A gallery including 14 of the 19 locations on the Whitewater historic landmarks self-guided walking tour and guided Indian Mounds tours May 22, 2010.
Birge Fountain, 1903; 402 W. Main St. The fountain has a cast-iron base and is decorated with a water nymph and four cherubs riding dolphins. It's survived some vandalism, weathering and war scrap drives of the last century, when many public art objects were torn down and the metal melted down for the war effort.
Photo By: Photo submitted
First United Methodist Church, 1872-73; 145 S. Prairie St. Gothic Greek Revival, which can be traced back to medieval times, was a popular architectural style in churches in the mid-19th century, and its tall spires and arched windows can still be seen in later churches.
Photo By: Dan Plutchak
Nelson Salsbury House, 1874; 404 W. Main St. More detailed than most late Italiante-style houses, this building boasts windows decorated with pedimented stone hood molds and a large cornice.
Photo By: Ginny Hall
Engebretsen Dorr House, 1895; 622 W. Main St. One of Whitewater's finest examples of Queen Anne style. Many of the added architecture details, from shingles to spindles, were some of the first mass-produced products turned out in factories, allowing homeowners to add more decorations to the exterior of their homes inexpensively.
Photo By: Ginny Hall
G.W. Esterly House, 1876; 604 W. Main St. This Italianate-style house was built for the son of George Esterly, whose factory, which made wheat harvesters, was one of the biggest in the city. The building was owned for a while by a sorority.
Photo By: Ginny Hall
Sanger Marsh House, 1861; 522 W. Main St. Sanger Marsh was president of the old First National Bank in Whitewater, which started in the 1860s, merged with Citizens State Bank in the 1930s and still operates today. First National Bank was the first long-time successful bank in Whitewater.
Photo By: Ginny Hall
J.J. Starin House, 1860; 507 W. Main St. Long known as the Green Shutters Restaurant, this two-story Greek Revival structure is now a medical clinic, providing a good example of how an old house can be used for a different purpose without taking away from its historic character, Cartwright said.
Photo By: Photo submitted
Newton M. Littlejohn House, c. 1859; 428 W. Main St. This Italianate style home, built of cream city brick, was built for a Littlejohn, a businessman who owned the only lumberyard in the city for decades. Like many prominent businessmen of the time, he chose a Main Street address because it was "where you wanted to be," Cartwright said.
Photo By: Ginny Hall
White Memorial Building, 1904; 402 W. Main St. From 1904 to 1992, this building served as the public library. It was designed in the Classic Revival style by the architectural firm Claude & Starch, which specialized in Prairie-style houses and library commissions. Rare in that it has no additions or alterations.
Photo By: Photo submitted
Stone Stable, west of the depot. While stone was a common construction material in Whitewater, this is one of the few area buildings made entirely of stone. It was built about 1845 by a Yankee wagon maker who, like other ambitious immigrants, moved on after a few years.
Photo By: Donna Lenz Wright
The restored 1890 Whitewater Passenger Depot; 310 W. Whitewater St. Rather than a typically functional depot, this Victorian Gothic depot is unusual in its design, like the decorative gables at each end. Noted architect J.T.W. Jennings worked briefly for the Milwaukee Road before designing campus buildings for the University of Wisconsin.
Photo By: Photo submitted
Indian Effigy Mounds. These effigy mounds, dating from 400 BC to 1500 AD, are located on the far west side of the city. State archaeologists say they are one of the most unique groupings of their kind in the Midwest.
Photo By: Dan Plutchak
Bassett House, 1857, with additions in 1858; 708 W. Main St. Thomas Basset was a local merchant who married the governor's daughter. Since 1926, this house has been the home of the Whitewater Federation of Women's Clubs.
Photo By: Ginny Hall
Hamilton House, 1868, remodeled in 1881 and 1887; 328 W. Main St. Once slated for demolition in the 1980s to be replaced by parking lots, this house is now a bed-and-breakfast inn. John Belushi lived here when he attended the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
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