Jadins).  In 1984, the property was sold as part of the land required for the creation of the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay, and while the house was demolished, the chapel was preserved with the provision that it be maintained by UWGB as long as it remained structurally sound.  In 1999, the family painted the woodwork and repointed the masonry, while UWGB constructed a small wooden bridge to connect the site to their arboretum trail.  The chapel remains unlocked for all visitors to enjoy the history and solitude.